SimpleWAN Says 'Paralysis of Analysis' No Excuse for Poor Network Security

As we’ve seen for some time now, data breaches continue happening at an alarming frequency. And, while innovation today is providing exciting networking possibilities for the future, the same effort is not reflected when it comes to security. Put simply, there are good guys and bad guys and businesses of all shapes and sizes must answer the question: How do we keep the bad guys out.

At  ITEXPO, SimpleWan’s Erik Knight sat down with TMC Group Editorial Director Erik Linask (News - Alert) to discuss how firms can better protect their network, assets and the bottom line. SimpleWan provides forms with increased traffic speed, call quality, security and IT costs by providing small and medium sized businesses with the tools to troubleshoot broadband technology

Knight credits “analysis paralysis” as a key factor in why we haven’t seen the type of strides in security measures one can expect. Data Breaches are not a result of actions taken today directly, Knight noted it comes after years of inaction, driving the industry to ask, “Where do we start?” He explained that security experts are not cheap; and opposed to paying up the industry is doing a lot of “dice rolling,”—hoping for the best.

Security starts with education: Most IT groups are well aware of the threats present, but after years of asking the C-level for a bigger budget it is time for executives to realize the full gravitas. When a big data breach occurs, the first to get fired are the C-level executives. Knight exclaimed, “Somebody has to take responsibility…it is an expensive mistake.”

The security landscape is “constantly rolling, and constantly happening quickly.” Firms must rely on the tools available, automation and expert. Knight explained, ”It’s like staying up with Twitter (News - Alert), if you’re not on there constantly it’s gone.”

We’re talking the security talk today, but Knight illustrated, “10 years ago you’d have a ‘hacktivist’ or somebody doing it for fun and today it’s about money.” He continued, “It’s about money, and hacking for a cause or destroying a company because you don’t believe in their values or stealing their intellectual property.”

Knight feels that small and medium size businesses are simply not taking the threat seriously enough, listing security as second or third on their list of must-haves. Whereas the reality is security needs to be No. 1 on the wish list.

Security is something businesses of all shapes and sizes must prioritize. Whether you are an enterprise with a complex SD-WAN system in place or the Mom and Pop store down the street network security must remain front of mind.

You never know who’s watching…