Due to their cost and implementation complexity, the enterprise-quality IT security services offered through this program have typically only been used by large corporations. Advanced Network Systems has now made these same services available to small and medium-sized businesses, under a monthly billing scenario, at a price point they can afford.

The company's focus on bringing these critical cyber security services to small and medium-sized businesses is not without good reason. Today, 62% of all cyberattacks are targeted at small businesses.(1) This is, in large part, because their networks are typically under-protected and therefore increasingly vulnerable to cybercrime. Current research also shows that the median number of days a successful breach goes undetected is 146; during which time business data and network access privileges are quietly stolen.(2) Sobering new statistics reveal that 50% of all small to medium-sized U.S. businesses have reported experiencing at least one data breach.(3) Pair that with new data quantifying the average overall cost associated with dealing with a network breach is $217 per lost or stolen record, and the alarming cost of cybercrime to small businesses becomes a pressing reality.(4) The issue of providing a better way to combat cybercrime is not being ignored by the IT industry as a whole, as the global market for Managed Security Services, like those being offered by Advanced Network Systems, is expected to leap from $8 billion in 2014 to a projected $30 billion by 2020.(5)

Kevin Leibl, president of Advanced Network Systems said, "This service goes straight to the heart of the issues that make today's cyber threats so dangerous; their growing level of volume, complexity and stealth behavior. The program provides a way for businesses to examine the large volume of data generated every day by their IT systems, then correlates and analyzes seemingly unrelated events, allowing us to hone in on suspicious activities often associated with a network breach." Leibl added, "By being able to actively pinpoint a potential threat--or even a breach in progress--and then quickly responding to it, you're then able to limit the negative, and often devastating, impacts they can have."  He added, "While no one can give you 100% guaranteed protection against a breach, our program is powerful because it's essentially like adding a whole department of IT Security experts to your staff, at a fraction of what it would cost you to add just one."

Lorri Haney, the company's vice president of marketing went on to say, "The statistics tell us that this is not just a large corporation issue; that every organization's computer system is a prime target for an attack." She added, "What's important to remember is that when it comes to cybercrime, it's not the size of your company or computer system, it's the data that's on it. I'm talking about your banking and credit card processing information; your customer, patient and vendor information; it's your intellectual property and your employee payroll records they're after. And while larger corporations can often absorb the financial ramifications and customer fallout after a cyber incident, the average small business closes their doors within six months of one. Our new Managed Security Program is an effective and affordable way for them to level the playing field and better protect themselves against becoming the next victim."