It’s been hard to miss the news over the last few days about yet another worm that is attacking Window’s users. The Telegraph is reporting that total victims worldwide are, so far, in excess of 9 million.
The creators are now even apparently targeting users with emails trying to entice recipients by boldly announcing that Obama has decided not to go through with today's inauguration!
The worm, known as Conficker, Downadup or Kido, is currently spreading through computers but has yet to actually activate. So we don’t know the full extent of the damage the virus could cause. And this is obviously worrying.
So what‘s the answer?
Well, protecting a PC against the virus is, in theory, simple: ensure that your anti-virus software is up-to-date and that you have installed Microsoft's MS08-067 patch.
But, in practice, this is easier said than done, with reports claiming that businesses in particular might well be at risk, providing a potential headache for IT Managers.
SMEs are likely to suffer more than most. These businesses don’t have the luxury of an always available, on-hand IT department. And, particularly in the current financial climate when many are just trying to keep their head above the water, ensuring IT software is up-to-date does not always rank as a mission-critical day-to-day task. Even if, in an ideal world, it should.
Cue the hosted or ‘SaaS’ model of delivering software, where users don’t have to worry about checking for updates or installing patches. Here at Cobweb, we do all the hard work before the service even reaches local computers. The ‘convenience’ of SaaS is a benefit that our customers are always delighted by: they like the fact they have peace of mind and don’t have to worry – we do it for them.
Take lookfantastic.com – an entrepreneurial company focused on growth, that doesn’t have time to worry about IT. By outsourcing to Cobweb, they can concentrate on increasing revenue rather than installing patches and security updates.
Whilst there are numerous other benefits to SaaS adoption, I still feel that from an end-user standpoint, especially amongst smaller businesses, the ‘peace of mind’ that Hosted Services offer is critical. Outbreaks like this will surely only compound this mindset.
