Halloween can be a scary time, and every year there seems to be new and inventive ways to scare the living daylights out of fully-grown adult business owners!

But even though it can seem daunting with the sheer weight of security software out there to choose from, cybersecurity software for your business need not be scary. Whether you are looking for protection for just one device, or an entire Enterprise datacentre, modern security suites deliver complete security without significantly impacting machine performance.

We’ve been protecting business machines and networks for many years, so we know how business owners feel when they hear about the latest virus or ransomware threat doing the rounds. We’ve gathered up a ghostly list of desirable security features, so you’re not left in the dark as to how to choose a software solution that can help you, your team and your systems.

Get the Skeletons out of your boot cupboard

Most AV and security software has a feature known as a start-up optimisation, which forces certain applications to stop opening on start-up, improving PC boot speeds and generally meaning that you can get your team into full productivity faster, with the minimum amount of application bloat.

If your PC is shuffling like a zombie from a George Romero movie, then you can view programs that automatically load on start-up in most Security software consoles, and can then tailor your start-up options and delay -or disable completely- the loading of any applications you don’t need on boot, enabling your PC to start up faster than an evolved and mutated Zombie intent on devouring some brains!

Payment Protection

Payment Protection features are a good idea if you use business finance services or even if you just buy thing online with the company credit card. Your payment details and online purchases are safe. Most payment protection features work by disabling any screen recording processes running at the time, and your payment data is heavily encrypted in transit (between you and the vendor). In short, the only way your details are getting stolen is if there’s a ghost peering over your shoulder (but they can’t make online purchases anyway, they’ve got no-body to buy for).

File Shredder

With the right knowledge and skills, it is all too easy to recover deleted data from a computer. What File Shredder features do, however, is allow you to securely dispose of, and permanently delete, your sensitive information, and banish it to the next world; a far realm of nothingness… NOTHINGNESS!

VPN – Virtual Private Network

Using a VPN masks your IP address from others while online, and there can be benefits to hiding your PC’s location. Hackers are a lot like vampires; allowing them access to your personal information is a lot like inviting them into your home, and once they’re in they can do untold damage. With a VPN it makes it extremely difficult for unwanted parties to get hold of your IP address, meaning they can’t access your personal data. Unfortunately, VPNs do not protect against actual vampire intrusions… for that you’ll need a Vampire Protection Network.

Password and Recommendation Features

Many suites now incorporate a feature that automatically makes recommendations when it ‘thinks’ a password you’ve selected is too weak. We’re not saying that your password needs to be made up of unpronounceable, ancient elder runes that’ll summon Cthulhu if read aloud, but let’s be honest, your birthday isn’t really secure. This feature will suggest you make changes to passwords that aren’t ‘strong’.

A good modern security suite should have its functionality password protected, which will stop any viruses that manage to break through your defences from disabling your antivirus software, which is one of the first things that they are programmed to do. It is like protecting the antidote to the zombie outbreak so that if one of the horde breaks into your bunker, it can’t reach and destroy it!

Automatic Updates

Security tends to fail when your operating system or your security software isn’t fully up to date. Setting time aside to ensure updates are installed properly is essential to keeping your system protected. Keeping an up to date operating system is like keeping your ‘Scooby Doo’ inspired traps fully operational, to capture those gruesome monsters. Most AV and security software now keeps itself fully up to date with very fast response to Zero Day threats, by checking into a central database for definitions, rule sets, and suspicious system behaviours as soon as the system comes online, to absolutely minimise your systems’ vulnerability window.

Not all websites with malware on look sketchy; many are designed to seem completely legitimate so that you let your guard down and start exploring. So, make sure your anti-malware software is up to date and fully operational. It’s like letting a new, lone apocalypse survivor into your base without checking them for zombie bites first!

So which software to choose?

We’ve worked with and supplied many security software solutions to our clients in the past, but at the moment, there’s a clear front runner in terms of having all of the above features and more, and that is currently Bitdefender.

Bitdefender has some of the most comprehensive anti-malware and anti-virus protections on the market, and what’s more, you can also get a free version if you only require basic protection! It’s perfect for business use, as there are many features geared toward rolling out updates, rules and profiles across whole organisations-worth of machines, and each installation can be managed from a central cloud portal, giving real time threat data and the ability to issue remote scans and updates.

If you’d like to discuss any of the features listed above, or you want a comprehensive system check carried out to ensure you are fully protected, then get in touch with Pearce IT today!

We’re off to have a lie down now, all this Halloween stuff seems to have gone to our heads.