All Signs Point To The Cloud: See Why Cloud-Based Security Is Replacing Antivirus

By Andrew Bagrin, Founder and CEO, My Digital Shield

It’s no secret that businesses of all shapes and sizes have opened their eyes to the importance of cybersecurity in light of what many industry experts have coined the “cyber breach epidemic.” Between the infamous Target breach that affected upwards of 40 million customers in 2014 to Home Depot’s compromise of 56 million credit card numbers, cybercriminals are making a name for themselves and showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon!

Looking back on 2014 alone, there were more than 600,000 cyber incidents that caught the attention of the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center. While alarming enough, that number still doesn’t account for all the small business breaches that we don’t see making headlines.

So, what’s the good news? Rather than sitting back and leaving sensitive data to chance, IT service providers and small businesses themselves are encouraged to take a proactive stance to staying protected and standing a fighting chance against emerging threats.

The Antivirus-Only Approach Is No Good

While most small businesses are, by now, aware of the risks they face when it comes to cyberattacks, many fall short in terms of finances and resources to adequately stay protected. As a result, we’re seeing the majority of SMBs rely solely on piecemeal solutions that protect only a piece of the puzzle. When asking most SMBs what their go-to security protection system is, more often than not the answer is always some form of antivirus software. Sure — something is better than nothing! But in today’s day in age with hackers becoming more and more sophisticated, antivirus platforms that once did the trick aren’t doing much of anything to keep businesses properly protected today.

While providing some level of protection, antivirus software is often susceptible to certain threats it’s designed to protect against. Malware and virus strains seek out antivirus code, disable it and put that system in question in the direct line of fire for hackers to make their way in and access sensitive data.

Sometimes More Is Better

While there’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution to combating all emerging cyberthreats, businesses small and large are encouraged to adopt as much of a complete solution as possible. Having antivirus software in place as a first line of defense might be enough to protect against smaller threats, but as technology continues to advance, so must cybersecurity protection efforts. Having a system in place to protect from one end of a network to the other is the strongly preferred route to ensure that all bases are covered should the unexpected happen. So, what’s the next step for IT service providers to recommend to their SMB clients? Step one — upgrade from an antivirus-only system to one that includes a managed security approach with an affordable Security-as-a-Service (SECaaS) solution.

One of the biggest takeaways from the changing landscape of security today is to be proactive rather than reactive. SECaaS technology filters all incoming and outgoing traffic to ensure cyberthreats are contained while fast connection speeds are upheld. The benefit to a cloud-based security solution is that it detects threats before they are able to reach your network, rather than after the fact as is the case with most antivirus systems.

And perhaps one of the greatest benefits — especially for the small business owner juggling operations and day-to-day upkeep — is the ease of use that comes with a cloud-based solution. In most cases, cloud-based security software is a turnkey method that requires little to no maintenance and upkeep on behalf of the user. The cloud-based solution keeps sensitive data housed within a closed environment and prevents hackers from gaining unwarranted access.

The lesson here — be proactive rather than reactive. We’re seeing companies day in and day out fall victim to the hands of advanced cybersecurity threats. Antivirus-only platforms that covered all bases years ago are no longer keeping pace with the sophistication level of cyberthreats we’re seeing today. Taking a proactive, complete approach to protect your clients’ data from one end to another helps ensure the livelihood of their businesses years from now.