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As a result of the economic downturn, hard pressed IT departments must face up to their various pressing security needs with ever tighter budgets. And if those numbers aren't frightening enough, IT faces other numbers that are equally as stark. A new infected web page crops up every 4.5 seconds. 2008 saw malicious email attachment increase five-fold. New spam-related web pages arise every 15 seconds. And, to top it off, 97 percent of business email is spam -- Yes, malware is back.

It used to be a pest that could cause high-profile damage, but it was manageable with sensible desktop protection and safe backup policies. Now, malware has become increasingly sophisticated, devious, and stealthy while growing from a pattern of sporadic spikes to a constant deluge of new and unusual attacks. But workers need access to email and the internet to carry out their roles effectively. They need to move data around fast on USB sticks and other writeable media and as mobility increases they also need remote access to corporate networks from laptops and smart phones. These requirements all present serious threats of accidental leakage or deliberate break-ins by malicious cybercriminals.

There are as many ways of securing a business as there are security vendors showing off approaches to protecting data, systems and networks. It may be tempting to invest in a multi-layered, multi-provider, multi-product approach, attempt to protect against each separate danger with a specific and targeted solution. However, that approach comes with unanticipated costs - greatly increased requirements in terms of expertise, training, support, maintenance time, and effort. Worst of all, disconnected thinking can also leave unexpected gaps in protection.

IT managers cannot afford to soak up the extra costs in equipment, licensing and manpower imposed by an ill-fitting, disparate array of protection solutions. A streamlined, unified approach may well provide excellent savings as well as greatly improved security.

Read this whitepaper to learn how a unified approach to security can not only make your system more secure, but more efficient as well.