There are many digital threats facing modern businesses. While it’s usually large companies that make the headlines, small businesses are targeted just as much by spam bots and hackers, if not more. One particular type of cyberthreat that has grown in both commonality and scale over the past decade is DDoS. 

DDoS stands for distributed denial of service. A large-scale version of DoS attacks, DDoS systematically infects a large number of devices with malware, using them to unleash a sudden wave of traffic upon a particular target. The goal is to overwhelm a specific network, service, or server with a flood of activity, resulting in slowdown and ultimately, system failure. 

This results in a denial of service, hence the name.  

DDoS attacks cause a lot of problems. For starters, they can be difficult to track and prevent since they stem from a large number of seemingly legitimate devices. Once they’ve carried out their mission, they result in lost productivity, loss of business, extra labor in fixing and protecting against the issue, and more. 

But there is another cost that can prove to be particularly devastating for small–to–medium sized businesses: server usage. 

The Effects of DDoS Attacks on Hosting 

Today’s hosting solutions charge customers in a variety of ways. Many companies, including big names like AWS and Azure, offer and aggressively promote pay-as-you-go policies. The final cost for these plans depends on how much data you send, receive, store, and process. It sounds attractive, as that means you pay only for what you use. And the way they lay out the packages, the initial cost sounds highly affordable. 

Unfortunately, this can result in uneven costs per month, especially if a DDoS attack takes place. 

The flood of traffic involved in a DDoS attack results in a massive amount of data being sent and processed on your systems. The average size of a DDoS attack is 2.5 gigabits per second. AWS was recently hit with a 2.3 terabyte per second DDoS attack. 

Businesses have seen their budgets crushed by one DDoS attack. For an SMB, the average cost of a DDoS attack is $120k. For enterprises, that cost skyrockets to over $2M. 

Even if you avoid a true DDoS attack, spambots and brute force attacks can still regularly drive up your data usage, causing you to lose money. 

That’s one reason why flat rate hosting is often a better solution for SMBs. This way, you’re protected from sudden usage spikes, and you can know exactly what your cost will be every month. At Expedient Technology Solutions, it’s our goal to offer IT services that are simple and stress free. This includes our hosting solutions. 

With ETS, you won’t have to worry about the hidden costs of cyberattacks, especially if you utilize our ongoing monitoring and management services. For companies with larger network needs, we can provide 24×7 monitoring and maintenance that spots and addresses irregularities before they turn into critical problems. 

Whatever your level of needs is, our services are highly customizable while still providing a clear idea of what your cost will be each month. Don’t expose yourself to unnecessary risk and unforeseen cost. Contact ETS today for hosting and network security in Dayton, Ohio, and beyond.