If I tell you the punch line, you probably know the joke: “I don’t have to outrun the bear; I just have to outrun you.”
Buried in this slightly twisted humor is a kernel of network security wisdom. Hackers, like most people, are fundamentally lazy. Your company’s network security doesn’t necessarily need to be bulletproof; it just needs to be sufficiently frustrating to a hacker that he will leave you alone to seek out easier targets.
This is especially true for small and medium size businesses (SMBs), which are attractive prey because so many lack sophisticated security measures. Organized crime views smaller companies as high-reward and low-risk targets. “Industrialized” attacks can be carried out against large numbers of targets with little resistance.
Few SMBs could mount much of a defense against a determined hacker, but often it isn’t necessary to outrun the hacker bear. Outrunning similarly situated small companies may be enough.
Think of it as cyber Darwinism in action.
Of course, in the real world of cyber criminals, “we’re not running from a single bear. It’s more like a drone army of bears,” according to Gartner’s Ben Tomhave. Being only incrementally faster than the next guy isn’t necessarily going to save you. Companies still need to put significant time and effort into network security to reap the benefits.
Many SMBs, however, put little or no effort into network security. A 2012 survey by Symantec and the National Cyber Security Alliance found that 83 percent of U.S. small business owners have no formal cybersecurity plan.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has published practical data security guidelines for SMBs. A number of networks security vendors also have developed solutions specifically for the SMB market.
Most SMB owners and managers continue to believe that data security is a large company problem, and many do not take even rudimentary steps to keep their data safe. However, even basic data security measures could deter a breach since cybercriminals know that there are so many other unprotected targets available to them.
Lace up your running shoes.
Dave Bradford is Chief Strategy Officer and Director of Strategic Partnership Development at Advisen. Dave is also a founder of Advisen. As Chief Strategy Officer, Dave monitors market trends and advises the CEO and fellow Executive Committee members on strategic developments that impact our ability to fully serve our clients. As Director of Strategic Partnership Development, he cultivates and manages relationships with companies with complementary products and services. Contact Dave at [email protected].
