Strategic Benefits Of Managed IT Security Services

You do not want to get that call that thousands of your fellow business owners are getting. You know the fear that is constantly lurking in the back of your mind. You simply cannot afford to get that frantic message that your information systems have been breached.

Managed Security Services

A Present and Growing Problem

It is not paranoia that drives those fears today. Every moment of every day tens of thousands of attacks are occurring against the information technology systems of companies throughout the world. Many of these are bots that are seeking random weaknesses in security. Others are attacks that are specifically targeting individual employees and companies.

These security issues are not just threats. They are realities. According to RiskBased, more than 4 billion records were exposed in security breaches in just the first half of 2019. Consider these sobering facts:

  • It is estimated by Verizon that 71 percent of all security breaches are financially motivated, and another 25 percent are directed at espionage.
  • Symantec reports phishing attacks are increasingly successful as more than 37 percent of malicious email attachment types are .doc and .dot with another 19.5 percent showing as .exe.
  • Reported security breaches have increased 67 percent since 2014, with an 11 percent increase since 2018 alone. In reporting these numbers, Accenture notes the actual level of breaches is likely much higher.

The real challenge for each company is that its level of protection against these attacks is only as good as the least-trained employee and the newest malicious software threat.

Why Proactive Planning and Action are Necessary

The real issue for companies that face these threats is that prevention is essential. Once a breach occurs, the costs and challenges of recovering can be overwhelming. As you contemplate this reality you can appreciate why so many firms are now turning to a qualified Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) to gain this protection.

Developing capabilities beyond the traditional Managed Security Provider services provide added focus on the issue of security and protection. The effective MSSP will ensure you have the professional management and monitoring of security systems to protect against these cyber risks and attacks.

Protecting against cyberattacks is not a one-time activity. Effectively planning for and responding to these attacks involves a series of efforts and ongoing processes. These include:

  • Installing and maintaining powerful firewalls and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) between users and the rest of the Internet
  • Monitoring all systems and access points with intrusion and attack detection capabilities
  • Ensuring all upgrades and installations are correctly handled without introducing vulnerabilities
  • Logging, monitoring, and reporting of devices, users, and activity

Maximizing Strategic and Competitive Benefits

As you work to assure your customers and team that your company is proactively protecting your workspace and information, your MSSP can provide irreplaceable assistance. With the proper relationship, you will find at least eight major benefits that will help you avoid ever receiving “that call.” These include:

  1. Scalable Costs and Infrastructure. Controlling costs while not compromising on total security is a must to survive sophisticated cyberattacks. Today’s business environment may require you to increase the capacity of your infrastructure one month and dramatically scale it back the next. The ability to keep your security at full strength in either situation is a capability found with the right MSSP
  2. Real-Time Knowledge and Insights. The world of cybersecurity is constantly evolving and changing. Maintaining an awareness of the newest threats and modes of attack is a demanding process. This level of attention is beyond the capabilities of most internal IT teams involved with supporting day-to-day operations. A qualifies MSSP includes this frequent industry monitoring as a part of their mission. They ensure that each added piece of security intelligence and every new procedure is immediately applied to your security situation.
  3. Automated Responses. One important weapon in the defense against cyberattacks is automated detection and response to vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Just as the attackers seek these weak points, the MSSP procedures will proactively evaluate for them and fix the problem instantaneously. This includes the capability to predict the probability of specific attacks and threats based on an individual company’s infrastructure and applications.
  4. Focusing on First Things First. You know you must provide effective protection and cybersecurity. That, however, is not your primary priority. You can focus on the job at hand, and you can expect your IT staff to do the same thing if you have the security of knowing your MSSP is proactively providing that top-level cybersecurity. Your success in your core business is protected by the MSSP’s work.
  5. Focus where It Counts. Your IT team is focused on keeping your operations running efficiently and effectively. By its very nature, security is a vital yet secondary concern to these internal IT professionals. When you employ the certified personnel of an MSSP, your security is their sole priority. They live and breathe the issues and challenges related to the task and provide the benefits to your specific needs.
  6. Alerts that Matter. The issue of focus also comes into play when dealing with perceived or actual threats. A phenomenon known as alert fatigue makes your internal IT team less responsive to internal notices of threats or vulnerabilities. Your MSSP is structured with the right tools and diagnostics to properly evaluate and respond to alerts. You gain this external control over ensuring the right visibility of such notifications in a timely and effective manner.
  7. Immediate and Proactive Security. Many attacks that are successful come from weaknesses that have been identified by security professionals. If your team does not know of or act on such knowledge, you lose. The MSSP is actively monitoring all such notifications, updates, and developments and proactively provides them to your IT infrastructure.
  8. Greater Protection at Lower Cost Levels. Aside from avoiding the potentially catastrophic costs of a breach, the right MSSP partnership offers significant potential savings. These financial benefits include ongoing expenses of training and staffing as well as a capital investment in infrastructure. The research and investment of the MSSP in tracking the latest developments in cyber security are spread over their client base. You get the benefit without that investment. You also benefit from a managed and controlled cost without the uncertainty of sudden additional investments to handle sudden risks and attacks.

The proper partnering with a qualified MSSP provides a true win-win situation in a world of growing cyber risks.

Written by on September 14, 2020 Under Blog