Security Solutions for SMEs

The SMB sector of India contributes to 45% of the industrial output, 40% of India's export while employing 60 million people creating 1.3 million jobs every year and producing more than 8000 quality products for the Indian and international markets.

Organizations have developed innovative products in hardware and software addressing the needs of the SMB segment in particular. The requirement for the SMB sector is different from large organizations. In terms of security, the difference is more in the way they operate. The SMB sector has a requirement to accomplish their goals with a lean team of employees who ensure that the organization is operating at peak efficiency.

The pressure on SMBs to maintain and implement a high-level security at their premises is often low on their priority list. Rapid urbanization in India has created the demand for security equipment and services across tier two and three tier cities, who lag in adopting advanced access control systems compared to cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Slow adoption of security and technological development, result in many enterprises who continue using legacy access control systems or basic security measures such as keys and locks, security gates and guards for high security areas.

However, with the increase in security breaches it has become critical for organizations, irrespective of size, to address the security requirements. This has resulted in them actively seeking identity and access management solutions.

Benefits of security for the SMB sector

The primary objective for many is to achieve a single sign-on across all systems, physical or logical, based on a user's identity and backed up with strong authentication. By tying together all access controls in an organization, companies can benefit from having one unified platform for authentication of users, making access and authentication policies easier to enforce. Practices like these will improve ability to comply with the regulations that they face and allow them to take a holistic view of risk management across the entire business.

It also gives companies the ability to deny network access to all those who have not used a badge to enter the building (ex: tailgating, proxy, etc.). Another key benefit is that of deprovisioning an employee when they leave an organization. One user's identity may have multiple rights associated with it, which has often proved a headache internal security department when trying to work out all the applications and devices associated with a particular user.

In many organizations, this causes delays in locking out users from the network, potentially allowing them to access sensitive company information when they have already left to join a competitor. By tying users' access rights to a single device that also enables physical access, companies can ensure all rights associated with a user's identity are revoked immediately when their physical access badge is handed in or revoked centrally.

Lastly it develops a centralized management platform for all access control provides companies with the ability to report on all access and authentication events across all the different systems used in the business.

With access control at the core, security management can include subsystems such as time and attendance, visitor management and card printing. Keeping in mind ease of installation and usage, cost-effectiveness and the user interface key solutions that can be implemented for this segment are as below:

IP-based Access Control Systems

IP-based access control system provides enterprises a value added solution owing to lower installation costs, reduced cabling, increased functionality and application convergence. The beauty of IP-based solutions is that they seamlessly integrate with other sub-systems for monitoring and response.

For example, security managers can configure alarm messages for safety management. In the event of an emergency, the system can determine the incident type and location and unlock emergency doors for evacuation. When combining IP-based access control with other IP solutions such as video surveillance, hardware can be shared for multiple applications including storage, networking, wiring and battery back-up. Users can even integrate their current access control solution and migrate to IP as doors are added.

IP-based solutions are also convenient. They require less wiring and they use off-the-shelf equipment including standardized power supplies and enclosures. When combining IP-based access control with other IP solutions such as video surveillance, hardware can be shared for multiple applications including storage, networking, wiring and battery back-up. Users can even integrate their current access control solution and migrate to IP as doors are added.

Card Printing Solutions

For a small business, an intuitive solution is a key requirement since many of these organizations are less likely to have IT organizations. Accordingly, general ease-of-use for the average person using the printer becomes increasingly more important; this means that features such as easy loading of card ribbon consumables and integrated card design software templates within the printer are extremely valuable. Alternatively, cost-effective, entry-level photo capture and card design solutions are also available for businesses with small databases.

Convergence of Physical and Logical access

The latest combined identity solutions cut deployment and management costs. They improve security by enabling a single credential to be used for logical access including strong desktop authentication while simultaneously driving more robust identity authentication at the door. And they can help organizations enforce more consistent policies, while facilitating the use of consolidated audit logs throughout the enterprise.

The new generation of smart card technology is enabling organizations to consolidate physical and logical access control onto a single, unified identity platform. Integrated, multi-application access control solutions are moving onto mobile devices including phones enabled with wireless Near Field Communications (NFC) technology.

Converged access control applications don't need to be restricted to a physical smart card anymore. Identity information and encrypted communications, as well as data processing between reader and server or panel, can all be virtualized just like any other IT procedure.

Once virtualized, they can operate on new platforms such as smartphones and other mobile devices that use wireless NFC technology to communicate with an access control reader. All that is required is a mechanism for securely managing the identity and authentication information on the device throughout its life cycle.

With the rising security threats there is a growing need for companies to invest in technology ensuring security irrespective of the size of the business. While choosing the right technology SMB's must examine the value of technology and make appropriate investments to protect their assets.

The threats are real, vulnerabilities many and no one is immune. What matters is how the corrective action taken to prevent these threats.