There’s no secret that an effective network security solution is a need for any business. This is especially important for companies using cloud-based processes and software, as there are more moving parts to keep track of. 

Although it may seem daunting, even small businesses without their own IT departments can benefit from implementing network protection software. 

When we trust machines and networks with our most private information, we open ourselves up to various potential security risks. Preventing security breaches and defending your network, system, and data from hostile attacks is possible with the help of the correct network protection solution.

To assist you in this endeavor, we researched the best network protection software available on the market today.

What is Network Security Software?
GoodAccess
ManageEngine PAM360
SpamTitan
Malwarebytes for Business
NordVPN
Avast Ultimate Business Security
Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk
Duo Security
Wrapping up

Since attacks on a network might originate from within the system itself, network security software is employed to fortify the network’s internal defenses.

The best network security software will provide many safeguards for both your devices and your network. Each layer of your software has its own controls, policies, and rules. Authorized users can gain access to restricted network resources with the use of specific rules, policies, and restrictions.

To protect your computer, data, and network, a good network security program will have a few standard functions. Anti-malware, firewalls, intrusion prevention, email security, application security, and online security are just some of the features you can count on receiving.

So, if you’re looking for reliable network protection software, you’ll find it here. This article compares and contrasts the leading network security tools in terms of their features, cost of protection software for a network, and performance so that you can make an informed decision.

Small and medium-sized enterprises can benefit greatly from GoodAccess, a cloud network protection security software that features zero-trust access controls. GoodAccess is a secure remote access solution that was designed to link distributed teams, systems, data centers, clouds, and locations. The platform can be up and running in less than 10 minutes with zero onsite hardware or extensive configuration.

Key features

• Dedicated VPN gateway – Quickly and easily select a VPN gateway in any part of the world. There is a virtual private infrastructure, secure web access, a firewall, access control, and an authentication service.
• Static IP for IP whitelisting – If you want to hide your systems on the public internet from everyone but authorized users, you can whitelist your public static IP.
• Secure web gateway – Protects consumers from phishing, malware, botnets, and other online dangers when using public networks or unsecured Wi-Fi. 
• Split tunneling – With GoodAccess’s dedicated VPN gateway, you have complete command over who has access to your most vital systems and what traffic gets sent where.
• Mobile and desktop apps.
• Secure encryption – GoodAccess uses IKEv2/IPSec and OpenVPN to make a VPN tunnel that is hard to listen in on.
• Two-factor authentication.
• Control panel – You can easily integrate new computers, software, and hardware into your existing network. The web-based interface is designed to make traffic monitoring, user administration, and other network-related tasks as straightforward as possible.

Pricing

• Starter – free plan
• Essential – $7PER USER / MONTH min/ 5 users
• Premium – $11PER USER / MONTH min/ 5 users
• Enterprise – On Request

ManageEngine PAM360 gives companies a strong privileged network access protection that makes sure no privileged access path to mission-critical assets is left unmanaged, unknown, or unmonitored. ManageEngine PAM360 offers a full-featured privileged access security solution for enterprise IT departments. From a centralized location, it provides organizations with full control over their privileged access and enables an in-depth correlation of privileged access data room with network data. PAM360 not only ensures privileged access security but also helps firms pass compliance audits by delivering a wide variety of pre-built compliance reports that communicate the state of security throughout the organization.

Key features

• Enterprise credential vault – Privileged accounts can be automatically added to a secure vault that features network scanning, asset discovery, AES-256 encryption, and role-based access permissions.
• Secure remote access – Provides authorized users with the ability to establish instant, one-click connections to remote hosts without the need for any kind of endpoint agents, browser plugins, or other auxiliary software. For maximum security, connections should be tunneled through encrypted, password-free gateways.
• Just-in-time privilege elevation – Domain accounts have just-in-time controls assigned to them, and users can only be granted access to additional rights if and when they actually need them. Removing access to accounts and requiring new passwords after a predetermined amount of time is a good way to keep sensitive data safe.
• Zero trust controls – Use PAM360’s built-in zero-trust controls, such as the system for scoring users’ and devices’ trustworthiness and the policy-based access control (PBAC) system.
• Privileged session monitoring – Session shadowing allows you to keep an eye on what privileged users are up to and provides you with a second layer of control over their privileges. 
• Privileged user behavior analytics.
• Context-aware event correlation – Increase your visibility and situational awareness by combining privileged access data with endpoint event logs. 
• Audit and compliance.
• SSL certificate management – Provides full encryption for your SSL certificates and digital identities, ensuring the security of your online brand. 

Pricing

Contact ManageEngine PAM360 to get a custom quote  

SpamTitan is an email security service that operates in the cloud. It has been recognized as a top Anti-Spam, malware-blocking, and phishing prevention solution and has won multiple awards for its excellence.

This cloud network protection security tool prevents the infiltration of your inbox by malicious emails, spam, viruses, malware, links, and spyware. SpamTitan offers advanced email security for your company without adding unnecessary complexity to your operations.

Key features

• Advanced Phishing Protection – SpamTitan’s email filtering solutions scan all incoming messages in real-time, preventing whaling and spear phishing.
• Advanced Threat Protection – The advanced threat protection (ATP) in SpamTitan is based on a combination of heuristics and in-built Bayesian learning to counteract new forms of cyberattack as they emerge.
• Email Protection.
• Protection from Zero Day Attacks – Predictive technology that can foresee potential threats is essential for any email security solution.
• Whitelisting, Blacklisting & Greylisting – Supports advanced reporting, recipient verification, whitelisting, blacklisting, and scanning of outgoing emails.
• Office 365 Additional Protection Layer – Using a defense in-depth strategy, you can fortify your Office365 email security against malware.
• Data Leak Prevention – SpamTitan incorporates stringent rules to stop data leaks from within the organization.

Pricing

Contact SpamTitan to get a custom quote. 

Malwarebytes for Business offers comprehensive endpoint security at a reasonable price. Unlike solutions that require an army of security analysts to set up and maintain, Malwarebytes products are ready to use straight out of the box. Its Nebula cloud-based platform hosts Malwarebytes EP and EDR, allowing for centralized control with a light agent footprint on endpoints.   Centralized control of client devices, licensing subscriptions, reporting, and global policies are just some of the ways Malwarebytes OneView platform aids managed service providers and IT administrators in streamlining business processes. Partners can better meet the unique requirements of each customer by providing supplementary threat prevention modules and services like DNS filtering and managed detection and response (MDR).

Key features

• Administration – compliance, web control, application control, asset management, device control
• Functionality – system isolation, firewall, endpoint intelligence, malware detection
• Analysis – automated remediation, incident reports, behavioral analysis

Pricing

• Endpoint Protection – 14 Day Trial
• Endpoint Protection – Starting at $69.99 1 Device Per Year
• Endpoint Detection and Response – Starting at $84.99 1 Device Per Year

Using this VPN service will further fortify the safety of your data transmissions. All incoming and outgoing communication is heavily encrypted to prevent unauthorized parties from accessing your private data. You can use NordPass to keep your passwords safe, acquire NordLocker to store your data in secured cloud storage and activate Incogni to have your personal information removed from databases not owned by you. Moreover, there’s an opportunity to access the web privately and securely through a private internet access or VPN. A virtual private network (VPN) protects your privacy by masking your Internet protocol (IP) address and the websites you visit.

Key features

• Threat Protection – Stops malware, web trackers, ads, and other common internet threats.
• Meshnet – For secure file sharing, business, or LAN parties, set up your own private encrypted network.
• Dark Web Monitor – Get instant alerts in case your accounts have been compromised.
• Dedicated IP – Keep your online reputation, skip denylists, and access IP-restricted networks.

Pricing

• Complete – $14.99/month
• Plus – $13.99/ month
• Standard – $12.99/month

Businesses on the rise can benefit from automated, comprehensive patch management and security.  While Avast is mostly popular for home network protection, with Avast Ultimate Business Security, you get an award-winning next-generation antivirus in network security, alongside online privacy tools and patch management automation software. Avast’s Small Business Solutions provide remote administration of cutting-edge endpoint security for Windows, Mac, and Windows servers in the workplace (cloud-based management console). Ideal for startups and small companies.

Key features

• Protection – protection quarantine, continuous monitoring, off-network protection, guest network protection, BYOD protection, native DNS over HTTPS (DoH)
• Functionality – DNS lookups,threat intelligence, advanced traffic filtering.
• Administration – whitelisting, policy enforcement, incident reports, domain categorization, etc.
• Security – encrypted storage, anomoly detection, data loss prevention, policy enforcement
• aAccess control
• Generative AI.

Pricing

• Essential business security – $148.36  /year/5 devices
• Premium business security – $187.00 /year/5 devices
• Ultimate business security – $227 .08 /year/5 devices

Spiceworks Help Desk has everything you need to improve your internal IT help desk and your business. This software-based network protection was explicitly designed with IT professionals in mind. 

With free help desk software, you can start handling tickets right away (on your server or in the cloud). Moreover, it’s not just a ticketing system that you can benefit from; you can learn about (and even alter) team behavior and clearly express your worth to the company.

Key features

• Ticket and Case Management – ticket creation user experience, ticket response user experience, ticket collaboration.
• Communication Channels – customer portal, email to case.
• Incident Management – ticket prioritization, ticket notifications, knowledge base.
• Reporting – dashboards, time tracking.
• Access & Usability – mobile, self service, active directory.

Pricing

Contact Spiceworks to get info about pricing plans.

This office network protection software provides companies with comprehensive security measures, prevents unauthorized access and protects sensitive data.

Simply said, Duo Security lets you worry less about data protection and more about what really matters for your business.

To secure access to all apps from any device at any location, it has a scalable, cloud-hosted trusted access solution. Its MFA solution is simple to set up and manage, giving administrators full access to all of their user’s devices. You can set up a zero-trust security model with this mix of user and device trust. 

Duo Security works with companies of all sizes worldwide, including SMBs, MMs, and Enterprises. Duo protects data in various industries, including healthcare, law, banking, technology, government, and education.

Key features

• Authentication Options – authentication user experience, supports required authentication systems, multi-factor authentication, supports required authentication methods/protocols
• Access Control Types – endpoint access, local access, remote access
• Administration – ease of installation on server, password policy enforcement, Ease of connecting applications
• Platform – multiple operating system support, multi-domain support, cross browser support
• Authentication type – mobile-push
• Implementation – easy setup
  

Pricing

• Free up to 10 users
• Essentials – $3/user/month
• Advantage – $6/user/month
• Premier – $9/user/month

These days no-one can underestimate the importance of network security. Installing trustworthy network protection software at your company is one of the most crucial tasks, as long as you are aware that it can safeguard your sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access to your network. 

However, you should understand there’s no universal solution. Each software offers a unique set of features, and you have to decide which one will best align with your company’s security goals. 

In this article we’ve talked about 8 best network protection software on the market, and, hopefully, you will choose one that will perfectly fit your companies needs.

Good luck!