David FriedlandThe new decade might be an excuse to update how your small business manages cyber attacks and defense. There are now tens of strategies one could use, so how do you know what framework to follow considering there’s no way to test it?
We sought to find out, by reaching out to cyber security experts and researching case-studies, and these are the top 5 that have come out as your shortlist. While each framework has its own strengths, we found these to be consistently meet our criteria. You’ll be able to manage your data protection while your business grows, but be sure to read our quick descriptions to make sure the framework you’re choosing fits your business.
Sophos XG Firewall
This product was recommended by Henry Chen from Syncoria
It has centralized dashboard where users can manage everything from within the dashboard. It has features like:
- Email protection with anti-spam
- Data loss protection
- Web application firewall Features that all businesses need to protect their business from online data theft and everything.
Untangle Network Security Framework
This product was recommended by Heather Paunet from Untangle
Untangle offers all-in-one security solutions for small businesses and enterprises, including the Untangle Network Security Framework which is a comprehensive approach to security orchestration. The Framework provides IT teams with the ability to ensure protection, monitoring and control for all devices, applications, and events, enforcing a consistent security posture across the entire digital attack surface. The Framework includes the award-winning NG Firewall and Command Center products, along with our latest SD-WAN Router. Untangle SD-WAN Router optimizes internet connectivity for branch offices. Using Untangle’s patent-pending Predictive Routing technology, SD-WAN Router ensures the performance of business critical applications whilst securely connecting employees and devices to the network.
NIST Cybersecurity Framework
This product was recommended by Stacy M. Clements from Milepost 42 LLC
As a cyber professional who teaches cybersecurity basics to small business owners, I recommend small businesses take a look at the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, which is what I use to structure my classes. The Framework itself is free, although implementing the recommendations may require a business to contract outside help. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework was developed with input from government, academic, and private sector professionals, and one of the great things is that it was deliberately designed to be flexible.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all checklist; it’s meant to provide guidance on how to assess and reduce cybersecurity risk and is intended to be customized for the industry sector or business entity. The Framework provides a common language to communicate cyber risk and how it’s managed, and because it’s a free resource, there are several sectors who have already done some work to modify and customize the framework to be more valuable for that specific area. For example, the National Restaurant Association put together a Toolkit for Restaurant Operators based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. The Framework is a great resource for small businesses to start identifying and managing their cybersecurity risk.
CYBRI
This product was recommended by Konstantine Zuckerman from CYBRI
We at CYBRI leverage the NIST Cybersecurity Framework for our Small Business Clients andinclude the NY SHIELD recommendations as well. NIST provides a great scalable framework that companies of all sizes can implement. Here at CYBRI, our vCISOs use NIST in combination with NY SHIELD to put together a comprehensive cybersecurity program for our clients. This is a great way to begin a cybersecurity program in a structured way, using one of our experts who functions in a part-time basis, to meet any and all of the needs, no matter your business size.
KnowBe4
This product was recommended by Colton De Vos from Resolute Technology Solutions
Ensuring your team knows how to identify and avoid cyber threats is a key component of a cyber security strategy. Businesses can enlist in security awareness training like KnowBe4 to bolster staff’s cyber security knowledge. Programs like this give businesses the tools they need to educate staff, test them, and run simulated cyber threat scenarios to get a baseline for how at-risk their team is from real cyber threats. Video lesson plans and interactive surveys mean this type of training can be done anywhere – even while people are working from home.
