In computer technology, security is both a buzzword and an important topic that affects us all. As a buzzword, it denotes the fact that products tend to come and go, and strategies seem to change like the wind. For a small to medium-sized enterprise, security also presents a distinct challenge. It requires a focused effort to cover all points of contact with data, from Gigabit connections in a remote office to mobile devices that can tap into financial data over Wi-Fi. Even though a multifaceted approach is required to dissuade employees from breaking protocols and to stop hackers, it’s also easy to get inundated by companies that offer the security solution du jour. Smaller companies lack the resources to investigate every new service and product, but these three companies offer something unique.

Computer Resource Center
Disaster planning is the famously underrated, and sometimes overlooked, step in the security infrastructure. When a new product emerges for protecting data access points or monitoring instant messaging chat sessions, IT flocks to it as the latest and greatest invention. Yet, disaster recovery is a more general infrastructure security step that some companies only revisit on a yearly basis (or less). With CRC (www.crcdataprotection.com), disaster recovery becomes a more vibrant, constantly evolving activity. The company essentially provides a hosted solution for disaster recovery and secure data archiving. Interestingly, the company learned about data security redundancy through other parts of its business. For example, by maintaining its SaaS (software as a service) and ASP (application service provider) products, the company found data redundancy and protection was a primary concern for SME customers, so CRC parlayed that into a primary business offering.

The data protection services start at about $150 per month, at an average of about $4 per compressed gigabyte per month. CRC partners with Asigra for software and as its main product offers Asigra Televaulting, which is housed in SAS 7-Type II data centers using AES 256 data encryption. The product meets the criteria of many SMEs: lower complexity, better compliance, and a lower cost.

“So many companies are still using tape, and when they take a look at our services, they often realize that they are not as protected as they may think,” says Robert Gerace, CEO at CRC. “Since our software--Asigra Televaulting--supports hot backup of Exchange, SQL, SharePoint, Domino, DB2, and Oracle, and because we have the expertise in house to back up, restore, and tune those server applications, we are a great match for the midlevel market.”