The 6 Most Important Anti-DDoS Functions SMBs Need in Their Server Setup
DDoS attacks are on the rise, and SMBs need to take the threat seriously. For over 20 years, DDoS has threatened businesses of all sizes, but it’s become an increasingly prevalent issue for small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in recent years.
One major reason is that many SMB owners don’t protect themselves from cyberattacks like this. This blog post will discuss six anti-DDoS server functions that every SMB owner needs in their server setup.
1) Reconfiguring Anti-DDoS Functions with New Tools and Cloud Automation
There are a few things that you should be doing to make sure you have DDoS server protection to cushion yourself from DDoS attacks. The first is researching the automated, built-in protections your service provider offers.
One example is Maxihost, which provides both out-of-path and inline DDoS protection. These security methods are explained more later in this article.
A second example is Cloud DDoS Protection, which provides a list of best practices to help configure anti-DDoS functions on servers. These include:
- Avoid complex configurations when possible.
- Use the most straightforward and most efficient server options for security purposes (for instance, disabling ports that aren’t in use)
- Avoid publishing server information on social media or other public sources.
2) Reporting Data and Scoring Behavior for Anti-DDoS Attacks
There are too many DDoS attacks taking place today to keep track of manually. As such, it is important that your managed server protection solution not only protect you from the type and volume of attack traffic but also provide a way for you to report data and score behavior. This will give you an idea as to where your specific servers need more protection.
3) Easy Interface for Monitoring and Screening Traffic
For server admins, being able to monitor traffic is a must. It helps them determine if there are any vulnerabilities in their setup or unusual activity that could indicate an attack has begun so they can fix it before the damage gets worse. A good DDoS mitigation tool should have an intuitive interface for monitoring all incoming and outgoing data flow on the server so admins can easily spot anything unusual.
Suppose your DDoS mitigation service has an easy-to-use interface. In that case, you might find yourself less stressed during a DDoS attack since the web app will allow you to quickly identify what’s happening and why it is happening on your servers.
When there are no attacks, this monitoring capability should also allow you to determine how much bandwidth your servers are using, so you will know if they need more resources. There should be an easy interface for monitoring and screening traffic on the server as part of a DDoS mitigation service.
4) Out-of-Path and Inline Protection
Out-of-path protection can be particularly useful for companies that rely on exterior gateways, such as data centers in multiple locations. Because the attacks are coming from outside of your network, you’ll need to look at protecting yourself more broadly than just within one physical location or using a single device.
This is where an out-of-path solution comes in. Out-of-path protection employs a device to sit between the source and destination of traffic, ensuring that any malicious packets are blocked before they reach their intended target.
Inline devices can help provide additional security for your server by creating a firewall around it, but inline solutions only protect you from one point in the network. If you are already using an inline device, it’s worth looking into adding another layer of protection to your server with out-of-path or botnet mitigation features.
5) File Traffic Analysis for Keeping Vulnerabilities at Bay
File traffic analysis is a vital tool for understanding what’s happening within your network. By analyzing the files passing through your system, you can detect malware and other vulnerabilities that may go unnoticed by traditional security measures.
Most vulnerability scanners only monitor ports on the public side of servers while ignoring internal systems altogether — which makes them particularly ineffective against internal threats.
File traffic analysis provides a full picture of everything going on in your network, no matter where it’s coming from or what type of information is passing through.
6) Transparently Monitoring and Preventing Server Attacks
Having your servers transparently monitored by an expert third party and taking proactive measures with defenses such as anti-DDoS software is highly beneficial.
Secondly, you’ll want to have your servers configured with high availability. This means that if one server goes down, the other will take over for it immediately without any downtime or service interruptions to your customers. Configuring a high availability setup can be done in many different ways, but keep in mind that you should have multiple layers of protection against DDoS attacks.
The third thing is to have your servers configured with Load Balancing, which can be achieved in different ways depending on the type of business you are running. This will help prevent downtime by sending incoming traffic across multiple networks or machines instead of just one server. If a DDoS attack happens and only one machine goes down, the others will be able to split up some of that traffic and continue sending it towards your web servers.
The fourth is a strong internet connection, which makes sense because you need a high-speed line if multiple machines are running simultaneously. If one device goes down or experiences high latency during an attack, other servers will take over, so your web presence isn’t completely lost.
Finally, having a good business continuity plan is crucial for preventing downtime from DDoS attacks and other disasters that can happen in the IT world. Having this type of plan will help you respond faster if an attack does take place but also helps prevent them by staying proactive with network monitoring software.
