Why Traditional Antivirus Isn't Enough for Your Small Business Anymore - And What You Should Be Doing Instead

Cybersecurity is no longer a concern reserved for big enterprises. Small businesses are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals because they often have weaker defences and less sophisticated security strategies. Traditional antivirus software alone can no longer keep up with the fast-evolving tactics of today’s cybercriminals.

These tools were built for a time when threats were simpler and slower. They rely on known malware signatures and basic detection techniques — which today’s sophisticated attacks easily bypass. Fileless malware, zero-day exploits, and stealthy tactics go undetected, leaving your business exposed. Antivirus might block known threats, but it offers no visibility, no context, and no real-time response.

Enter EDR: Endpoint Detection and Response

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) is a modern security solution designed to detect, investigate, and respond to suspicious activity in real time — even when a threat is brand new or previously unknown.

Key Benefits of EDR:

1. Continuous Monitoring EDR tools provide 24/7 visibility into all endpoint activity — not just at the time of an attack, but before and after — helping identify how a threat got in and what it did.
2. Behaviour-Based Detection Unlike traditional antivirus, EDR doesn’t just rely on signatures. It looks for abnormal behaviour on devices (e.g., suspicious PowerShell use, privilege escalation) that may indicate a compromise.
3. Rapid Response and Containment If an endpoint is compromised, EDR can isolate it from the network, stop the spread, and allow IT teams to investigate and respond immediately.
4. Threat Hunting and Forensics EDR tools enable proactive threat hunting and deep forensic analysis. This is critical not just for stopping an attack, but understanding how it happened to prevent it in the future.
5. Integration with SOC Teams When paired with a Security Operations Centre (SOC), EDR becomes part of a larger security strategy that includes human experts analysing alerts, correlating data across your environment, and taking decisive action.

Why You Need a Managed SOC

Small businesses often don’t have the internal resources to manage cybersecurity 24/7 - and that’s where a Managed SOC comes in. These are expert teams who monitor your environment around the clock, analyse security events, respond to threats, and provide actionable insights.

Benefits of a Managed SOC:

• 24/7 monitoring and response
• Expert analysis and threat validation
• Reduced false positives and alert fatigue
• Faster incident response
• Compliance support and reporting

With a managed SOC, you get the benefits of an enterprise-level security team at a fraction of the cost.

The Bottom Line

Cybersecurity threats are getting more advanced, more frequent, and more damaging. For small businesses, the days of “install and forget” antivirus protection are becoming outdated. If you’re serious about protecting your data, your customers, and your reputation, it’s time to upgrade to Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) - and combine it with the power of a Managed Security Operations Centre (SOC) .

By doing so, you move from being reactive to proactive - stopping threats before they become disasters.

Get in touch with Fos Net - Upgrade to EDR and a managed SOC before it’s too late.