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The days when a company could install an antivirus program on all its computers and call it a day are long gone. Today's businesses now need much more than just one security measure to ensure the protection of their information and digital assets. Currently, there is no single Holy Grail of data safety solutions; instead, organizations need to craft their own multi-layer policy to prevent their valuable, mission-critical content from falling into the wrong hands.

Industry research shows a multi-layered approach is critical
According to SCWOA, the current computing and cybercriminal environments make a multi-layered security approach absolutely critical. A recent Enterprise Strategy Group study found that 49 percent of enterprises with 1000 employees or more experienced infiltration due to a malware attack in the past two years. Additionally, 67 percent agree that the recent malware landscape is worse than it was in the past.

In response to these threats, 74 percent of organizations have boosted their spending on technology security within the previous two years in the hopes of better malware protection. However, 85 percent of IT security experts still worry that a dangerous malware sample or cyberattacker could have an affect on infrastructure resources, the economy, or national security.

Additional reasons to leverage a multi-layered security approach
However, frightening statistics are not the only reason administrators should consider implementing a multi-tiered data protection strategy. Don Reisinger of eWEEK noted that while today's anti-virus programs are no doubt more robust than in the past, even industry experts admit that companies aren't safe ending their security practices there. One leading antivirus provider stated that even with the most up-to-date antivirus software, organizations are only provided protection against about half of all malicious  programs. The other half have not yet been identified or a patch has not yet been created for them. As malware developers and distributors continue to crank out new samples, it is important to protect against these threats with multiple solutions, including monitoring and encryption.

A layered approach is also key due to the increasing amount of devices workers are using to access corporate information. A significant rise in bring-your-own-device practices has created a whole new attack platform for hackers. If mobile endpoints are not protected, they could be opening the door to a whole new world of malware samples. Therefore, decision makers need to include the mobile hardware being used by employees for work purposes in their tiered security plans.

Reisinger also pointed out that there needs to be boosted focus on employee training and education as part of a multi-layered approach. Often times, staff members may not know about the tricks cybercriminals employ to dupe users into infecting their systems, including phishing attacks or created legitimate-looking websites that are actually malware. To prevent threats of this kind, administrators must work to ensure that their workers are knowledgeable about current attack styles and best protection practices.

"Until the corporate world can educate employees, there's no simple way to keep itself safe from the myriad threats around the world," Reisinger writes.

corporate office

Thawte
The Gateway
Century Lane
Century City, 7441
Cape Town
South Africa

Postal Address:
P O Box 15986
Panorama 7500
Cape Town
South Africa

Call: +353 1 793 9141
Fax: +27 21 819 2950