What Is Network Security, and How Can It Keep Your Business Safe? Business
What is network security, and how can it keep your business safe?,Author: Phil Muncaster,The network sits at the heart of any business making your network's health critical to the success of your organization. The number of U.S. compared to 2020 figures. And ransomware is also on the rise. According to the ), ransomware now represents 25% of breaches, which is a 13% year-on-year increase, and greater than the previous five years combined. The advice is simple: Getting network security right significantly reduces the risk of a damaging breach. But putting this into practice can be challenging, especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with limited resources. Here are answers to some key questions to better illuminate what is meant by network security. What is network infrastructure?,Put simply, an IT network is a system of interconnected computers and devices offering storage and computing power, and they're designed to share data with each other. They could be connected through Ethernet cables or Wi-Fi, and most commonly in an SMB, they'll do so in a local area network (LAN) or wireless LAN setup. As well as connecting to each other, these machines and devices connect out to the public internet, so you can use cloud computing technologies and web-based resources. However, the advantages of doing so come with one major attendant risk: If you can connect out, hackers coming the other way can potentially reach your organization's computers and data. What is network security?,Network security is the discipline and capability of protecting these resources from any inbound attacks, or potential negligence or abuse by insiders. Some common threats include:,What is network infrastructure security?,Network infrastructure security and network security are the same concepts. Traditionally, what was meant by network security was a perimeter-based setup designed to stop malicious activity from entering the network. However, this has become harder to achieve as data, devices and applications become more distributed and cloud-connected. The to deliver network security now are:,Why is a secure network essential for business resilience?,Data is the lifeblood of your business, and the IT network provides the arteries through which it travels. From payroll to business planning, and app development to marketing software, if these data flows are interrupted and/or information is stolen, it could take down the entire company. Take ransomware: Serious network breaches in 2021 , and much more. Keeping the network free of malicious activity is essential to business resilience. Effective network security, or , also may provide a platform for corporate success by freeing up SMB leaders to focus on growing the business. What is the cost of poor network security?,Network infrastructure security is easy to take for granted. But some cautionary tales highlight what could happen if SMB owners get it wrong. Ransomware is a good example. Research reveals that it , with 82% of attacks in Q4 2021 impacting organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees. The average ransom payment over this time was more than $300,000. But the can be many times this figure. Business interruption on average lasts 20 days—potentially hitting sales and productivity, and incurring legal, forensics, and IT overtime costs. Customer churn and reputational damage are also common following any major breach incident or DDoS campaign. What are network infrastructure security best practices for SMBs?,must therefore be a priority for any SMB. The first impulse should be to prevent as many attacks from landing as possible. But for those that get through, the focus must be on speedy detection and response. That means taking steps to:,Many SMBs don't have a cyber security specialist on their IT team, let alone an entire security function. That's when third-party security services could make financial and operational sense, freeing up staff to focus on high-value tasks. Learn more about how Verizon's security expertise can inside and out. If you'd like to receive new articles, solutions briefs, whitepapers and more—just let us know. . * Indicates a required field. We will follow up from your contact request using the information provided. Choose your country to view contact details. Manage your account or get tools and information. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information. 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