America needs small businesses, and small businesses need protection from cyber threats.

Our country’s 28 million small businesses create two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. They play a key role in our nation’s economy and supply chain, and they store, process, and communicate massive amounts of customer information.

But many of them are incredibly vulnerable to cyberattacks that expose or exploit customer information and can down their operations entirely. A 2022 study shows that small businesses are three times more likely than larger corporations to be targeted by cybercriminals, and a recent Accenture report found that 43% of all cyberattacks specifically target small businesses. Only 14% of those companies have cybersecurity protections in place.

Companies with 100 or fewer employees are at a higher risk of cyberthreats such as hacks, spear phishing and other breaches, and these attacks are devastating for their business. Business insurance carrier Hiscox found that cybersecurity attacks can cost businesses of all sizes an average of $200,000 to resolve, and this is enough to put many smaller companies out of business entirely.

What Can Small Business Owners Do?

As the threat of cybersecurity threats from bad actors both in the U.S. and abroad grows, many small business owners are understandably struggling to stay on top of cybersecurity—especially those with a remote workforce.

However, Cox Business is well prepared to help small and medium business (SMB) customers meet National Cyber Defense Agency, CISA, guidance quickly and affordably.

Cox recently launched, Cox Business Essential Security, which elevates a small business’ security posture against cyber threats by adding business-grade backup and cloud storage, advanced security and device management, and web filtering protection against malicious websites. Essential Security features are advantageous to small businesses that are currently supporting both in-office and remote workers.

What is Cox Business Essential Security?

Cox Business Essential Security is a cloud-enabled, continuously-updated solution that helps businesses protect against the latest threats – sometimes even before they get to the United States. The security solution combines two cybersecurity solutions, MalBlock and Endpoint Protect:

MalBlock helps guard against online threats like viruses, botnets, spyware, Trojan horses, and worms. Using machine learning, MalBlock uncovers current and emerging threats, blocking them before they reach customers’ networks. MalBlock Remote provides the same in-office protection to employees anywhere they access the Internet, including using home or public Wi-Fi networks.

Endpoint Protect combines data backup, next-generation antivirus and antimalware and endpoint vulnerability management into a single service designed to secure internet-connected devices.

The Essential Security Package is a cost-effective suite of security tools that helps small businesses defend, back up, and restore their data against existing and future cyber threats.

As small business owners, your customers, employees, and communities need you. They depend on you for essential goods and services, as well as the jobs you provide. Make sure you can protect their data, protect their livelihoods, and keep your business alive and well with advanced, easy-to-use cybersecurity solutions like Cox Business Essential Security Package.