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A Small Business Network Security Survey
By admin | October 23, 2007
Many of today’s small businesses use PCs and a server network to facilitate their operations. Important company information is stored in electronic format on these networks, and daily operations are dependent on the network being both available and secure. In many cases, these small businesses ignore or are unaware of the risks that could compromise the safety of the data. To better understand these issues, two hundred of these small businesses were interviewed about their network security. Companies ranged from those with ten employees or less, to those with over a hundred staff members.
Over half of the survey respondents believed that their network was adequately safe or very secure. A large number of respondents did admit that they doubted their defenses against an attack. This isn’t too surprising, as nearly all businesses have experienced some type of security threat in the last year, from lost computers or back-up takes, hacker attacks, viruses, or theft by employees.
The top three threats reported were:
1) Trojan horse or virus attacks
2) Stolen or lost computers, including data storage devices
3) Employee theft or hacker attack
Company defenses reported include:
1) Virus Protection
2) Firewall
3) Spyware Protection
4) Spam Filters
Recommendations:
Most companies reported that they lacked a smart password policy, automated patch management, and employee network use policies. Generally, many of these businesses don’t have full protection against an attack, and have not yet had to put their defenses to the test.
There isn’t one single fix to ensure secure continuity of operations on a network. However, we recommend a layered approach in managing these pressing security threats. This layered approach examines vulnerability in different areas including hardware, software, processes, and training. Every layer added another level of protection to the information environment.
1) Blocking network-based attacks
2) Blocking host-based attacks
3) Eliminating vulnerability
4) Supporting authorized users safely
5) Tools for maximizing effectiveness and minimizing losses
To assure the continuity of your business operations, regular testing of these security measures is required.
Level of Overall Security:
Over half the respondents stated that they thought their network was secure enough or better. 30% of the remainder thought their network was only somewhat secure, and over 10% confided that their network was not as secure as it should be.
These small businesses tend to believe that their network is relatively secure: 63% of businesses with less than ten employees and almost 75% of those with between eleven and twenty-five staff members. The larger companies were not as sure of their defenses, with over half of those with fifty to one hundred and 44% of those with over a hundred employees felt secure or secure enough. In the fifty-one to one hundred staff category, over 20% reported that the network was not as secure as should be. In general, the bigger the company, the larger the network – and the greater the number of security risks it must defend against.
Experienced Threats:
The respondents reported on security lapses or attacks that they’d experienced over the last year. The survey showed that Trojan horses or virus attacks are the most common threat to the network, with about half reporting experiences with these issues in that time. The larger companies reported at 40%, the lowest rate, which is indicative of better defenses. Over 60% of the smallest companies reported virus-based attacks.
Loss of company information from theft or loss of storage devices appeared to be a minor threat for smaller companies, but this risk increases with company size. Over 33% of the larger firms reported this sort of experience. Hacker attacks were most often experienced by firms with less than ten employees and those with over a hundred. It seems the smaller networks are more vulnerable, and the largest ones are high-profile, with a greater chance of becoming a target. Unfortunately, staff members can create a security risk themselves; about 10% of businesses reported that they had experienced unauthorized access or theft in the allotted time frame.
Devices and Procedures:
Good procedures, processes and systems can help defend against security threats. In the survey, respondents were asked which security methods were in use. Most reported that they had virus protection and firewalls. Around 25% lacked spam filters and spyware removal, leaving networks open to malware which ranges from dangerous to annoying. Under 50% have patch management or a smart password policy in place. This smart password system uses passwords with a mixture of normal and special characters which are frequently changed.
As compared to the largest companies surveyed, smaller businesses are less-often implementing network use policies for employees. Over 80% of the larger companies have defined guidelines for proper and improper network use. These guidelines attempt to lower the amount of network activity unrelated to the business, which result in increased security risk. Many of the respondents use wireless networks. Wireless networks are some of the most vulnerable access points if not well-secured. Only a few companies reported that they use all the top-priority security measures listed in the survey.
Testing:
No security device or feature can be known to provide real defense until it’s been tested. Anti-virus specifications could be out of date, a hole could exist within a firewall, or staff members could not be using the correct practices for a safe and secure network. About 25% of respondents indicated that either they couldn’t remember the last time they tested their security, or didn’t know that they ever had. This seems to indicate that while many have implemented security defenses, they can’t be assured that the expected protection is actually provided.
The very smallest companies least-often tested their security measures. About 10% of businesses had tested security, but not for over a year. As the threats change over time, dangerous lapses can occur without periodic testing. Around 33% of respondents reported that they’d tested their security measures within the last month. Validation of network security elements on a regular basis is important to system integrity in an overall continuity plan. It is unfortunate that usually a company only examines its level of exposure after a damaging event which negatively affects the business.
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Help answer the question about small business networking
What is a success rate for A/V installation, PC tech and Home networking for Small Business in Southern CA?I am A computer Tech I also have knowlege in Audio Video Design Home Theater PC repair and Home, Small Office Networknig AND I AM VERY GOOD AT THESE STUFF .I am looking to start my business ,i was wondering if i can do 25 to 35000 first year?
About Author
Nick Pegley is a small business technology and marketing expert. He has more than 20 years of experience in the technology business and has a special focus on small business markets.
Topics: Networking | 18 Comments »
October 23rd, 2007 at 8:57 am
this is good
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:05 am
this is bad
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:40 am
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October 23rd, 2007 at 1:32 pm
i just hav a question. my family has a linksys router, and were all on the same connection. for some reason, we didnt do anythin, and all of our computers were linked. my printer is an old HP Deskjet, and it doesnt have any ethernet connections, it plugs into my laptop. so my mom wanted to print sumthin from her computer, and wen she hit print, it printed on my printer. i was on a wireless network. one day we all wiped out our drive and lost the network. how can i set it up again? i dont kno how
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:06 am
Printers and scanners, you can use a network USB device from Walmart, this puts the devices on the network. Then you need a switch , for the network, A router, CAT5 cable, Wireless router, and so on. Questions.
How many computers?
How many Laptops?
How many Printer , Usb or network?
Start at the link below
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:29 am
join the local chamber of commerce
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Look around what other similar service providers are charging, and charge about 30% more than that. Offer the 30% as discount to the guy who gets you business.
October 24th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
You may want to check with your local chamber of commerce. Also, a nationwide small business networking group is http://www.bni.com.
October 25th, 2007 at 2:29 am
easily, work hard and you can do it. good luck
:> peace
.
October 25th, 2007 at 3:09 am
October 25th, 2007 at 4:54 am
Every night, using either a full or differential backup.
Differential or incremental will give you the ability to restore to a certain point back to the full backup.
A very common method is doing a full backup one day a week, and doing differential or incremental the other days.
The difference in incremental and differential is, to restore from differential, you only need the full and last diff. backup. With incremental, you need each backup you made stepping backwards to the last full backup.
Good luck!
October 25th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
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October 25th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Nice work. keep it up. mean time come for social media marketing for esteembpo**com
October 26th, 2007 at 2:41 am
i don’t think that DMZ is the best way how to access your PC from internet. for services such a webserver is better to setup port forwarding and not to leave whole PC open as DMZ does.
October 26th, 2007 at 3:58 am
Nice try. Keep it up check out esteembpo + com for social media marketing. dfhbgfh
October 25th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
I don't know where your from but here in Ontario we have this thing where the government will give you $3000 + a mentor to start your own business. For young people anyways.
You should do some research and see if you have that where you live.
Good luck!
October 26th, 2007 at 1:01 am
hmm..there are a number of things you can do to be secure.you need the software.lets see.as far as a firewall goes i reccomend comodo firewall.its free for lifetime,it blocks all open ports so nothing bad can get in without your permission,and warns you when something is trying to connect to the net.as far as anti-virus goes,you should look into avira anti-virus,its the best anti-virus with very good detection.also up in the ranks is NOD32.but thats commercial.avira is freeware.not sure if they charge for commercial use.
comodo firewall.
http://www.comodo.com
avira antivir
http://www.filehippo.com/download_antivir/
you dont really need any other programs.with those 2 youll be pretty safe as long as you dont visit any malicious sites.
October 26th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
thanx, this really helped, better than my teacher!!!!