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White Paper
Easy Guide to Comprehensive IT Security Strategies for SMBs
High-End Endpoint Security, Data Loss Prevention and Portable Device Management at a Reduced Scale
July 2008


Corporate Trends Overview
The current business environment requires high levels of competitiveness from all players in the market. Large companies need to keep working on preserving their market position while challengers and small and medium sized companies have to put up a similar effort in gaining and retaining their customers. Given these circumstances, the difference between companies is limited to size only when it comes to their resources and strategies. The complexity, adaptability and innovation for the solutions they employ need to be similar in order to maintain competitive advantages.

Innovation is the main tactical advantage SMBs have to compensate the immense marketing and financial power large companies make use of. They need to keep innovating to determine the smart paths of business that get them to the top without spending fortunes on each of their actions. Resourcefulness when it comes to innovations also means an increased risk of industrial espionage, employees being bribed or blackmailed and other tools from the dark side of business.

Emerging businesses or SMBs thus generate needs leading developers to present solutions of high end features, yet adapt them to the dimensional requirements of these companies. As they must face their competitors with matching complexity in strategy and tactics, SMBs start to re-evaluate their IT infrastructure needs and choose vendors based on more than price and licensing volume. They look for the same finesse, time saving and business advantages that their larger competitors are looking for.

When it comes to IT and security infrastructure, SMB characteristics are translated to those of the personnel involved in developing and maintaining them. Such companies have limited numbers of experts monitoring their systems and implementing new solutions, therefore prevention gains significantly more focus over repairing damages. That is why developing comprehensive and proactive security policies and determining the best fit solutions to enforce them should be a persistent concern for emerging companies.

Assessing the Risks and Finding the Right Solutions

Implementing endpoint security and data loss prevention solutions

While most businesses are aware of the classical threats, such as viruses, Trojans, phishing attacks and other kinds of malware, when it comes to implementing endpoint security and data loss prevention solutions, what is protected and against whom is harder to define. This security segment focuses on protecting and controlling endpoints from within a certain network (such as PCs or laptops) and those attached to the existing infrastructure – from thumb drives to smart phones and music players.

As employees continuously request to be IT-enabled at all times, making sure all their portable devices are protected at all times becomes a valid concern. According to a recent research performed by financial services provider Barclaycard Business and quoted by Computing.co.uk, business travelers are increasingly using technology to maximize productivity and save time on their trips. Therefore, they are making a point from asking airlines, airports and other companies in the travel industry for more technological advancements.

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