ICT solutions provider Digicel Business says it has introduced an affordable suite of cyber security options for businesses under its cloud-managed security portfolio.

“This includes firewalls, VPN, URL filtering, antivirus and a wide range of sophisticated solutions that can be used to combat the wide range of security threats faced by businesses today,” the company said in a news release.

Through its partnerships with Check Point Technologies, Fortinet and Cisco — global leaders in IT security — Digicel Business said it now offers the most comprehensive suite of managed security solutions.

“The increase in the number of connected devices has contributed to more dangerous cyber threats emerging at a rapid pace. It can become very cost-prohibitive for companies to maintain a robust security network,” the release quoted Ative Ennis, head of enterprise solutions.

“Digicel Business’s cloud-managed security solutions remove the stress of managing all that away from the business, so they don’t have to worry about constant software upgrades or the skilled resources required to manage this aspect of their business,” added Ennis, an ICT expert who also pointed out that small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) were becoming more at risk for cyber breaches.

“Large organisations typically have to conform to higher compliance standards, which require them to implement sophisticated security solutions to protect their company data,” Ennis said. “But cyber criminals are also targeting SMEs even more nowadays, because they don’t usually have very strong network security measures in place to neutralise the threats.”

Citing a survey done by the National Cyber Security Alliance in 2012, Ennis noted that more than 50 per cent of SMEs believe that they are too small to be a target for cyber criminals.

“No business is too small to be hacked,” said Ennis. “Once you have data that can be traded for gain, you are at risk of having your company’s data stolen. That’s why Digicel Business has invested in providing a solution that is accessible by companies of all sizes. Our company has the resources to manage the network security of our business clients for them, therefore access to capital and skilled resources is no longer a barrier to obtaining these services.”

Urging SMEs to start focusing on network security, Ennis explained that unlike previous cyber attacks on businesses, hackers today are more organised and often well-funded.

“Nowadays, cyber criminals are more focused on acquiring data that can be commoditised,” said Ennis. “Whether it is intellectual property, personal details of the company’s customer base, original business content or other sensitive information, cyber criminals will go to extremes to get their hands on it. The unprepared SMEs usually fall victim to these breaches because they are considerably less vigilant with their networks, therefore making it easier for the villains to break in.”

Ennis added: “This new generation of cyber threats has long gone past stealing a computer; today’s businesses have to contend with an ever-growing list of viruses, worms, software threats, mobile and social network attacks.”