Why You Need an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) on Your Server

In recent posts, we’ve discussed the importance of an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) as opposed to simply an Intrusion Detection System (IDS).  The IDS simply detects a cyber attack, whereas an IPS takes this to the next level and PREVENTS an attack by taking action immediately upon detection. It is crucial for your business and its continued success to have an IPS on your server.

Real World Scenario

Earlier this year, the City of Atlanta experienced a cyber attack, specifically a ransomware attack, on their system.  This attack completely shut down the City’s financial operations and is considered the worst cyber attack on a US City thus far.

The customers (citizens) are forced to use this Government service – they don’t have the option to go somewhere else and shop for these services.  This meant that any customers needing to pay a bill for water, garbage, taxes, parking tickets etc., they had to physically go down to the City offices and pay the bill directly.

Yes, this means they had to drive in Atlanta traffic and find parking simply to simply pay their bill.

This was a major inconvenience for their customers, but again, the customers had no choice.  Would your business be so lucky? Absolutely NOT! Your customers have a choice of who to use and an inconvenience like this would not be tolerated.  Your customers would easily be able to contact a competitor and your business would vaporize!

Saving Money or Risking Your Business

You’ve heard so much in the news about large businesses being targeted, but what does this mean for a small or medium sized business?  You have valuable non-public, private data.  Hackers know this, which means you are NOT immune to an attack.

Unlike a large company like Equifax, or a Governmental entity, a small or medium sized business most definitely will not recover from the reputation damage of a large-scale cyber attack like this – you’re going to be done.  Not to mention the financial cost of repairing your system from the breach.

You’ve most likely put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into building your business.  Skimping on security is simply not worth the risk.

It’s estimated that the attack on the City of Atlanta could cost upwards of $17 Million, but they have a guarantee that their customers will still be around once they’ve recovered from the attack.  Your business does NOT have that guarantee.

Is it really worth saving the money as opposed to spending it where you need to in security? Absolutely Not.

Server – Where the Data Resides!

A Server IPS is probably one of the most important points that you should have in IPS – followed only behind an IPS on your Network.

If your server goes down or is not available, it affects everything in your business, unlike a single workstation. If a single workstation goes down, it is just one user that’s basically having to be inconvenienced.  You can keep doing business if one workstation is out of commission. However, if your server is attacked and taken down, that has a broader impact to your ability to do business.

You would be shut down like the City of Atlanta was. How long of a shutdown could your business sustain? Not very long. Customers would reach out to your competitors and find somewhere else to send their business.

This is not to mention the good faith that your customers have in you to keep the data they give you private.  If you are subject to HIPAA or FINRA regulations, you would not only lose customers but be subject to severe fines and even jail time.

Taking Preventative Action

At 24×7 Protect IT, Inc., our comprehensive package includes our sophisticated Intrusion Prevention System which also incorporates anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-malware. We’re able to monitor this solution and provide the support in the backend.

If an incident happens, we’re notified about it and we’ll notify you about it. The best part is that we’re going to notify you that there’s no data compromised.  As you can see, an IPS on your server is crucial to your business’s continued operations. Contact us today to discuss protecting your business, today and into the future.