INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
It’s no secret that cyber criminals like to try out their latest tricks on big businesses, with high-profile enterprises falling foul of
the criminals’ collective efforts at an alarming rate
It’s unlikely that a vicious cyber attack on a smaller enterprise will garner anywhere near the degree of publicity that follows on from
the hacking of an international corporation. Still, this doesn’t mean there aren’t consistent and successful attacks against small
businesses on a daily basis.Nearly one million SMEs suffered a cyber attack in the last year -- which is no surprise considering that SMEs
host customer data, IP, and other prized assets in exactly the same way as the enterprise.Cyber crime companies: the twisted offspring of
the lean startup modelIt’s important to remember that, these days, cyber crime is an industry in and of itself. The industry has arguably
taken inspiration from SMEs themselves; although certainly despicable, nefarious cyber businesses have sprouted up, analogous in many ways
Both have adapted to a highly pressurised and competitive environment by adopting a similarly lean and agile approach
Unfortunately, though, the criminal world has twisted the now-familiar lean business principles, renowned for giving SMEs an edge, and
mutated them to create a contemporary criminal network that is, regrettably, highly effective.As such, whether a business is large or small,
if it holds something of value, it could be a target
Previously, sophisticated security defence technologies have traditionally been the reserve of big businesses with well-funded budgets,
leaving smaller players exposed to threats. However, given the technical challenges of running security systems around the clock, there is
an opportunity for hosted and managed security services that relieve the skill and resource pressures faced by many organisations in the
mid-market. Proactive threat-hunting is keyStill, such offerings need to be robust and employ proactive measures, such as threat-hunting
and more progressive machine-learning capabilities
In essence, SME offerings need the same capabilities as the highly skilled security operations found in well run large enterprises
This is where the benefits of cloud-hosted protection becomes most apparent.In turn, this will move the needle for businesses of all sizes
and budgets, as it affords customers the ability to purchase the expertise they require
This leaves their own teams to focus on incident response, incident handling, and other higher value activities where knowledge about the IT
environment and business is needed
The grunt work is removed, as people don't need to constantly look over the product for alerts; moreover, the company doesn't become more at
risk out of working hours.At the end of the day, businesses can no longer afford to have staff distracted from their other, vital
At the same time, it’s imperative that they bolster their detection and response capabilities
By adopting the combination of a managed and hosted service delivery and user entity behaviour analytics (UEBA), businesses can arm
themselves with an ideal, cost-effective solution to this conundrum
What’s more, this technology is available within mere minutes of being deployed, so business leaders can act swiftly.Sneaking up the
supply chainAll of this is especially important, given the important roles played by many SMEs in the complex supply chains that power the
Cyber criminals target businesses not only because of their own corporate identity and data, but also because of which other businesses and
key individuals they have access to. Evidently, SMEs must be able to access economically viable cyber security protection, for an approach
that’s both proactive and time-saving
Only by doing this can they save not only themselves from the perils of an attack, but also much bigger enterprises further up the chain --
protecting a whole host of staff and consumers in the process.When all's said and done, technology should benefit everyone, rather than just
those with big cyber budgets
Putting such powerful technology directly into the hands of businesses -- regardless of size -- means that every business can access a
highly secure, easy to deploy, and economically friendly resolution
Ultimately, this is what all emerging enterprises deserve.Dr Jamie Graves is founder and CEO of ZoneFox
He founded the company in Edinburgh in 2010 after being a fellow of Napier University and attending MIT.UPFFHEahQcbD3oY4T4H7NT.jpg#
