Symantec Simplifies SMB Security in Malaysia with Cloud-ready Endpoint Protection

Malaysian SMEs or SMBs rule the country micro economy, in a manner which there are more SMEs in Malaysian comparing to countries such as Singapore. The reason for this is budget - companies in Malaysia usually have lower budget allocation for IT.

It was reported in Nov 2011 by Google that Malaysia has about 700,000 SMEs, out of which only 100,000 had web sites. More so, enterprise IT budget in Malaysia is comparable to medium size companies' budget in countries like USA and U.K. Hence, SME is a big market and pretty much untapped.

From my observation, SMEs are no dummies, though with limited IT budgets, they do find their way around for solutions to help with business needs. SMEs benefited greatly from free services and software application from all over the cyber space such as Google Apps, webmails and even using Social Media for sales and marketing.

Most SMEs will only buy limited software licenses with business accounting software being top in the list. I would reckon that they spend considerable amount of money onto computer equipments, telecommunication and Internet and yes security software. More than that, they usually do not allocate much budget for anything else - but yes, security software is in the list.



IT security threats have been growing out of proportion recently with much focus targeting business entities for pecuniary gains. If we take a look at what had been menacing for 2012, most important threats are political and business related.  These includes:

  • Koobface
  • OSX.FalshBack.K
  • Flamer
  • Android.Opfake
  • Gauss
  • MiniFlame

So yes, I feel that everybody should be aware of such threats and at least make use of certain security software. And you can try Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition 2013 which was launched two days ago.

Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition 2013, gives small and medium businesses (SMBs) in Malaysia choice by offering a cloud-managed service and traditional on-premise management in a single endpoint protection product. By simplifying the deployment options, SMBs have the freedom to very easily move to the cloud when they’re ready without adding complexity to their environment.

Symantec reported that targeted attacks have doubled against businesses with 250 or fewer employees, climbing to 36 percent of all targeted attacks.

How it works is simple.

  1. Customer buy online
  2. Customer receives certificate which includes URL and Serial Number
  3. Customer goes to URL enters serial number, logs in (or creates an account) and activates their product
  4. The wizard appears and the customer makes a choice to deploy cloud-managed service or on-premise option
  • On-premise means you download the file and install it like normally did
  • Cloud-managed means it works SaaS and it scans through the Internet

“SMBs in Malaysia are a key part of the supply chain in the business environment today, they are handling valuable information and regularly process important customer data. Ensuring that the important information is protected is no longer an option today,” said Avinash Lotke, Symantec’s director of strategic sales, Asia Pacific and Japan. “While SMBs in Malaysia ranked data loss and cyber attacks as top business risks, they are still facing challenges in securing their businesses as buying, deploying and managing security systems are becoming increasingly complicated. Symantec’s announcement today demonstrates our commitment to simplifying information protection for SMBs.”

(L-R) Philip Routley, Head of SMB Product Marketing, 
Asia Pacific and Japan,
Symantec, Avinash Lotke, Director of Strategic Sales, 

Asia Pacific and Japan, Symantec

Philip Routley, Symantec’s head of SMB Product Marketing for Asia Pacific and Japan, added, “Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition 2013 offers SMBs the choice of a cloud-managed service or on-premise management in a single product. This product enables SMBs to quickly and easily protect information by eliminating complexity in their environment, giving them the freedom to very simply move to the cloud when they’re ready, at no additional cost.”

There are questions about what if customers do not have Internet connection all the time ? Well then just go for the on-premise option. However, please bear in mind that one will require Internet connection to get security updates. Therefore, if one has access to faster and unlimited Internet connection, going for the cloud-managed option may not be that bad.

Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition 2013 supports Windows 8 and Mac OS X. Its core engine and library are legendary, at which it supports advanced virus and malware protection, supported with Symantec Insight and Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response (SONAR) behavior-based security technologies, quickly and easily detects new threats and stops them in their tracks, keeping staff computers secure and productive even when they’re mobile.

The cloud-managed option will require minimal installation as well. It also supports USB device control. Thus, the real benefit of going for cloud-managed is adoption of cloud computing services. The pros are 1.) managed by vendors, 2.) minimal setup, 3.) uses less local HD space, 4.) always available and updated for as long as the Internet connects.

In short, this is the latest Symantec Endpoint Protection product which supports cloud computing.

Symantec still distributes the solution via CDs and DVDs for existing business channels.

Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition 2013 is immediately available for purchase in select countries worldwide through Symantec’s global network of value-added authorized resellers, distributors and systems integrators or directly through the Symantec e-store.

 More details.

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