Managed firewalls for SMEs: confine hacking to history

SMALL-TO-MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES (SMEs) worried about the cost of preventing security scares can now keep hackers at bay thanks to a low cost managed firewall service tailored for the needs of smaller businesses.

According to market analyst Durlacher, some 90% of Britain's SMEs are now online, increasing their susceptibility to crime. In response, Objectronix has been quick to negate the growing security threats by launching a tailored service for companies with up to 500 users.

The service aims to make security accessible to SMEs. Such companies tend to neglect protection for two reasons – the expense, and the (often mistaken) belief that they will not be targeted by hackers.

There tends to be a feeling among SMEs that if they don't trade over the Internet, hackers won't target them. This is a dangerous attitude to adopt. Attacks are impossible to predict, and can come from internal sources.

Companies must learn that barriers are needed for anything from just e-mail through to major web sites.

Some companies respond by installing a basic firewall, but such firewalls need to be monitored, and their configuration reviewed on a regular basis. If not, then any security provision will end up being a false economy.

Prevention is nearly always better than cure, and Objectronix can protect an installation for as little as 50 pence a day more than a standard in-house solution.

The basic package on offer costs £500 per month. It includes a consultancy with the IT and security teams to determine specific end user requirements, and 24-7 firewall monitoring.

Those end users that choose the service can also set up a Virtual Private Network. This prevents private data being accessed by unauthorised parties as it travels across the Internet between branch offices and business partners.