Today’s tech industry is buzzing with conversations about layered security. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, global cybercrime costs will reach a staggering $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, underscoring the urgency to bolster our defenses. For IT technicians, the rise of these cyberthreats has never been more concerning. That’s why getting familiar with layered security — an approach that goes beyond traditional security measures — is essential.

In this blog, we will walk you through everything that layered security can provide, why it's the talk of the tech industry and how to establish a defense strategy that combines powerful layers of protection.

What is layered security?

Layered security, also known as defense in depth, is a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity that involves implementing multiple layers of protection to safeguard your digital assets. This strategy goes beyond traditional endpoint security solutions and aims to cover all entry points that could put your company's data at risk.

Why layered security matters now?

Cyberthreats have become more sophisticated and prevalent than ever before. Cybercriminals constantly develop new tactics to breach systems, steal data and disrupt business operations. In 2021, an estimated 22 million records were exposed to data breaches. With such alarming statistics, ordinary endpoint security isn’t sufficient, so organizations across various industries are enhancing their security postures to mitigate these threats.

Advanced threats demand more than just endpoint security

Businesses, regardless of their size, face advanced attacks that extend beyond endpoint security. These attacks often exploit cloud app vulnerabilities and target a company's cloud infrastructure, aiming for sensitive data. Attacks that capitalize on users' ignorance or carelessness, such as spear phishing and BEC threats, are prevalent nowadays. An excellent way to address this is to understand which tools offer the best approach to meet your needs and budget.

How to build a robust layered security structure?

A layered security structure empowers you to construct a formidable shield for your digital ecosystem. Here’s how you can build a powerful layered security structure:

1. Visibility and device control

Central to layered security is the attainment of comprehensive visibility into your network and devices. Without visibility, your ability to defend against threats will be severely compromised. After all, you can’t secure what you can’t see. This is where remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools come into play. An RMM solution gives you the ability to monitor all network devices and endpoints.

Integrating an RMM solution, like Pulseway’s RMM, into your cybersecurity arsenal is vital for IT technicians. It facilitates real-time device health monitoring, anomaly detection and swift responses to potential threats, laying the foundation for layered security.

2. Hardening and patch management

Cyberattackers frequently target vulnerabilities in software and operating systems. To mitigate this risk, ensure your systems are hardened and regularly updated with the latest security patches. Once again, your RMM tool can play a pivotal role by offering robust patch management solutions.

Regularly patching vulnerabilities fortifies your defenses, reducing the risk of exploitation through known vulnerabilities. Given that most attacks target outdated vulnerabilities, prompt patching is imperative to stay ahead of threats. Automating them via your RMM solution bolsters cybersecurity by swiftly applying critical updates, in turn preventing oversights associated with repetitive and time-consuming tasks.

3. Cloud security and endpoint backup

While the cloud offers numerous advantages, it also presents security challenges. Therefore, a comprehensive layered security strategy should encompass specialized cloud security solutions to safeguard data stored in cloud environments. Moreover, your data protection strategy is integral to a dependable Endpoint Backup solution (for Servers and PCs) . It ensures swift data recovery during a breach or system failure, minimizing downtime and losses.

4. Ransomware detection

Ransomware threats persistently target businesses, causing data loss, financial harm and reputation damage. Adequate layered security must include continuous ransomware detection within your network. Upon detecting suspicious activity, the system should alert you promptly, allowing immediate actions like isolating and shutting down affected machines to prevent further ransomware spread.

Such solutions are crucial in the fight against evolving ransomware threats, as delayed detection leads to longer dwell time and more damage. Dwell time refers to the amount of time an attacker spends undetected in the target organization’s IT system. Attacks often occur during holidays or weekends when there’s a lack of personnel to spot them. However, automated defenses act swiftly to protect against such attacks

5. Human error

An incredible 95% of all data breaches result from human errors. To combat this, end users must be trained to recognize and prevent cyberattacks. Tools like BullPhish ID offer IT departments and MSPs an intuitive, automated phishing simulation and security training platform. These simulations create a safe yet realistic environment for refining phishing recognition skills, empowering end users to be vigilant against one of the most common cyberthreats — phishing attacks.

Eliminate cyberthreats with Pulseway’s layered security solution

Investing in layered security ensures your that your organization stays resilient against a range of cyberthreats, regardless of whether they manifest as malware, phishing attempts or ransomware attacks. Pulseway's portfolio of security offerings puts organizations on the path to layered security. Bitdefender AV, WebRoot, Graphus and BullPhish ID all offer various layers for endpoint protection, email security, full disk encryption, advanced threats, and endpoint detection and response.

The time for action is now. Don't wait until you become a statistic in a data breach report. Implement Pulseway now to safeguard your business in 2024 and beyond.