The nightmares are always the same...

Devices across the organization are taken over by an unseen attacker, your data is encrypted and productivity skids to an abrupt halt in offices around the world. Now every screen shows a ticking clock and a bitcoin ransom demand, which you must pay—or risk losing everything.

While it’s a great plot line for TV series like Mr. Robot or Homeland, the sad truth is, it’s a part of everyday life for IT professionals the world over. And as the saying goes, it’s not a matter of “if” it will happen to you, but “when.”

But while no organization can truly say that are immune to the growing variety and intensity of ransomware, malware and other security threats, there are a number of ways that you can help protect your users, your data—and your organization as a whole.

Start with virtualization. By using a virtualized approach, you can help eliminate security weaknesses in your infrastructure and improve the odds of keeping your vital apps and data secure. Here’s three areas where it can help:

· Data security: Using virtualization, all vital data is stored in high-security data centers, not on vulnerable client devices, where it can potentially be locked and encrypted by hackers.

· Network security: Through the use of hardened and “sandboxed” browsers, you have additional layers of protection to blunt potential attacks and keep your vital data and networks insulated from threats.

· Device security: With an enterprise mobility management (EMM) solution, you can keep BYO devices safe and secure by creating a separate container for business apps and data—without interfering with personal content on the device.

But that’s just the start. Discover some other ways that you can help keep your organization protected and your users productive. Download our new whitepaper, "Ransomware: Four ways to protect data now."