Cybersecurity
Building a Layered Security Stack for Small and Mid-Size Businesses
Most SMBs know they need cybersecurity but are overwhelmed by the vendor landscape. This is a practical guide to building a defense-in-depth posture that is appropriate for businesses with 10 to 500 employees.
The number of cybersecurity vendors, tools, and frameworks available today is genuinely overwhelming, especially for small and mid-size businesses that do not have a dedicated security team. This guide breaks down how to think about building a layered security posture.
Layer 1: Identity and Access Management
This is the foundation. If you do not control who can authenticate to your systems and how, everything else is building on sand. At minimum, this means multi-factor authentication on all accounts, including Microsoft 365, email, VPN, RMM tools, and any financial systems. Password managers should be standard for all staff.
Layer 2: Endpoint Protection
Modern endpoint detection and response (EDR) platforms like SentinelOne provide significantly more capability than legacy antivirus. For businesses with 25 or more endpoints, an EDR with a managed SOC component that provides 24/7 alert response is worth the investment.
Layer 3: Email Security
Email remains the primary initial access vector in the vast majority of incidents. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 or a third-party email security gateway that provides anti-phishing, sandboxing, and impersonation detection is non-negotiable.
Layer 4: DNS Filtering
DNS-layer filtering such as Cisco Umbrella or Cloudflare Gateway blocks connections to known malicious domains before traffic ever leaves the network. It is low-cost, low-complexity, and highly effective at stopping the downstream effects of phishing clicks.
Layer 5: Backup and Recovery
The 3-2-1 rule remains the baseline. Three copies, two different media types, one off-site. For businesses with meaningful recovery time requirements, tested immutable backups with documented recovery procedures are the only acceptable standard.
Contact us to discuss which of these layers you have covered and what gaps exist in your current environment.