What is Layered Security?

The cyber threats prevalent on the internet range in complexity. Some come from email attachments, others from direct attacks to your small or medium (SMB) business’s network environment. In order to protect your data – and your organization’s reputation – you need a layered cyber security approach.

Layered security protects network environments (including the data therein) by erecting several perimeter defences. This layered approach to cyber security makes network breach more difficult; cyber criminals would need to defeat multiple layers of defences to successfully access a network environment.

Introducing: Layered Security

In the past, anti-virus caught threats distributed through email, adware posted on the Internet and other malicious attempts to gain access to a computer or network.

These AV solutions caught the known threats. Meaning new unknown attacks went undetected, and sometimes lived on networks for months.

In reality, businesses – small and large alike – require a layered approach to security.

What is the best layered security for SMBs?

The best layered security approach combines multiple security solutions that do not share failure modes.

A thorough approach to threat prevention includes:

• Antivirus: to catch known threats

• End Point Detection and Response: to catch advanced threats

• Firewall: to control the traffic on a network

• Spam filters: to detected undesirable emails

• Disaster recovery system: to return a network environment, and all the corporate data, to an operational state.

This layered approach reduces the threats facing an SMB, and contains the threats that make it through the preventative gauntlet.

The Cautions of Layered Defence

While a layered approach offers significant benefit, it also comes with a few cautions.

With more layers of defense in place, more work is required. The more monitoring tools in place, the more investigations required. Often times, these investigations stem from false alarms that may yield no actionable results.

Simply put: Layered security requires more person hours and resources. It is, however, well worth the effort, when a major attack is deterred.

SMBs and large organizations alike must focus on data protection, regardless of the effort required. Adoption of layered security can seem daunting, but can be made so much more accessible by working with a managed service provider.

A SMART Approach to Layered Security

CYDEF developed a layered approach to cyber security specifically for SMBs. Combining SMART-AV, SMART-Monitor, and a fully managed service, this solution provides a distinctive advantage.

While other tools require a security operations team and incur significant cost, the SMART bundle offers:

• 24-hour professional threat categorization

• Ongoing operational monitoring, ensuring your devices are always protected.

• Increased protection from Allow/Block lists.  Control what can run on your systems.

• Reduced vulnerabilities. 30+ applications monitored for the latest updates.