Cloudflare

Overview

If your business has a website, Cloudflare sits in front of it and handles the threats before they reach you. It blocks DDoS attacks, filters bad bot traffic, provides SSL security, and serves your pages faster through a network of 330 data centers in 125 countries. The free plan covers personal and hobby projects, the Pro plan at $20 per month targets professional websites, and the Business plan at $200 per month is built specifically for small businesses operating online. Setup takes less than five minutes. You do not need to rewrite code or hire a developer. Cloudflare blocks 215 billion cyber threats every day across the sites it protects, and currently protects 20 percent of all websites on the internet. For a small business owner who cannot afford downtime or a security breach, this tool provides enterprise-grade protection at a price most budgets can handle.

Features

• Unmetered DDoS protection that absorbs attacks without slowing legitimate traffic
• Web Application Firewall that inspects every request and blocks suspicious activity
• Free SSL certificate with no configuration required
• CDN across 330 data centers that reduces page load times for visitors worldwide
• Bot mitigation that blocks easy-to-detect bots on Pro and sophisticated bots on Business

Best for

Cloudflare works best for small businesses that run a public-facing website, online store, or web application and need security and speed without hiring a dedicated IT team. It is especially valuable for businesses that accept payments online, since the Business plan supports PCI DSS 4.0 compliance.