Technology has become the backbone of business 21^st century, and the internet has become a resource that nearly every business relies on. However, without proper protection and management, it's also a source of danger and unnecessary expense for small and medium-sized businesses.

Below, you'll see: the top three web threats, why they are so dangerous, and how to protect your business from each threat.

1)  Time-wasting online

The Confederation of Business Industry estimates that the average employee spends at least 90 minutes a week surfing the web for personal use at work. Endemic time-wasting decreases productivity and discourages honest worker who have to pick up the slack.

People will always find creative ways to waste time, but there are ways to restrict access to non-work websites. Guidant Partners lets you set and apply consistent policies that restrict access to different categories of websites. So your employees will only be able to access sites that are safe and approved by you.

2)  Staying up to date with patches

In a recent survey of 271 internal IT managers for small and medium sized businesses, 49 percent of respondents reported that keeping security and software patches up to date was their biggest management challenge. Proper patch management is very time consuming for an internal technician, And many companies have trouble finding technicians with the level of skill it requires to manage their systems.

Guidant Partners removes the challenges and drudgery of keeping your systems up to date with proper security and software patches. We proactively monitor and manage your technology, and run automatic software patches and updates. We also administer a multi-layer security methodology. We provide firewalls, pre-emptive antispyware, pre-emptive anti-virus, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and content filtering tools for one flat monthly fee.

3)  Legal risks

Businesses face serious legal liabilities from employee's misuse of the internet. For example, if your employees download pirated software while at work, the business owner can be held liable.  Similarly, downloaded porn can create a hostile environment for co-workers and grounds for a visit to the employment tribunal. Your employees can also put your business at risk by using slander or breaching confidentiality guidelines on public internet forums.

Guidant Partners can provide peace of mind and reduce your risk by delivering web filtering and monitoring. We will prevent access to inappropriate websites and block specific types of downloads. We also deliver the ability to restrict access to online forums, chat, and social networking sites. 

This is just an inside look at a few of the web threats that put your business at risk on a daily basis. To learn more about how your business might be at risk, and how to prevent yourself from such threats...please contact Guidant Partners at 615-277-3361 or via the web at www.guidantpartners.com.