Cybersecurity threats are constantly evolving—and businesses have to stay vigilant. From ransomware to data breaches, the number of attacks targeted at small businesses have escalated significantly over the past few years as hackers have become more sophisticated.

 

One recent study found that businesses with fewer than 100 employee are more than three times as likely to be hit with social engineering-focused attacks, such as phishing scams, than larger enterprises.

 

This means that business owners must be careful to shield their networks and data from cyber thieves and find solutions that can address the evolving cyber threat landscape.

 

How does a business owner choose the best cybersecurity tools and solutions for their needs? Here are four tips for choosing small business cybersecurity tools:

 

  1. Protect against the biggest risks

Because new cybersecurity risks are emerging all the time, make sure any solution you choose is designed to protect against the most common and largest cyber threats. For example, ransomware attacks—a type of malware used to lock down access to your data until you hand over a large sum of money—have been prolierating and accounting for a growing share of all attacks. Last year, one high-profile ransomware attack hit 1,500 small and midsize businesses across the U.S. in one day. 

 

That means businesses need to choose solutions that can sniff out the malware used in such attacks.

 

“Although antivirus software has traditionally been very good at combating computer viruses, modern antivirus solutions also do a fantastic job of defending against other kinds of threats,” says Jonathan Zacharias, CEO of Gr0, a digital marketing agency. “An ideal antivirus program can discover a variety of malware attacks by scanning your computer for evidence of risky threats.”

 

You’ll also want a solution that scans your email inbox for threats, since email phishing scams are among the largest threats to small businesses.

 

  1. Pick a software with a high test ratings

Antivirus software is tested by independent labs such as AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives to see how well they perform at doing what they’re supposed to do—protecting against malware and other cyber attacks.

 

The labs’ websites publish their latest software test results, so you can get a comparison of how they performed. They also look at factors such as whether the software slows down the computers and other devices it’s being used on and the frequency of false warnings.

 

  1. Consider ease-of-use

A tool is only as helpful as it is easy to use. So it’s important to review any cybersecurity tool for usability. Do you know how to run scans? Can you easily see how much malware has been detected and what types? 

 

You typically want your cyber tools seamlessly running in the background, so they’re not interrupting or getting in the way of your or employees’ work—yet they’re still providing robust protection. Most antivirus software programs and other cybersecurity tools offer a free trial, so you can test them out before committing. 

 

  1. Consider valuable extra features

Beyond looking at the core features and protection they offer, consider other features and tool may provide you that can enhance your business security. For example, some antivirus software comes with a password manager and tools that help you better manage data access.

Spectrum Business Internet customers receive up to 25 free licenses for an award-winning desktop security suite and six-time winner of AV-TEST’s “Best Protection Award.” To learn more, contact us at 855-299-9353.

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