Antivirus Fights More than Just Viruses

Antivirus is one of the simplest means of protecting a computer network, but that doesn't necessarily mean that a business should overlook the benefits of having an antivirus. If a business doesn’t have antivirus on its systems, it’s usually because they really don’t believe they are in any danger. The harsh reality emerges after a data breach. Regardless of its size, any business holds the kind of data that would draw in thieves and rogues. From Social Security numbers to credit card numbers to many other kinds of personally identifiable information, businesses possess plenty of data that can bring in a pretty penny on the black market.

As a result, any business is at risk of attack, as any business needs to have this information stored away.

Taking this into consideration, you need to have the means in place to help protect your business from the threats and risks that are out there. One way of mitigating many of the threats your organization may commonly encounter is a reliable antivirus solution. While it is admittedly more reactive than many other security measures, it still is a crucial facet of a comprehensive defense. This is because the danger to your company grows the longer a threat is present on your network. However, antivirus software can attend to the following cyberthreats, as well as others not mentioned here.

• Viruses: These bits of code range from amusing, past annoying, all the way to openly hostile. There are far too many varieties to list here, but it is a safe bet that any virus will cause some damage to your network when all’s said and done.
• Malware: Also known as malicious software, lives up to its name. Unfortunately, there are so many varieties of malware, defending against them all is a true chore. However, that does not mean that you should not try.
• Spyware: Spyware is just one of the many types of malware that are out there. True to its name, it collects information and data from its target, allowing it to become a real headache in the wild.
• Trojan: Similarly to spyware, a Trojan hides on a network and opens it up to further attack. With the proper precautions, you can prevent a Trojan from causing too many problems.

However, there are plenty more threats that are much more advanced and are therefore more difficult to remove from your network. For example, most ransomwares are remarkably difficult to remove. To help protect against all threats, you need to supplement the reactive measures like antivirus with proactive solutions, including content filters, firewalls, and spam blockers. While this may sound like a lot, a Unified Threat Management (UTM) tool makes it much simpler to leverage these enterprise-grade protections.

Best of all, your organization can use a UTM to leverage these advanced defenses without breaking the bank. To find out more or to get started with a UTM, call SCW at (509) 534-1530.