Managed IT Security as a Service (MSaas)
As IT Security becomes more complex and sophisticated many organizations are looking to specialized IT Security Firms for Managed IT Security Solutions. There are a host of options to Managed IT Security as it pertains to your organization and its needs. The type of data that your organization stores and handles will usually dictate how robust your Managed IT Security solution will need to be. The end result is partial or complete outsourcing of IT Security.
What is Managed IT Security?
Managed IT Security is the grouping of multiple IT Security services that are tailored specifically to the needs of your organization. Some of the below listed services may or may not be applicable to your IT Security needs:
- Risk / Gap Analysis
- Security Assessments
- Network Vulnerability Testing
- Web Penetration Testing
- Security Incident Management / Event Monitoring
- Vulnerability Analysis / Management
- Disaster Recovery Planning / Business Continuity
- Cloud Security Management
- Workforce Security Awareness Training
- Web Application Security
- Mobile Device Security
- Policy and Procedures Review and Development
- Social Engineering Testing
- Breach / Incident Response
- Log Management / Review
- Patch Management
If your organization is in need of several or more of these services, the first inclination is to assign a full time employee to perform the duties on a regular schedule. One of the problems with this approach, especially when it comes to log management, incident / event management, and others, is that the organization is left at risk when that employee’s work day has ended. There are issues due to only one person doing a 24-hour, 7 day a week job in only 40 hours a week. The next step would be to hire multiple employees to monitor your required IT Security areas to cover the “full time” schedule. This is specifically why Managed IT Security Solutions are becoming so popular among many organizations.
Is Managed IT Security a Trend or a Paradigm Shift?
Over the past 5 to 10 years, many organizations took pride in the fact that they REQUIRED an IT Security Department. As malicious attacks become more sophisticated it becomes harder for organizations to stay ahead of the progress made by hackers. To make matters worse, Regulatory Compliance Standards are continuously becoming more complex and labor-intensive to meet and maintain. All of this adds up to one thing: Lots of Money. By the time your organization hires multiple employees, spends the time planning and executing training and monitoring full time (24/7) you can imagine that the budget requirements can pile up quite quickly. We are not even including software and licensing costs to use up–to-date programs and techniques to deter attacks.
The Solution?
Managed IT Security.
By partnering with an IT Security Firm that specializes in Managed IT Security Solutions, you may cut down your IT Security costs by as much as 80%. The cost difference may seem extreme, but let’s take a look at where your organization would save money for superior service and protection:
- Employee Salary – This may only be one person, or an entire team who must constantly be up-to-date on new practices and techniques to protect your organization’s sensitive data.
- Time– this may be difficult at times to put a price on. Depending on your organization and who is responsible for the security, this could be a MAJOR benefit, since most IT departments have “cut to the bone” and function very lean.
- Training and Adaptation – Many IT Security Professionals require a great deal of time, effort, travel and money to stay current on what types of trends and techniques are being used by the attackers in order to deter their efforts.
- Software and Hardware – Not only do IT Security Professionals need great hardware, but also software. Many of the licenses for these software packages are easily in the $100,000/year range when dealing with an enterprise level organization. It is also easy to spend $10,000-$50,000 on such programs for smaller organization.
The capabilities of a highly trained Managed IT Security Team partnered with the cost effectiveness of the superior service are making this “trend” an actual paradigm shift in the way that Organizations are protecting themselves and their sensitive information. Most, if not all, Organizations making this shift have not only seen budgetary needs shrink for this invaluable protection, but they are also receiving better protection and service, with lower overall risk to the business.
To learn more about how your Organization could directly benefit from Managed IT Security Solutions, please Contact Us today to speak with one of our Managed IT Security Experts.
