Downloadable Tools & Online Safety Services
Your business is likely to have the systems and tools it needs to function day-to-day, but our ever-expanding list of tools and services listed below is there to help specifically with cyber-related issues.
Some are FREE, while other, premium products, often have free trials.
ANTIVIRUS TOOLS
TOP SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
Bitdefender Small Office Security – Excellent malware protection with centralised management and low system impact.
ESET PROTECT Entry – Lightweight, reliable protection with good reporting features for small business environments.
Norton Small Business – Easy deployment across devices with web dashboard and strong antivirus protection.
DATA BACKUP
GREAT SOLUTIONS FOR DISASTER RECOVERY
Acronis Cyber Protect – Combines backup with ransomware protection; great for solo traders and SMEs.
CrashPlan for Small Business – Continuous backup with easy restore options.
iDrive Team or Small Business – Hybrid cloud and local backup; very flexible pricing for 1–5 users.
EMAIL INTEGRITY
ANTI-SPAM, PHISHING DETECTION ETC
IRONSCALES – AI-powered email protection with real-time phishing detection and automated response.
Mimecast Email Security – Enterprise-grade but available for small businesses; robust spam, phishing, and malware filtering.
Barracuda Essentials – Easy-to-deploy email protection with spam filtering and archiving.
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 – Seamless for M365 users; includes phishing and malware protection.
FRAUD AND CREDIT MONITORING
ANTI-FRAUD TOOLS
Credit Focus offer a service via monthly subscription from £14.99 that not only helps you identify potential issues with your business’s credit standing, but offers help and advice as to how to go about improving it.
Experian’s My Business Profile offers a very similar service via monthly subscription, which is a little more expensive at £24.99 but they do offer A 3-month free trial.
Cifas – The UK’s fraud prevention service; sign up for identity protection and early alerts.
NETWORK AND FIREWALL SECURITY
TOP SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
Untangle NG Firewall (now part of Arista) – Affordable UTM (Unified Threat Management) solution ideal for small networks.
pfSense Plus – Open-source firewall/router that’s very customisable with advanced features at no licensing cost.
OPNSense – Open-source, robust, and actively maintained with an intuitive web interface.
PASSWORD MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS-FOCUSED SOLUTIONS
1Password Teams – user-friendly password manager with secure sharing features.
Bitwarden Teams – Affordable, open-source, and GDPR-compliant with zero-knowledge encryption.
NordPass Business – offers end-to-end encrypted password vaults, zero-knowledge encryption, SSO, biometric login, breach scanner.
SAFER BROWSING
TOOLS TO HELP KEEP YOU AND YOUR STAFF SAFER WHILE BROWSING
Cloudflare Gateway – Protects against DNS-level threats; free tier works well for micro-SMEs.
OpenDNS (Cisco Umbrella) – Blocks malicious domains before they load; simple to set up for offices or home offices.
Malwarebytes Browser Guard – Real-time protection against malicious ads, trackers, and phishing links.
SECURE REMOTE ACCESS
HOW TO KEEP PRYING EYES OUT
Anydesk – Lightweight, fast, cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux, mobile), 2FA with file transfer and session recording.
NordLayer – Business-focused VPN with zero-trust network access (ZTNA); scalable and user-friendly.
Perimeter 81 – Secure remote network access with centralised control for small teams.
VPNs
KEEPING DATA SAFE AND PRIVACY MAINTAINED ONLINE
ExpressVPN – Well-established, highly-secure VPN solution that is reasonably-priced.
NordLayer – Business-focused VPN with zero-trust network access (ZTNA); scalable and user-friendly.
Proton VPN Business – Swiss-based, highly privacy-respecting service with a “no logs” policy.