How much does basic data security cost in the company?

BONUS: At the end of this article, we make the Infographic available for download: How much does basic data security cost in the company?

Statistics about cyber threats and attacks have left business owners and IT professionals reeling year after year. Cybercrime is on the rise, hackers are becoming more creative and bold. Millions of companies are affected around the world, and the costs are much higher.

Perhaps a few years ago the costs of maintaining basic and efficient data security were high and in some cases unfeasible to apply. However, with the evolution of attacks, companies and systems have adapted to companies' financial realities and made protection systems plausible to be purchased.

In this article we will address the importance of making company funds available for data protection and what are the average costs of the most basic tools to keep company information safe.

How much does it cost to implement a data security system in the company?

Of course, cybersecurity is not a concern that should only exist for companies. If you are online, you are at risk. However, the biggest target of hackers are companies according to research by Kaspersky, one of the largest digital security companies in the world.

There are some actions and tools that are considered basic and indispensable for almost all business sectors that have a work office, with devices and users connected to the internet daily, as we will see below.

1 – System update

Operating systems and software updates undergo continuous evolution and need to be maintained whenever possible. Furthermore, quality and performance aspects are also included in such updates.

Furthermore, there is the “originality” factor. Many companies today choose to use pirated tools to reduce costs. However, this option can lead to several problems, mainly data security, after all, they are modified versions of the original, where mainly security and originality verification features have been removed.

For operating systems the logic is the same. Updated, it contains security improvements in addition to new features, as new forms of invasion and security breaches emerge.

Therefore, keeping the company's equipment and systems up to date is one of the main points for efficient data security in companies, as they are used massively every day.

It is extremely difficult to determine which software is used by companies, however, operating systems are used by practically all companies. Therefore, I listed the average values ​​of the operating systems most used in companies.

• Microsoft Windows 10 Pro – R$1,099.00 for lifetime license use.
• MAC OS – Only when purchasing Apple equipment.
• Ubuntu – free.

Windows licenses may have a reduced value if they are OEM, purchased together with equipment equipped with this operating system.

*Values ​​consulted in October 2020.

2 – Antivirus and Antimalware

Antivirus and Antimalware are perhaps one of the most obvious items to be mentioned in data security materials. Therefore, we could not fail to remember that protecting your systems against viruses and malware on any device is extremely important.

To list tools, I followed some studies from independent international institutions such as AV-Test or AV-Comparatives , which use thousands of different malware samples and attest to the efficiency of the most diverse antiviruses in protecting the system and cleaning an already infected system, in addition to Additionally, other features such as ease of use for the user and the impact of the antivirus on the speed of the equipment.

To choose the ideal antivirus to protect your equipment, you can follow studies from independent international institutions such as AV-Test or AV-Comparatives , which use thousands of different samples and malware and attest to the efficiency of the most diverse antiviruses in protecting the system and cleaning it. from an already infected system. In addition, other characteristics such as ease of use for the user and the impact of the antivirus on the speed of the equipment.

Below are two good software options that received the Av-Test Top Product seal, with their respective values:

• Bitdefender – from US$77.69 for up to 3 devices for one year, up to US$4,087.99 for up to 100 devices for 3 years.
• Kaspersky – from R$242.50 for up to 5 devices for one year, up to R$3,100.00 for up to 50 devices for 3 years.

*Values ​​consulted in October 2020.

3 – Backup

Having a data backup system, which is functional and reliable, is important so that data can be recovered in case of loss.

In some types of attack, such as ransomware , which locks data until a ransom is paid, the main way to solve the problem is to restore company data from a backup copy.

Backup is essential for the security of company information.

The tools differ by the amount of functionality and the amount of daily data traffic that it will make copies of, in addition to physical or cloud technology. However, the most common systems for small and medium-sized companies, and also, with a growing number of companies hiring them for greater security and acceptable value, are cloud backup systems. Therefore, I have listed the average prices of the most used tools below.

• Backblaze – from US$5.00 per terabyte per month, up to US$6.00 per computer per month with unlimited data.
• Drop box – from US$16.58 per month for up to 3 terabytes of storage, up to US$20.00 per user per month with unlimited storage.
• Google Drive – from R$6.99 per month for up to 100GB of storage, up to R$34.99 per month for up to 2TB of storage.

*Values ​​consulted in October 2020.

4 – Firewall

A firewall is a security device that controls the flow of data on a network. With it, you can filter traffic, configuring what should pass through and what should be discarded.

Typically, the firewall is one of the main defenses at the perimeter of a private network, being an essential component in protecting against unwanted traffic and intrusion attempts.

There are several firewall tools on the market, some with additional features, further improving the company's data protection system.

Among the most common with their respective values ​​are:

• pfSense Firewall Appliance with AES-NI FW1000 support – From R$ 6,570.00 for the equipment.
• Cisco RV340 Dual WAN Gigabit VPN Router – From R$ 2175.30 for the equipment.
• Lumiun Firewall – From R$2.75 per user per month.

*Values ​​consulted in October 2020.

5 – Employee training

Establishing guidelines for organization members regarding the rules for using information technology resources is perhaps one of the “cheapest” ways to improve data security.

These rules, listed in a document, signed and foreseen by the user before making any use of the company's equipment, serve to prevent unaware, unprepared, negligent and in some cases even malicious employees from putting company data at risk, at the mercy of digital criminals.

Developing an information security policy in the company can reduce possible expenses and investments with corrective measures arising from cyber attacks.

Of course, it is difficult to be sure that keeping employees trained and expecting them to comply with the rules and knowledge acquired will have an effect. Distractions or lack of will can also cause damage to the company's data security.

The positive side is that training employees has a very low cost, or, depending on the knowledge of the professional who will provide the training, the cost may be zero.

On our blog we provide free materials that can help business owners and IT professionals to develop and train company employees on this issue.

6 – Internet access control

Controlling internet access is a common practice in companies and is increasingly important and necessary. Unlike the information security policy, access control does not require the employee's common sense and will to ensure that harmful websites outside the scope of work are not accessed.

In most incidents or security breaches, the gateway to attacks or virus installation are users who are unable to identify possible risks and end up clicking on fake email messages or malicious links on the internet.

Therefore, using an internet access control system in the company can close the vast majority of entry points for hackers into the company's network.

Among those available on the market, some solutions for controlling internet access stand out, with their respective values, which may vary depending on the size of the company:

• DNS Filter – from US$ 0.90 per user per month, up to US$ 2.70 per user per month.
• Lumiun – from R$2.25 per user per month.
• NextDNS – from US$1.99 per month for up to 300,000 queries, up to US$19.90 per month with no query limit.

*Values ​​consulted in October 2020.

7 – Business VPN

The acronym “ VPN ” stands for Virtual Private Network, translating Virtual Private Network, is a network technology that uses the internet to connect a group of computers and maintain the security of data that travels between them.

The main advantage for a company that uses VPN is certainly the increase in information security when there is a need to transfer confidential data between branches or for employees who work remotely and need to access data on the local network.

Among the main tools on the market, the following stand out, with their respective values:

• NordVPN – from US$3.71 per month to US$11.95 per month.
• ExpressVPN – from US$8.32 per month to US$12.95 per month.
• Lumiun Business VPN – from R$3.25 per user per month.

*Values ​​consulted in October 2020.

What tools does my company need?

It will depend on what systems your company uses and what data must be protected.

Companies that have the financial and human resources sector within the company (not outsourced), carrying out financial transactions and recording employee data and contracts, must keep their operating systems up to date, with antivirus systems consistent with the company's needs.

Companies that have credit and record customer data (usually companies that have credit) must implement a backup system in order to protect all customer information in the event of data loss or hijacking.

If your company has employees working from home or who frequently access company data remotely, it is essential to use an encrypted VPN connection to ensure that this data does not fall into the hands of digital criminals.

Among all the solutions mentioned above, perhaps access control applies to all companies that have employees connected to the internet on a daily basis. Blocking websites outside the scope of work and considered harmful keeps company data safer and improves team productivity.

All the tools and actions mentioned are considered essential, however, you, the IT professional or company manager, must identify which are the most critical points and which tools best adapt to your needs and financial capacity.

[Infographic] How much does basic data security cost in the company?

To help you define which data security tools you will use in your company, we created an infographic that brings together average values ​​for each solution and main applications of each of the following solutions:

• Antivirus
• Backup
• Operational systems
• firewall
• Internet access control
• Business VPN

Conclusion

Finally, it is worth remembering that the biggest trick used by hackers is the lack of knowledge and carelessness on the part of users, using security holes and identifying vulnerabilities to take data and resources from the company.

Therefore, it is essential to invest in preventive solutions that prevent lay users or malicious users from putting company data at risk.

I hope I have helped you identify which systems you will implement in your company and also verify that the amounts paid for prevention tools are insignificant compared to the costs of repairing data loss.

To the next!