Malware and ransomware are increasingly targeting US-based businesses of all sizes.  Recently, yet, another major IT services provider, Kaseya, was attacked by ransomware, which could potentially affect thousands of businesses - clients ranging from small to medium-sized businesses.

US-based businesses – whether small offices or enterprise-level corporations – should be reassessing their own cybersecurity policies and how they are protecting themselves from the ever-rising threat of ransomware.  Maintaining the proper anti-virus solution is pivotal for small and medium-sized businesses to stay out in front of these prescient threats.

Finding the Right Anti-Virus Solution for Your Office

With so many anti-virus solutions available, it can be difficult to find the right solution that fits your office.  Simply having stand-alone anti-virus protection on your office computers is no longer sufficient enough and can leave vulnerabilities in your network if a workstation is left unprotected.  Using a managed IT services provider, like Natural Networks, can ensure that the proper protection is deployed across your office workstations and is much more efficient.

A deployable anti-virus solution will always be better for protecting your workstations against threats, like ransomware, malware, and other potential threats.  Choosing the right anti-virus solution for your office will help to maintain a balance between functionality, and security.

Benefits of a Cloud-Based Anti-Virus Solution Works

A cloud-based anti-virus solution offers a broad array of protection for malware that a stand-alone or a piecemeal solution just can’t.  Cloud-based AV solutions store information about malware variants in the cloud rather than on your local device.

The older anti-virus solutions work through a database whose definitions are updated as new threats are discovered.  This is known as a “list-based” anti-virus solution.  List-based anti-virus platforms are disadvantaged to their cloud-based counterparts because they are updated directly on your device.  We are referencing the list of definitions that contain the known-bad malware and viruses which live on your computer and have to almost always constantly be updated.

These list-based anti-virus solutions cause your computer to run slower because they need to run in the background to update.  If these classic anti-virus solutions go without updates as well, then you run the risk of leaving your computer open to potential threats.

On the other hand, cloud-based anti-virus platforms work by storing threat definitions in the cloud rather than on your device.  This allows the anti-virus software to remain updated without having to drag the performance of your computer down.  These anti-virus solutions also have access to a larger threat database, require a smaller installation agent, and maintain a near real-time definition update to its database on data gathered from the entire network of users.

Finding the right anti-virus solution that fits your company doesn’t have to be challenging.  Working with an experienced managed IT services provider, like Natural Networks, means you can work directly with cyber security experts who can help you find the right solution for your business.  If you want to learn more about securing your business with the right anti-virus solution, give us a call today!