Earlier today, Symantec announced the release of its Norton Small Business, a cybersecurity solution built specifically for SMBs. I was able to speak with the company’s Senior Director Marketing, North America Consumer and Small Business Marketing, Anne O’Neill, who took me through the solution’s key features, as well as its roots.
To begin, Anne let me know that Symantec developed the Norton Small Business solution with the help of its user community. The three major wishes for SMBs were simplicity, flexibility and BYOD support. Anne also told me that Symantec recently did a survey on the current state of SMB security. The result was that SMBs, as you all well know, are time-starved and are very value-conscious.
In addition, SMB technology needs have evolved from the simple web site of ten years ago to a complex and rich environment to manage business. Anne also let me know that recent survey results showed that most SMBs are major targets for cybercriminals (30% are targeted), and that a breach could mean a serious loss of reputation, revenue, and even loss of the business itself.
Symantec used this feedback, as well as the survey results, to develop the newly-announced Norton Small Business, which is ideal for organizations with fewer than 20 employees. Here are a few of the key features, aimed at keeping security simple, flexible, and supportive of BYOD:
- Protection for multiple device types, including iPhones, iPads, Android phones, PCs and Macs.
- Always-on Protection and a 100% virus removal assurance, which means that if anything does happen, the user can call Symantec’s live help to address the malware issues.
- Simple deployment via an e-mail sent to the desired device.
- Ability to transfer licenses to new employees during times of turnover.
- Centralized management platform, allows the IT admin to easy set up and deploy new licenses.
- Scalable subscription-based offering that allows SMBs to change their coverage based on their needs.
I also had a great conversation with Anne about easy ways that SMBs can help protect their employees. I let her know that our community is made up of MSPs and VARs, all of whom have SMB customers. She suggested having tips for creating strong passwords, both within the company, and for any end-users. In addition, she let me know about SafeWeb for Facebook, which will scan URLs on the company Facebook page to ensure that there aren’t any malicious links for customers to accidentally access.
For more information about Symantec, please visit their site here.
Also, check out the new white paper on Security Dos and Don’ts that we are hosting for Symantec here.
