In a society like ours, security is a constant challenge. This is especially true if we take technology into consideration. Our world today is highly technological. It is dependent on technology. The Internet, online media, our mobile devices, and everything else that is driven by technology define practically all our actions.

Oftentimes, we use technology for purposes that are beyond our original intention. While others may see this as a creative and innovative step, others perceive this as a problem. For some, the intent may be positive and good; for others, it may be the opposite. When this happens, technology becomes vulnerable to threats and security is compromised.

All over the cyberworld, crimes like identity theft and data breach are rampant. And nobody is excused; whether it is a home-based business or a big company, it is vulnerable to security threats. Moreover, many companies today, even with all the high-technology products in the market, do not have rigorous security programs in place. There is no proper and reliable system that can help manage and, eventually, eliminate risks.

This is why we have enterprise security.

The Value of Enterprise Security

Every company that aims to protect its data and other important files and information has an enterprise security system in place. Its main intention is to reduce the risk that comes from unauthorized access. Since everything nowadays can be easily accessed or learned through the Internet, the need for enterprise security has significantly increased. As such, there are now countless vendors in the market offering this product or service.

Strengthening a company’s defense against security breaches is a good investment, especially for small and medium enterprises. Even companies with limited IT budget are encouraged to consider the value of an enterprise security system. There are many reasons why, but these three stand out the most.

1. The most obvious (and dangerous) reason is the power of cybercriminals. What a hacker does and could do should not be taken for granted. Their tactics and strategies are often unpredictable and their power is such that they are almost always a step ahead. In addition, cybercrime has become such an enormous concept, so much so that there are now different kinds of virtual crime. It has become some sort of a network and operates like a business. Taking cybercrime for granted will make a company vulnerable to losses originating from a lax enterprise security system.
2. There is a continuous increase in the risks brought about by virtual crimes. In the first quarter of 2014, for example, more or less 176 million records were compromised. That’s only for the first three months of the year. This is a clear indication of the rise in power of hackers, identity thieves, and other virtual criminals. If a company does not adopt strong and reliable security measures, anyone can easily get inside their system and steal important data. Without enterprise security, a company is practically leaving their doors open and welcoming online thieves into their system.
3. Like what many say, when improving something, it is important to take the whole situation into consideration. So, if a company is moving into digitization and virtualization, it is essential to also make changes in its security system. You cannot use an old battery for a new car, right? The moment a company installs a more rigorous and reliable security system, it is investing into its future. A future that looks safer and brighter. Adjusting to new technological developments is essential in eliminating the risks that come with constant improvement and change.

Enterprise Security in the Market

As companies scramble to embrace digitization, and as security risks continue to rise, the number of enterprise security vendors has also proliferated in the market. This leads to confusion among consumers and businesses. Often, a company is led to believing a particular product is effective only to find out later on that the solution they chose is useless. Additionally, because the need is urgent, many are willing to gamble on something that they are not really sure about; something that is not reliable. This is one of the biggest disadvantages of the popularity of enterprise security products.

Another important aspect to consider is the issue of cloud and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The cloud has trillions of data, including all the IP and identities than could be compromised. Since these are practically spread over a vast network, the tendency is that these will not be covered by the enterprise firewall anymore.

For its part, the Internet of Things can also present security headaches, especially because of the numerous connected devices that get into the ecosystem. With multiple entry points, security breach is very likely. Virtual criminals can also easily choose and identify their targets. Also, most IoT devices have compatibility issues with several antivirus solutions.

However, this is just a small portion in the world of enterprise security. In other words, the positive aspects overpower the negative ones. An effective way of solving this problem is by informing businesses and consumers about the specific kind of security they need; by coming up with something like a criteria for choosing the security products they set in place for their enterprise. There should also be a compliance checklist that businesses can base on.

Effective Enterprise Security

Finding a reliable and effective enterprise security system is dependent on the vendors. The most important aspects to consider should be:

• A combination of a network-centered and an endpoint-centered approach. This means that enterprises should focus not only on standardized packets, but also on keeping the devices that store IP and data secure.
• Focus not only on detection, but also on prevention.
• A cohesive system that allows large and small vendors to work in tandem.

In conclusion, it is important for companies to keep in mind three things when considering enterprise security:

1. Predicting threats is impossible.
2. In a fragmented and saturated market where buyers and sellers often do not see eye-to-eye, a compliance checklist is needed.
3. Security becomes more challenging with IoT and the cloud.

But then again, not having any form of security for your enterprise won’t help, too, right?

So, the most important thing to keep in mind is this: threats against virtual security are created by men; not by machines. Without someone to help spring it into action, a machine won’t be able to do too much. This means that there is a limit to what they can do.

As previously stated, anyone can be a victim of threat. In the same way, anyone can also create these threats. So apart from investing in high-technology enterprise security products, companies should also invest in providing security for its overall environment, and these means eliminating security stressors.

Photo courtesy of elhombredenegro.