Best IT Security Software

IT Security Software Guide

IT security software is a type of computer program designed to protect IT systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks. It is often used to secure information technology infrastructures, including any devices connected to the network. The purpose of IT security software is to identify threats, detect vulnerabilities in systems architecture and configurations, monitor access control points, and prevent breaches.

IT security software typically consists of multiple components that work together to ensure protection across all aspects of an organization's IT infrastructure. These include antivirus programs for detecting and removing malware; firewalls for blocking unauthorized connections; application-specific security solutions such as web filtering or database activity monitoring; data encryption solutions for protecting sensitive information; intrusion detection/prevention systems for recognizing suspicious activity on a network; vulnerability assessment solutions that help identify weaknesses in system configurations and patch management tools for ensuring device components are kept up-to-date. Additionally, organizations may employ managed services such as vulnerability assessments and managed threat detection & response programs offered by third parties in order to gain additional expertise.

The effectiveness of IT security software depends largely on how it is implemented within the IT environment: proper configuration settings must be applied throughout the organization’s system architecture in order to maximize protection capabilities. To this end, most organizations have adopted comprehensive cybersecurity strategies that involve not only deploying the right technologies but also regularly reviewing system architectures and configurations as well as educating employees on secure practices related to using hardware and software safely.

Types of IT Security Software

There are a large and growing amount of IT security software types, due to the ever-increasing cyber threat vectors. Here's a list of the most common types of IT security software:

1. Firewall: A firewall is a system that acts as a barrier between a computer network and the internet, and is used to protect a network from malicious traffic and cyber-attacks. It monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and allows or blocks certain types of traffic based on a set of rules.
2. Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS): An IDPS is a system that monitors a network for suspicious activity. It can detect malicious activity such as unauthorized access attempts, data breaches, and malicious code. It also monitors traffic patterns to detect any suspicious behavior.
3. Antivirus: Antivirus software is designed to detect and remove malicious programs, such as viruses, worms, Trojans, and spyware. It also monitors a computer for any suspicious activity and can prevent malicious programs from being installed.
4. Data Encryption: Data encryption is a process that scrambles data so that it is unreadable to anyone who does not have the encryption key. It is used to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access.
5. Access Control: Access control is a system that restricts access to certain resources or areas of a network. It can be used to limit who can access certain files or areas of a network, as well as restrict the types of activities that can be performed.
6. Identity and Access Management (IAM): IAM is a system that manages users’ access to a network. It allows a network administrator to control who can access certain resources and areas of the network, as well as what types of activities they can perform.
7. Network Security: Network security is a set of practices and technologies that are used to protect a network from malicious activity. It includes firewalls, intrusion detection systems, antivirus software, and access control.
8. Security Auditing: Security auditing is a process of assessing the security of a network. It involves examining the network for any vulnerabilities and identifying any areas that need to be improved.

Integrated Security Suites: What are They and How do They Work?

Integrated security suites are a good option for those that have dedicated security staff on hand to manage the configuration and deployment of the suite. They tend to be among the cheapest options, but they will also cost a business elsewhere. Namely, you’ll need someone on hand that is well versed in network security to monitor, update, configure, and reconfigure your defense strategy.

In addition, there may be an option to have the security bundle monitored remotely. A vendor may offer this as an option, or there may be a third party that monitors the network. Any of these options are going to make the security bundle less cost effective to the business but will improve network security.

Bundled security packages tend to include the various services listed below in some combination.

Endpoint Protection constitutes protecting each and every device on the network. An endpoint is simply techspeak for a device. This includes mobile devices, laptops, desktops, tablets, printers, or anything else that is connected to the mainframe. Endpoint protection platforms (EPP) are bundled security packages that are installed on each individual device. They include common security software such as antivirus, encryption, intrusion detection and prevention, and a firewall. As a point of policy, network security specialists should not allow devices that have not been outfitted with the software to connect to the network.

Unified threat management also known as UTM may either be a locally installed piece of hardware or a hosted service. This will contain what is called a “Next Generation Firewall” and a host of other security tools including antivirus, spam blockers, intrusion prevention and detection, and content filtering.

UTMs can be an ideal choice for small to medium sized businesses. Because a UTM is fundamentally either a managed service or a piece of hardware, it can be circumvented by a clever hacker that attacks an endpoint. UTMs provide a perimeter defense scheme to protect endpoints, but once an endpoint has been compromised, the network may be vulnerable. Thus the fewer devices on the network, the smaller the attack surface is, and the less vulnerable the network will be.The larger the network, the larger the attack surface.

A Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution is ideal for networks that have a lot of mobile devices such as tablets and phones requiring access. An MDM can determine which devices are authorized and which aren’t, excluding those that aren’t. Since MDM is a kind of Endpoint Protection Platform, it can be bundled together with some EPP packages. MDM will allow network administrators to determine precisely what individual mobile devices can access and if need be, the network administrator can erase company data from an individual device remotely.

Protecting Against Traffic Risks

A good metaphor for understanding the problem of network security is to consider your home as a metaphor for the network. Your home has a few different doors from which you can access the inside. You want some people to be able to access the inside, but not others. A firewall fundamentally creates a barrier between unwanted visitors and your family.

Unlike a home however, data flowing into and out of a computer on a network isn’t immediately recognizable. A security specialist must program a set of rules determining which ports are safe to receive data from. For instance, you want your company’s website to be able to receive data from clients and customers. The firewall thus creates an exception for the individual port that your website operates from.

Threats can come from outside the network and they often do in the form of hackers. However, the threats that come from inside your network are likely the ones that leave you the most vulnerable. These can be from employees clicking an email that installs some kind of malware on your network, or from an unregistered bluetooth device that is being used by an employee that is not heeding (or simply unaware of) company policy. In both instances data that is leaving the network may be received by a hacker on the other side that can compromise your client’s and your company’s most sensitive data.

Thus, traffic must be monitored both coming and going.

A Secure Web Gateway can differentiate between different kinds of content coming into and exiting the network. A typical firewall blocks traffic based on where it’s coming from. In other words, it gives a network administrator more control over the firewall. There’s a lot of applications that run over the network that require internet access. Firewalls need to be able to allow these programs to open ports in order to let information in and out. A Secure Web Gateway, unlike a typical home computer firewall, can ensure that certain kinds of data are not leaving the system.

A Secure Web Gateway can also restrict employee access to certain online websites. In addition, it scans all data that is coming over the network and leaving the network specifically looking for suspicious activity. This can be of major benefit to businesses that employ a vast number of workers. It typically happens that your employees are themselves security risks either due to malicious intent, or pure carelessness. Secure Web Gateways are designed to prevent honest mistakes, and consciously malicious actions taken by an employee. Many times, malware can come from emails or over the web, so Secure Web Gateways are designed to catch malicious code while it’s being transferred through the network, not as it’s being executed or as part of a scan. In other words, it preempts the process of downloading and executing the malware.

Secure Web Gateways are an ideal solution for any size business. They can be implemented as either a software solution, hardware, or as a remotely hosted service.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) refers to a method of defending against the theft of sensitive company data. This can include your customer’s credit card numbers or other confidential information. DLP is aimed at sifting through data that is being sent through the network elsewhere. It can determine if an individual user is allowed to send certain data through the corporate network, or even if an individual recipient is authorized to have that data.

One thing to note is that DLP is not meant to prevent intrusion. It can, however, stop data packets from leaving the network rendering a potential intrusion fruitless. It is generally offered as part of a broader package as it ensures a critical line of defense against hackers that can invade a system in a variety of ways.

IPS and IDS refer to Intrusion Prevention and Intrusion Detection Systems. Firewalls are designed to keep intruders out, but they have no way of determining if an intrusion has taken place. In addition, IPS offers a degree of protection that goes above and beyond what your typical firewall is capable of providing. Intrusion detection is meant to ensure that malicious activity is blocked even when the intruder may have accessed the system using legitimate credentials (which happens often). In other words, IDS identifies malicious behavior.

Access Management

Access management involves the administration of credentials to access the network at various levels. For instance, you might not want an entry level employee to have access to every aspect of your company’s business. You still, however, want this employee to have access to the network in order to do their job. Access management tools regulate who gets access to what within an individual network.

There are two main components to Access Management. Those are Identity Access Management (IAM) and Network Access Control.

Identity Access Management refers to the software that manages employee usernames and passwords. It authenticates individual employee credentials and manages their level of access. Some sort of IAM solution becomes necessary the larger your business is. Smaller businesses face a different sort of threat profile when everyone is operating out of a single small office. Larger businesses may have hundreds of employees, so it won’t necessarily trigger alarms if someone comes in off the street and starts hacking away at a network terminal. Smaller businesses generally don’t have that problem.

In contrast, Network Access Control is a kind of software that determines what devices are allowed to access the network and what level of access individual devices should have. Large organizations will employ NAC as well, but even smaller organizations that allow their employees access to the network will benefit from NAC software.

Threat Intelligence

Threat intelligence is designed to scrutinize behavior to determine if it’s a threat to the network or not. Most modern cloud based security systems run on lightweight servers that do not employ vast virus and malware definitions. Instead, they analyze the behavior of certain programs and determine whether or not they’re behaving in a threatening fashion. This is an integral piece of the puzzle because there are no security systems in place that can be 100% effective against preventing files or data from coming into the network. So threat intelligence programs exist to minimize the damage caused if there is a breach in network security.

System Information Management and Security Event Management are two distinct methods that operate in tandem to track down suspicious activity, identify suspicious activity, and respond to suspicious activity. This, in essence, is the network’s last line of defense against a threat. Logging the data will help a company respond to a security issue in the future, while the other methods neutralize suspicious activity as it’s occurring.

Vulnerability Scanning also known as Penetration Testing employs software that “attacks” your network for weaknesses. In other words, it simulates a hacker attempting to gain access to a network in order to shore up weaknesses within your network. Security teams employed by a company will attempt to break into the company’s mainframe using a variety of sophisticated attacks. If successful, the company then can respond by shoring up that hole in their security.

Considering the Cost

Most security software operates on the same basic licensing agreement that any software license operates on. That means paying the license on every device on which the security software is installed. In some cases, it will also mean employing additional IT technicians to monitor the network and configure the software. The added cost has caused many companies to move toward hosted services that operate and manage a company’s security remotely. This means less of a burden on an IT staff and an individual company. Individual companies have also begun consulting third party security specialists to analyze their network and determine what the most cost effective strategy would be for their individual needs. Scalability may be a major concern for larger or growing companies, but smaller companies are going to be most interested in providing themselves with effective protection at a manageable price.

Evaluating Security Software and Security Packages

Over the last decade, network security specialists have diversified to the extent that it actually feels like you have to be an expert simply to select the right security package for your business. Indeed, many companies have recruited consultants for the very purpose of determining the company’s security needs. According to a recent poll, however, this has not led to a wide amount of customer satisfaction. What did lead to customer satisfaction was due diligence on the security firm’s references and having a trusted lawyer go over the agreement before signing.

One could argue that satisfaction is not the best determiner for the quality of a security service. If you never notice the security system then it’s doing its job properly. On the other hand, with so many options to choose from, analyzing a vendor’s credentials and having a lawyer read over the fine print of an arrangement isn’t such a bad option.

In the end, an article such as this can only help companies and their executives understand the options that are available to them. Different businesses will indeed require different kinds of protection. Many security vendors offer entire boutiques of protection for a wide array of businesses. The reputable ones are those that put a premium on customer satisfaction and repeat business.

IT Security Software Trends

1. The emergence of new technologies such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to an increase in the need for IT security software.
2. The growing threat of cyber attacks, such as ransomware and phishing, has made it essential for organizations to have robust security measures in place.
3. The increased use of mobile devices has made it necessary to have security software that is compatible with different operating systems.
4. The demand for identity and access management (IAM) solutions has grown as organizations seek to better protect their data and systems.
5. The rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning has enabled IT security software to become more sophisticated and able to detect potential threats faster and more accurately.
6. Companies are increasingly investing in advanced threat protection solutions to identify and respond to malicious activity in real time.
7. The use of biometric authentication and two-factor authentication is becoming more widespread as an extra layer of security for authentication.
8. As businesses expand their operations globally, IT security software must be able to protect data and systems across multiple countries and jurisdictions.

Advantages of IT Security Software

1. Increased Security: IT security software provides a layer of protection for your network and data from malicious attacks. The software helps prevent unauthorized access to confidential data, as well as stop intruders from stealing or damaging sensitive information. The software also helps protect against malware, such as viruses, worms, and Trojans, that can cause serious damage to a system.
2. Improved Compliance: IT security software helps organizations meet regulatory requirements and industry standards. This includes ensuring that data is securely stored and transmitted, as well as that the organization is taking the necessary steps to protect customer data. By using IT security software, organizations can be sure they are in compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements.
3. Enhanced Efficiency: IT security software can help streamline the security process by automating tasks and procedures. This can help reduce the amount of time and resources needed to keep systems up to date and secure. Automation can also help reduce human error, which can lead to security breaches.
4. Comprehensive Protection: IT security software provides comprehensive protection for an organization’s network and data. This includes firewalls, antivirus programs, intrusion detection systems, and other measures. By using multiple layers of protection, organizations can be sure that their systems are secure from both external and internal threats.
5. Improved Visibility: IT security software can provide insight into the security posture of an organization. This can help organizations identify areas in need of improvement and take steps to address any issues. It can also provide visibility into the current state of the organization’s security, so that organizations can be proactive in protecting their networks and data.

How to Choose the Right IT Security Software

1. Analyze your specific security needs: Determine the type of security software you need by examining your current IT infrastructure and the threats you are exposed to.
2. Research available security solutions: Consult reviews and product comparisons to identify the best security solutions for your needs. Use the tools on this page to compare IT security software by pricing, features, user reviews, integrations, and more.
3. Consider pricing and scalability: Evaluate available solutions to determine which ones offer the most value for the cost and can easily scale with your business.
4. Assess the features: Compare features across the different solutions to determine which ones offer the best overall protection for your system.
5. Test the software: Try out a few different options to see which ones best meet your security needs.
6. Check for compatibility: Make sure the software is compatible with your existing hardware, operating system, and other software applications.
7. Read reviews and feedback: Visit online forums and user reviews to get a better understanding of the pros and cons of each security solution.

How Much Does IT Security Software Cost?

The cost of IT security software varies widely depending on the type of software and the specific features and functionality it offers. Generally speaking, the cost of IT security software is determined by a number of factors, including the size of the organization, the complexity of the software, and the level of support required.

For small businesses, basic IT security software can range from a few hundred dollars per year for basic antivirus protection up to several thousand dollars per year for more comprehensive software suites. These packages often include firewalls, malware protection, and identity management.

For larger organizations, the cost of IT security software can range from several thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars per year. These packages often include more advanced features such as intrusion detection and prevention, data loss prevention, and network security monitoring. Enterprise-level IT security software packages can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or more depending on the complexity of the organization's network infrastructure and the types of security threats it faces.

In addition to the cost of the software itself, organizations must also take into account the cost of IT security personnel, such as system administrators and security specialists, as well as ongoing training and support costs. For example, organizations may need to hire additional personnel to manage the software, provide training for end users, and respond to security incidents. These costs can add up quickly and should be factored into the total cost of IT security software.