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Q: How do most small businesses handle PC management and security today?
A: Small businesses are so diverse in size and industry that it's tough to pin down what most companies do. What's consistent though, is that SMBs have the same needs for security as do their enterprise counterparts. However, they typically lack the budget and headcount to tackle PC management and security on their own. A managed services provider or a third-party VAR can recommend, deploy, monitor and update a soup-to-nuts security plan for an affordable, monthly subscription fee.
Q: What are the barriers that prevent small business from taking a more proactive approach to PC management and security?
A: Denial plays a part; no one wants to believe anything bad is going to happen to them – or to their business. Once you get past denial, many SMBs still don't fully understand what their security needs are. And figuring out what needs protecting – and how to do it -- can be overwhelming, particularly to a small business owner or manager who isn't tech savvy. And of course, cost is always an issue. It's important for SMBs to work with a provider that understands their industry, their business concerns and their price sensitivity.
Q: What are the biggest PC security risks that face small businesses today?
A: Hacking, malware or phishing are big concerns mainly because SMB employees can inadvertently stumble on a website contaminated with malicious software, which can infect their PC and corrupt or even steal company data. A strong intrusion prevention or Unified Threat Management can reduce the risk considerably. But even more basic than that is simply installing good anti-virus and anti-spy ware software on all of your PCs and servers and -- here's the kicker -- keeping it updated. The third point is backing up your data. It's not glamorous, but it's key to staying in business. About 70 percent of SMBs that suffer a major data loss go out of business within one year.
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