How much does basic data security cost in the company?

Bonus: At the end of this article, we make available the infographic for download: How much does a basic data security cost in the company?

Statistics on cyber threats and attacks have left entrepreneurs and stained IT professionals, year after year. Cyber ​​crimes are on the rise, hackers are becoming more creative and bold. There are millions of companies affected in the world with increasingly high spending.

A few years ago the costs to maintain basic and efficient data security were high and in some cases unviable to apply. However, with the evolution of attacks and invasions, developers and systems are appropriate to the financial realities of companies and made protection systems affordable.

In this article we will address the importance of making funds available from companies to data protection and what are the average costs of the most basic tools to maintain secure companies information.

How much does it cost to implement a data security system in the company?

Of course, cyber security should not be an exclusive concern of companies. Anyone online is at risk. However, a Kaspersky survey

There are basic and indispensable actions and tools for almost all business sectors operating with offices, where devices and users are connected to the internet daily. Next, we will explore these essential practices.

Fundamental measures include the implementation of robust firewalls to protect the network against unauthorized access, the use of updated antiviruses to detect and eliminate threats, and the adoption of rigorous password policies, ensuring that employees use strong combinations and change them regularly. In addition, continuous education of employees on good cyber safety practices, such as phishing email recognition and the importance of not sharing sensitive information, is crucial to minimizing risks. Tools such as VPNs (virtual private networks) are also recommended to protect data transmission, especially when employees work remotely.

1 - Systems Update

Operating systems and software undergo continuous evolution and need to be kept up to date whenever possible. In addition, these updates usually include improvements in system quality and performance.

Moreover, there is the factor "originality". Many companies today choose to use pirate tools to reduce costs. However, this option can lead to various problems, especially data security, after all, they are modified versions of the original, where maintenance and originality checks have been removed.

For operating systems the logic is the same. Updated, it contains safety improvements in addition to new features, as new forms of invasion and safety breaches are emerging.

Keeping company equipment and systems up to date is critical to ensuring efficient data security, especially considering its massive daily use. 

Although it is difficult to determine all the software used by companies, operating systems are almost universal. Therefore, I listed the price averages of the most common operating systems in companies.

• Microsoft Windows 10 Pro - R $ 1,099.00 for license license.
• Mac OS - Only under the purchase of Apple equipment.
• Linux, distribution version: Ubuntu - free.

Windows licenses may have a reduced value if they are OEM type, purchased along with equipment equipped with this operating system.

*Values ​​consulted in August 2024.

2 - Antivirus and Antimalware

Antivirus and antimalware are perhaps some of the most obvious items in data security materials. Therefore, it is essential to remember that protecting your systems against viruses and malware in any device is of utmost importance.

To list tools, I followed some studies of independent international institutions such as AV-Test or AV-Company , which use thousands of different samples of malware and attest to the efficiency of various antiviruses in system protection and cleaning an already infected system, and other characteristics such as ease of user and impact of antivirus on equipment speed.

To choose the ideal antivirus to protect your equipment you can track studies from independent international institutions such as AV-Test or AV-comparatives , which use thousands of different samples and malware and attest to the efficiency of various antiviruses in system protection and cleaning an already infected system. In addition, other features such as ease of use for the user and impact of antivirus on equipment speed.

Below are two good software options that received the AV-Test Top Product seal, with their respective values:

• Bitdefender - From R $ 49.00 per month to up to 3 equipment.
• Kaspersky - From $ 198 to 3 users for a year.

*Values ​​consulted in August 2024.

3 - Backup

Backup is a copy of data security stored in a system, created to ensure important information can be recovered in case of loss, corruption or hardware failure. The backup process can be performed in a variety of ways, such as local storage, external devices, or cloud storage solutions. The frequency and automation of backups are essential to minimize the risk of recent data loss.

Having a functional and reliable backup system is crucial to ensuring that data can be recovered in case of loss. In some types of attack, such as ransomware , blocking the data to pay a rescue, the main way to solve the problem restore company data from a backup copy.

Backup is critical in the security of company information.

Thus, the tools differ by the amount of functionality and the amount of daily traffic traffic that it will make copies, as well as physical or cloud technology. However, the most common systems for small and medium businesses, as well as growing number of hiring by companies for greater safety and acceptable value, are cloud backup systems. Therefore, I listed below the most commonly used tools.

• Backblaze - From $ 9.00 month.
• Drop box - From $ 9.99 month. Google Drive - From $ 8.00 month.

*Values ​​consulted in August 2024.

4 - Firewall

Firewall a security device that controls network data flow. With it it is possible to filter traffic, setting what should pass and what should be discarded.

Normally firewall is one of the main defenses in the perimeter of a private network, being an essential component in protecting unwanted traffic and invasion attempts.

There are several firewall tools on the market, some with additional features, further improving the company's data protection system.

Among the most common with their respective values, are:

• Appliance Firewall PFSENSE - From R $ 1,442.22 for the equipment.
• Lumiun Firewall - from R $ 219.00 per month.

*Values ​​consulted in August 2024.

5 - Employee Training

Thus, establishing behavioral guidelines for members of the organization regarding the use of information technology resources is one of the most economical ways to improve data security.

These rules, documented, signed and agreed by users before using the company's equipment, help prevent employees without knowledge, unprepared, negligent or even malicious to put company data at risk, leaving them vulnerable to digital criminals.

In addition, developing an information security policy in the company can decrease possible spending and investments with corrective measures from cyber attacks.

Of course, it's hard to make sure that keeping employees trained and expecting them to comply with the acquired rules and knowledge will have an effect. Distractions, or lack of will may also cause damage to the company's data security.

The positive side is that training employees has a very low cost, or, depending on the knowledge of the professional who will give training, the cost can be zero.

In our blog we provide free materials that can help entrepreneurs and IT professionals develop and train their employees.

6 - Internet access control

Performing internet access control is a common practice in companies and increasingly important and necessary. That is, unlike the information security policy, doing access control does not require the employee's common sense and will so that access to harmful websites and outside the scope of work are not accessed.

In most incidents or safety failures, the gateway to attacks or virus installation are users who cannot identify possible risks and end up clicking fraudulent emails or malicious internet links.

Therefore, implementing an Internet access control system at the company can block the vast majority of corporate hacker input ports.

Among those available on the market are some solutions for the control of internet access, with their respective values, and may vary according to the size of the company:

• DNS Filter - $ 0.90 per month per user, up to $ 2.70 per month per user.
• Lumiundns - from R $ 2.90 per month per user.
• NextDNS - From $ 1.99 monthly to up to 300,000 queries, up to $ 19.90 monthly without consultation limit.

*Values ​​consulted in August 2024.

7 - Business VPN

The acronym " VPN " means virtual private network, translating private virtual network, is a network technology that uses the internet to connect a group of computer and maintain the data security that traffic between them.

The main advantage for a company that uses VPN is certainly increasing information security when there is a need to traffic confidential data between branches or to employees who work remotely and need to access data in the local network.

Among the main tools in the market, with their respective values, the following:

• NORDVPN - From $ 3.71 per month up to $ 11.95 per month.
• ExpressVPN - From US $ 8.32 per month up to $ 12.95 per month.
• Lumiun Box Business VPN - from R $ 2.49 per month per user.

*Values ​​consulted in August 2024.

What tools does my company need?

Choosing the ideal tools for your business will depend on the systems it uses and the data that need to be protected. Thus, if your business has internal financial and human resources sectors, which carry out financial transactions and manage employee data and contracts, it is essential to keep operating systems up to date and use antiviruses suitable for the company's specific needs.

For companies that offer credit and store customer data, it is essential to implement a robust backup system, ensuring information security in cases of loss or kidnapping.

If your team works remotely or accesses the company's systems remotely, it is essential to use an encrypted VPN connection to protect data from unauthorized accesses.

In addition, access control is a measure that applies to virtually all companies that have employees connected to the internet. Restricting access to websites outside the scope of work and potentially dangerous helps protect company data and can also increase team productivity.

These tools and actions are fundamental, but it is important that the IT professional or manager of the company assess what are the most critical points and which solutions best suits the needs and budget of the company.

[Infographic] How much does basic data security in the company cost?

To help define which data security tools you will use in your business, we create an infographic that brings together average values ​​of each solution and main applications of each of the following solutions:

• Antivirus
• Backup
• Operating systems
• firewall
• Internet access control
• Business VPN

Conclusion

To conclude, it is important to highlight that the biggest asset of hackers is the lack of knowledge and carelessness of users. They exploit security breaches and identify vulnerabilities to access the company's data and resources in an illicit way. 

Therefore, it is essential to invest in preventive solutions that prevent both inexperienced users and those with malicious intentions to compromise the security of the company. 

I hope I have helped you identify which systems to implement in your company and realize that investment in prevention tools is minimal when compared to repair costs after data loss.

To the next!