Prolexic Outlines the Broad Impact of DDoS Attacks Across the Enterprise

HOLLYWOOD, FL – Prolexic, the global leader in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection services, announced today that organizations need to rethink their DDoS defense strategies to consider the broad impact that DDoS attacks can have throughout an organization.

"DDoS is typically thought of as only an IT issue, since attackers typically target and bring down Internet-facing network elements and applications," said Stuart Scholly, president at Prolexic. "Unfortunately, DDoS has become an enterprise-wide issue with adverse effects that go far beyond IT."

Prolexic advises adopting a DDoS protection strategy that spans teams and departments across the enterprise, not just the IT department. In addition, management must be aware of the many different types of DDoS attacks and how each type affects different elements and areas of a network.

Moreover, Prolexic warns that, if left unprepared and unprotected, the impacts of a DDoS attack go beyond website downtime and potential financial loss and can include:

• Brand reputation and customer perception – An organization's reputation for stability and technical expertise can suffer greatly from a DDoS attack, causing potential brand damage while granting a competitive advantage to rivals.

• Email and call centers– When network infrastructure and routers are targeted, DDoS attacks can bring down email and customer service call centers, especially if the call center is on a voice-over-IP (VoIP) network. In this case, a DDoS attack can cut off communication with customers, partners, vendors and even employees.

• Stock price and investor confidence – Some companies hit by DDoS attacks have seen stock prices temporarily fall and/or experience volatile fluctuations due to investor concerns.

• Search engine rankings – A lengthy outage may jeopardize a website's search engine ranking, since search engine organizations do not want to route users to sites that are down or performing slowly.

"Building a proactive defense against DDoS attacks is the best way to avoid the diverse damage that these incidents can cause," Scholly said. "Prolexic recommends working with a DDoS mitigation provider to implement a simulated DDoS attack or dry run to confirm that an enterprise is prepared. This exercise will give management a clear idea of what needs to be addressed to ensure an effective response across the enterprise when a DDoS attack strikes."

Details about the effect of DDoS attacks on non-IT departments and best practices for developing a DDoS defense are available in Prolexic's new white paper, "The Broad Impact of DDoS: It's More Than Just an IT Issue," available for download for a limited time at www.prolexic.com/impact.

About Prolexic
Prolexic is the world's largest, most trusted Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) mitigation provider. Able to absorb the largest and most complex attacks ever launched, Prolexic restores mission-critical Internet-facing infrastructures for global enterprises and government agencies within minutes. Ten of the world's largest banks and the leading companies in e-Commerce, SaaS, payment processing, travel/hospitality, gaming and other at-risk industries rely on Prolexic to protect their businesses. Founded in 2003 as the world's first in-the-cloud DDoS mitigation platform, Prolexic is headquartered in Hollywood, Florida and has scrubbing centers located in the Americas, Europe and Asia. To learn more about how Prolexic can stop DDoS attacks and protect your business, please visit http://www.prolexic.com/, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, and @Prolexic on Twitter.