Small business owners have just as much to lose as big corporations when it comes to the growing threat from cybersecurity. As such, it’s no longer good enough to think your antivirus software and a little bit of diligence from the IT department is going to be good enough. Nowadays, stronger and more effective preventative measures are required and one of them is by implementing a Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) strategy.
Now that the digital landscape is much the same, no matter what the size of the business happens to be, the need for protecting digital assets and its associated data is more critical than ever. Cyberattacks are on an upward curve and the threats themselves are getting ever more sophisticated too. By using the ZTNA security model, small businesses are in a much better position to cope with this worrying trend.
Getting to grips
It's easy to think that cybercriminals are only interested in bigger companies, but the reality is that most cyber breaches tend to happen to smaller business, often with less than 1000 employees. In fact, SMBs with up to 200 workers are frequently targeted, often because they’re not big enough to have a proper cybersecurity strategy in place. Many have less funds to work with and, in some cases, little or no IT support structure.
Looking at the picture like that, it’s easy to see why cybercriminals head in the direction of SMBs, with little in the way of a deterrent to put them off. As a result, SMBs are frequently the recipients of ransomware attacks, data breaches and numerous other security threats that can prove costly to put right. In some cases, attacks like this can be enough to cause catastrophic damage to a business, which is why it’s vital to get to grips with the problem.
Expensive mistake
Cyberattacks that happen to SMBs are often particularly noteworthy because they have the potential to cause so much disruption. The fallout from a targeted attack can destroy a company’s reputation based on the lapse of security and protection for customers. That in itself can be enough to put customers off using an attacked SMB again. Indeed, while some can survive serious cyberattacks, a good proportion are so badly affected by hackers that they have to close their doors soon after.
That’s why implementing a ZTNA strategy makes a lot of sense, even for businesses that may think they are not big enough to warrant the extra time and expense needed to get set up. At its core, the ZTNA philosophy is one of ‘never trust, always verify’. What this means is that nobody can access a business’s network without first being authenticated and authorised to do so. By effectively locking down a business network in this way, the security threat is reduced considerably.
Effective solution
ZTNA has become an increasingly popular option for businesses of all shapes and sizes, simply because it offers a more robust security solution, which is versatile too. Only users with encrypted access permission can get into a network, use the applications, open files and folders and generally carry out everyday activities. It’s such a solid backbone for security that businesses can also enjoy the fact that even leaked passwords aren’t likely to allow a hacker to gain access to a network.
The benefit of having the ZTNA system setup is therefore an excellent way of safeguarding a company’s digital assets. Multiple factors of authentication can make life very hard for any potential hackers hoping to carry out something like a ransomware attack on a business. Better still, the ZTNA arrangement means that the once plentiful entry points for hackers are also more limited. Meanwhile, this security setup is very good at spotting potential attempts at compromise due to the way that it constantly monitors networks activity.
Realistic proposition
Considering the power and potential that using ZTNA offers, the popular misconception is that it’s going to be far too costly and complicated for SMBs to implement. The reality is actually rather different, with things made even simpler thanks to Managed Service Providers (MSPs). These companies can deliver a working ZTNA service for a fee, which means much of the hard work is taken away from an IT department that might be struggling due to its limited resources.
The great thing about going down this route to ZTNA implementation is that the nominated company will do a lot of the setting up and configuration. What this does is alleviate most, if not all the initial teething problems, while there’s also the added benefit of ongoing support as time progresses too. Considering just how costly a successful cyberattack can be on any type of SMB, it’s therefore sensible to consider the implementation of a ZTNA system in this way as it could pay dividends in the long run.
Rounding it out
Overall then, the majority of SMBs should seriously consider implementing a ZTNA strategy even though it may seem like a mountain to climb in order to get one set up and running. Any SMB that wants to have the bulk of the heavy lifting done for them would be wise to explore the options offered by Managed Service Providers.
While this might turn out to initially seem like the more expensive route to take, it could prove to be more cost effective over time, especially when it comes to reducing the amount of time and burden on your staff needed for implementation.
