2023 SC Awards Finalists: Best SME Security Solution

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall devices are actively protecting and optimizing the networks of over 12,000 active customers, of which more than 75% are in the SMB range. Firewall deployments grow at a rate above the average for network firewalls, largely due to replacement of “security only” gateway devices with devices that provide next-generation firewall, SD-WAN, secure web gateway, and cloud on-ramp in a single, easy-to-use hardware appliance or virtual form factor. The solution provides multilayered security for cloud and hybrid networks, helping organizations protect data, users, and workloads wherever they reside. Customers receive support and entitlements, and can purchase Premium Support and expedited hardware replacement plans. Energize Updates is a subscription service that provides ongoing protection from the latest online threats. Barracuda CloudGen Firewall delivers a complete set of industry-leading next-generation security capabilities, secure SD-WAN functionality, and advanced remote access while reducing IT resource overhead.

Cisco Umbrella, a cloud-delivered security service, has a loyal customer base of over 26,000 organizations from various industries and sizes in more than 190 countries. The service has been recommended by 91% of surveyed customers over the past 12 months, citing its No. 1 rating in security efficacy, ease of deployment and management, and synchronized set of security functions delivered from the cloud. Cisco Umbrella offers two levels of software support, including 24×7 access and onboarding guidance, with the premium level providing an assigned expert for personalized support. A Forrester Consulting Study reported a payback period of less than 12 months, a 231% return on investment, and a net present value of $1.96 million. Cisco Umbrella’s DLP capability has been expanded, along with introducing a remote browser isolation capability, and revamped APIs. The service has continually invested in threat intelligence through Cisco Talos, and maintains its uptime with a highly-redundant global DNS-layer security service. Cisco Umbrella also boosts network performance, streamlines IT management, and simplifies the security environment.

Cybersecurity company Coro has achieved significant growth in its customer base, increasing 300% year-over-year in the past four years, with projections of growth continuing in 2023. The company now protects 2.5 million users across more than 4,000 customers in various industries including finance, transportation, education, healthcare, and retail. Coro’s platform offers easy-to-use SaaS and affordable pricing plans, including a free lifetime threat detection plan for malware and ransomware, phishing, account takeover, insider threats, and data governance. Its patented AI technology proactively identifies threats and addresses issues automatically, without intervention from IT personnel. Coro’s platform is a complete, all-in-one solution that defends an SME’s users, devices, email, cloud apps, and data. It is an entirely new genre of security product that provides true end-to-end protection for SMEs and is designed to reduce the complexity created by security tool sprawl, requires no extra staff, and is affordable.

KnowBe4, the world’s largest security awareness training platform, has seen consistent and strong growth with an increase in customer count by 10,000 from December 2021 to December 2022, bringing the total number of organizations using their services to over 56,000. KnowBe4 provides the best-in-class security awareness training and simulated phishing platforms for businesses, with a focus on building and reinforcing the first line of defense against modern cyber threats. The company assigns each customer a dedicated Customer Success Manager who walks them through setup, scheduling training, and answering questions. KnowBe4’s Support Department maintains a high customer satisfaction rating of 98% or higher and a median response time of less than an hour. KnowBe4’s subscription-based software provides increasingly advanced enterprise features, and it doesn’t demand “Managed Services” engagements for access to premium features. The company also offers over 20 free tools to help businesses of all sizes strengthen their security culture.

SonicWall has introduced its next-generation firewall, the SonicWall TZ, which offers converged network security, multi-gigabit interfaces, TLS 1.3, and 5G readiness while providing high-speed threat prevention. This firewall has superior technology, next-gen hardware and SonicOS 7.0 support, enhanced features, and groundbreaking performance. SonicWall TZ is designed for small organizations and distributed enterprises with SD-Branch locations. It delivers industry-validated security effectiveness with best-in-class price-performance without the cost or complexity. The firewall has a simplified centralized management system, and its Zero-Touch Deployment allows easy installation and operation. SonicWall offers world-class support and customer service and its warranty and support agreement includes technical assistance 24×7 around the clock, unlimited software/firmware updates and upgrades, and hardware replacement units with support contract. SonicWall TZ has a best-in-class total cost of ownership in the industry, making it an ideal solution for small and mid-sized organizations.