As resellers look to improve their server message block (SMB) customers' security posture while reducing their security management costs, they can rely on the cloud-client architecture of the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network to enable faster access to threat intelligence and protection. Based on a survey of over 100SMB IT Security Providers during June and July 2012 and its own independent analysis, Osterman Research looked into the current state of SMB security and the benefits of faster protection and published the white paper, “The Cloud Advantage: Increased Security and Lower Costs for SMBs.” The white paper reports that the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend of employees using personal mobile devices and laptops for work is increasing among SMBs. The typical SMB employee uses a number of endpoint devices — a desktop computer, a laptop, a smartphone, a tablet, and home computers with various applications on them, all vectors through which malware can enter their SMB organization's network. Cyber criminals employ multiple compromised endpoints and social networking to reach large numbers of targets, targeting the more popular mobile devices such as Android and iOS. The Osterman Research survey also found: • Android usage gained the largest increase in SMB, with the number of Google Androids being used in SMBs increasing 7.1 percent from 2011. The number of Apple iPhone's being used in SMBs increased 3.1 percent, and Apple iPad usage has increased 1.9 percent from 2011. • During a typical month 4.3 percent of endpoints become infected, which translates to an infection rate of 52.1 percent annually. • During the past several years a growing number of organizations reported security violations through their use of web and email. Between 2007 and 2012 there was a 35-percent growth in web violations and a 12-percent growth in email violations, suggesting that security violations — malware, phishing and related types of attacks — are growing steadily over time. The various endpoint devices proliferating in SMBs need to be properly secured to protect the company from malware, phishing and related attacks. — SG
