IT security management is a complex discipline that involves many moving parts. Many tools and cybersecurity companies are available that can address various functions of IT security. These include encryption, data backup, and antivirus software. Vendors often use inconsistent terminology. These factors can make it difficult to choose the right security solution for your business.
This guide will assist new and experienced buyers in the purchase process. It analyzes common trends, feature sets, and case studies to identify the top security software vendors.
Cybersecurity Software: Major Categories
Cybersecurity software can be described as a broad umbrella that covers many different platforms and tools. These are the top categories to consider when protecting your business, from internet security suites to endpoint protection.
Antivirus Software
Antivirus software is sometimes called virus protection software. It’s a cybersecurity program that can be installed onto smartphones, tablets, and computers to prevent malicious software, including ransomware. Antivirus software is used to scan incoming files for known malware signs. However, modern antivirus protection tools can deal with both known and unknown threats.
Antivirus protection software should be able to schedule and automate scans so that users don’t have the burden of remembering to start them. To avoid interrupting user activity, malware detection scans must run in the background.
Although there is free antivirus software available, it is usually only licensed for personal use. Free antivirus software may not be updated as often as paid tools and may not have the same features. The best antivirus software will cost more for businesses.
Best Antivirus Software
Endpoint Security Software
Endpoint protection software monitors activity and restricts access requests from devices (endpoints). This protects TCP/IP networks. An employee’s laptop, smartphone, office printer, or specialized hardware, such as barcode readers or POS terminals, could be considered an endpoint.
Endpoint protection platforms, or EPPs, ensure that every endpoint meets certain criteria before they are granted access to the network. This includes ransomware protection, identity monitoring, antivirus protection, and ransomware protection. It can also include real-time activity monitoring and web filters. EPPs can also include webcam protection to prevent spying and internet security to protect against browser-based attacks.
Administrators control endpoint software via a central server component. This component monitors client components. Before endpoints can exchange information, it is important to make sure they are all in good condition. Software may also include vulnerability assessment tools that identify weaknesses in endpoints and provide patches to correct them.
Top Endpoint Security Products
Data Loss Prevention Software
Software that detects and prevents data loss (DLP) is used to protect the integrity of information in transit, at rest, or in use. DLP platforms monitor endpoints, network egress points, and storage databases to detect and prevent data loss.
Backups are often an integral part of DLP tools. However, a standalone backup service offers less advanced DLP capabilities. Access control and encryption are essential features in most products of this type, as they directly relate to data security.
Top Data Loss Prevention Software
Security Information and Event Management Software (SIEM).
Security information management and event management (SIEM) software aggregates data within an organization’s network to identify and respond to threats. This software requires extensive monitoring by security professionals, so it is not the best option for small businesses. Many managed service providers provide SIEM tools as part of their service offerings.
SIEM usually includes machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and AI to detect anomalies quicker and stop threats from causing more damage. It can communicate with security software such as firewalls to inform them of the anomaly and block it.
Because it must be able to identify signs of attack quickly, SIEM software also includes threat intelligence and detection. It collects data from all endpoints, operating systems, and applications in a network to identify possible threats and develop an IT action plan.
Top SIEM Tools
Mobile Device Management Software
Mobile device manager (MDM) software, also known as enterprise mobile management, is an enterprise security solution to “bring your device” (BYOD). MDM gives employees access to corporate content and applications and extends data control to tablets and smartphones at work.
Administrators can use MDM for enforcement of passcode and encryption policies, blocking unknown devices, native malware protection, web filter distribution, and remote locking or erasing data from smartphones and tablets in the event they are lost or stolen.
Some platforms support containerization, which allows you to create a secure area for your corporate use. Some MDMs can be purchased as standalone tools, while others are part of IT management suites.
Top MDM Tools
Common Features of Security Tool
It is important to be familiar with the features of the software before you start looking into it. This step and an internal assessment can help you define your business goals and determine which products are most relevant. These are the most common functions of business-grade security products:
Protection from Malware & Ransomware
Antimalware is sometimes used interchangeably with antivirus, but this is a little misleading. There is one type of malware that viruses are not. Other types include trojans, spyware, nagware, and trojans.
Malware protection is a way to identify and stop malware from harming an endpoint or network. Malware protection can also include advanced persistent threats (APTs) if combined with a security event management (SEIM) tool.
Data encryption
Data encryption employs complex algorithms to make data unreadable to unauthorized parties. This “scrambled” data version is known as ciphertext. It requires a unique key to decrypt. You can encrypt files or storage media as well as the entire network.
Access and Identity Control
Using network access controls, administrators can limit access to certain files and systems. This is based on login credentials and permission levels. Role-based Access Control is an important part of compliance with many different industry regulations such as HIPAA and PCI-DSS.
Approximately 88%” of data breaches are due to human error. Access control and identity management can help reduce the number of potential threats.
Data Backup
Data backup is essential in the event of a major disaster (such as floods, fires, and electrical storms), or an irreversible system failure. Businesses sometimes practice their own internal backup procedures, but most third-party services are hosted in the cloud — referred to as “backup-as-a-service,” or BaaS.
This service is particularly valuable for smaller businesses that may not have the IT resources to back up regularly.
Behavioral Analysis
Security software must rely on behavioral analysis to distinguish friends from foes, as bad actors are better at impersonating benign traffic.
Security tools can block employees from accessing company data on their laptops between 9 AM and 5 pm Monday through Friday but flag them so IT can investigate.
Behavioral analysis is a tool that security software uses to detect breaches not seen by other tools.
Security Software Market Trends
Digital growth and globalization have raised the data security stakes across all industries. A recent study by IBM shows that the average cost for an enterprise data breach now stands at $4.24 million. Many companies are taking preventive steps to safeguard their data and avoid potential harm.
Recent trends make it difficult to monitor and control the flow of information and, by extension, ensure the security of networks, endpoints, and data.
Cloud Environments
As businesses allow employees to work remotely, adopt cloud-based applications, and rely on Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) for their core business models, there is a growing need for cloud security services.
Although cloud security management can help reduce administrative and capital costs and increase company bandwidth, many experts remain skeptical about its ability to protect the entire network. Cloud security and internet security tools are vital parts of today’s IT environment.
Mobile Endpoints
Smartphones and tablets have become a standard part of the workplace. Many people see their personal and professional use of tablets, which can create a grey area in company security. IT managers are often uncertain about how to manage mobile activity or whether this is an invasion of privacy. This concern must be balanced with the real danger of device compromise.
The number of malware variants known has increased by 62% since the COVID-19 pandemic. It now exceeds 28 million in the first half of 2020.
Larger Threat Surfaces
New vulnerabilities are created by the proliferation of digital media (cloud, mobile, and third-party portals), and the expansion of infrastructure to remote workers and global networks.
Cybercriminals are increasing their efforts to exploit these new attack areas and are succeeding. Mimecast research found that 61% of businesses experienced, at most, a partial disruption in business because of malware in 2021.
Third-Party Vulnerabilities & Threats
Many companies don’t have the ability to see their partner networks, such as suppliers, vendors, and service providers, even if they are secure within their own network. Creating a backdoor for data breaches or intrusions is easy when the two environments overlap. The notorious 2020 SolarWinds hack was a case in point. It affected thousands of organizations worldwide. This vulnerability can compromise the integrity of the entire supply chain.
Businesses can overcome many of these problems by using security platform providers to monitor data and network entities, block intrusions, and strengthen infrastructure to resist future attacks.
Different types of cybersecurity tools
The software market has a wide range of products. Features and labeling can vary from one vendor to the next. It is difficult to compare security tools, but it also makes it easier to find the right product for you. There are two types of security software in general:
- Best of the breed: Provides discrete functionality to specific tasks in IT security such as antivirus or firewall protection. It is less expensive but has a limited scope.
- Integrated/product Suite: Provides a broad functionality for a variety of functions. Often intended to be an all-in-one security solution for enterprises, including hardware, software, data, and networks.
Software pricing is typically determined by the number and type of “nodes,” which are devices that communicate over the network. It also depends on whether the platform is hosted on-site (upfront license) and hosted off-site (typically an annual or semi-annual subscription).
How to choose the best security software
There are many types of security software, from simple antivirus tools to complete SIEM suites that connect all components of a network. Businesses should choose the right security software to make the most of their IT resources. It is important that they have access to customer support in case of any issues.
Businesses that do not have IT staff to monitor their platforms should consider purchasing security tools that aren’t required to be monitored, such as antivirus software. They can also look into outsourcing to managed service providers to those who do.