The "successful misuses of computer systems"—security breaches— increased slightly in 2005, according to the FBI and the Computer Security Institute (CSI). Many security issues that apply to large enterprises definitely apply to SMBs, especially as companies become more technologically sophisticated, according to Andrew Kellett, senior research analyst with U.K.-based Butler Group. "You don't have to be a particularly large organization to have some pretty complex supporting systems in place," he says.

Today's networked environment calls for a more comprehensive, proactive, and integrated security solution that goes beyond basic antivirus and antispam protection to effectively protect against ever-evolving threats. Security management to monitor how well your security works, ensures system value.

"Given the raft of regulations and compliance issues that apply to most businesses, [protection alone] is no longer good enough," says Kellett. "You also have to be able to identify how well [the solution is] working."

In mid-2005, the FBI and CSI engaged Sage Research to poll 132 IT decision makers from U.S. companies with 1,000 or fewer employees. The survey found that:

• Half list network security in their top three technology spending priorities
• Smaller companies spend more per employee on security

Kellett says SMBs increasingly look to network-based security appliances that protect against multiple threats to provide comprehensive, economical security. "Appliance-based solutions for SMBs provide a general protection layer," he says. "Their starting point is antivirus and antispam, but they have antiworm, anti-Trojan—something that identifies [many] types of threats," including internal ones, he adds.

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iQ Magazine, Fourth Quarter 2005