Dynamic Business

Choosing a Channel Partner

The process of choosing a security solution for a business isn’t one to be undertaken lightly and it’s a complex issue it itself. Scott Robertson, Australia and New Zealand regional director of WatchGuard, suggests SMEs use a channel partner that understands the technologies and can advise them on the best solution for their environment. “This way they get a clear understanding of the available technology, they avoid the potential headaches of trying to configure it themselves, possibly incorrectly, and they harness the experience of the channel partner who is the expert rather than having to find and research the market themselves.”
Regardless of what you consider your own business security needs to be and what you’re prepared to risk, you may not be the final arbitrator of what security issues you address. Increasingly, SMEs are being forced to implement stronger security solutions by third parties such as governments, the credit card companies and banks that maintain their merchant accounts and even their suppliers and large corporate customers. Pierre Noel, Worldwide Evangelist, ISS & Tivoli Security, IBM Software explains: “There is a domino effect occurring where small and medium size organisations, by the nature of their relationship with larger organisations are becoming subject to stronger security policies imposed by the larger organisations. The larger organisations want to ensure that their associated SMEs are not a weak link in their security chain and to ensure there is little or no risk of an intrusion or security incident induced by someone attacking the SME as a way to access the valuable data of the associated larger organisation.”

In addition to dealing with security requirements filtering down from their suppliers and the larger organisations they deal with and those that their customers expect of them, SMEs also face the implications of standards imposed by credit card companies. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, which is in force for Australian small businesses from January 1 this year, requires SMEs with merchant accounts to put in place a series of mechanisms and rules to minimise the risk of credit card information being stolen. “This includes installing and maintaining firewalls, encrypting transmission of cardholder data and maintaining proper policies and testing procedures,” explains Noel.

Security is like any other business problem. There are experts and providers with the skills to help, however it’s the SMEs responsibility to take the initial steps to face the problem and seek out answers that meet the business’s needs and which do so within its budgetary constraints.

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