Data Security Becomes More Affordable for Small Businesses

Many small businesses worry they can’t afford the same data and IT security solutions that big companies use every day. But with those new technologies becoming more and more affordable, will small businesses jump on board the security train?

In an article on the Small Business Times website, Eric Decker says those practices large companies use to protect their data and systems have started to trickle into the small and medium-sized business marketplace.

“Enterprise accounts have understood a lot of the reasons why to do a lot of security, and the small to medium-sized businesses are starting to figure it out,” John Steindorf, president of Capital Data Inc., told Decker. “The issue with a lot of tech solutions is that it’s hard to put a firm ROI (return on investment) on it. You have to look at what it would cost if you were shut down, had a lawsuit or you lose data to a competitor. It’s a soft ROI.”

For example, Decker says more small businesses have access to authentication systems to limit which employees can access specific files. While many require user names and passwords, pairing those with an authentication tag gives data a higher level of protection.

“The tags, which have been on the market for several years, were $50 to $75 per person when they were introduced,” Decker says. “Because the technology has been on the market for several years, prices have decreased to between $5 and $20 per user.”

To read the full article, click here: http://www.biztimes.com/news/2008/1/11/data-security-becomes-more-affordable