What is the best way to deliver network security? That is the question CRN.com, the news source for solution providers and the IT channel, recently posed on its website. In particular, the website examine whether a managed security services (MSS) provider is the best way to go about such security.
If spending is any indication, then a lot of IT professionals do indeed think MSS is the way to go. According to the article, an estimated $10.9 billion will be shelled out on managed security services in 2013. That figure represents 15.9 percent more than what was spent on MSS in 2012. By 2016, that MSS spending figure is anticipated to reach $17.7 billion annually, representing a 16.8 percent annual growth rate over the four-year timeframe.
What has got so many Internet technology managers opening wide their wallets? Managed security services offer a unique way of maintaining critical network assets. MSS protects those assets from the relentless threats and attacks, both internally and externally, that occur every single day. As a result, MSS seamlessly maintain the viability of a business's performance and continuity.
According to the Network Security Essential Guide February 2013, "the increasing complexity of network attack methods has made it necessary to implement equally complex security tools and--more importantly--strategies." A managed security services provider can devise such a complex scheme of weaponry by customizing a solution to a business's individual needs.
A personalized MSS solution offers the peace of mind of a secure and protected environment for a business's critical network assets. At the same time, it mitigates threats that can impact a business's network both today and tomorrow.
But why partner with a managed security services provider? Why not just implement these tools and strategies oneself? The Network Security Essential Guide goes on to stress, "To implement these (techniques) effectively, organizations need centralized, over-arching policies and collaborative tuning of security controls." Unfortunately, most businesses do not have these measures in place, which is where a managed security services provider can bridge the gap.
As an expert security analyst cited in the CRN article points out, "If you have in-house resources and you wish them to pay closer attention to the more advanced security technologies, then outsourcing the more commoditized technologies to managed service providers has become a popular option."
A comprehensive managed security services solution offers a plethora of benefits, including risk mitigation, improved network visibility, 24/7 monitoring, enhanced network performance, peak uptime, flexibility in extending IT resources to strategic projects, simplicity in network management, reduced network maintenance expenses, and a proactive approach to system issue resolutions. But perhaps MSS's most convincing selling point is that it allows a business to protect its information assets round the clock at a fraction of the cost of in-house security.
Safety and security are the most important things be it in home, school, business or work place. Studies show that majority of frauds and thefts in businesses have been possible due to lack of a proper security system. Be it a bank, a locker house or any other business institution, robbery and money laundering has happened in the absence of a fool proof security service. It is essential to select the services of a security system with intelligence and research for the safety of your business.
Simply installing alarms and locks cannot prevent frauds. You must find a security firm that checks the background and foreground of the employees, and also takes steps to identify attempts to illegal activities. The security services should be hands on in forewarning the authorities the moment they identify a mole in the institution or a snap in the security system.
The following tips are useful while selecting the services of a security firm.
• Research about the security firm whose services you want to hire for the safety of your company. Your research should tell you the security services that this firm offers. You must have a fair idea as security services about the security systems that they will install in your office premises and also about the backend activities that will ensure your safety.
• Look closely at the annual turnover of the security firm. A big turnover is suggestive of its efficiency and popularity. If a firm has a substantial turnover it means various firms have availed of its services. Also check to see the clientele of the security services. This will give you an idea about the precision and the professionalism of the firm.
Go through the crew members of the security services. A good security firm should have quite a few names from the law enforcement department and also from the military.
• Well known security systems offer demonstrations of the services they offer. Attend these demonstrations with attention and try to understand if they suit what you are looking for.
Interview the personnel with specific questions. If you have a particular service in mind that these firms are not mentioning, ask them. For example, if you want them to run a thorough search of the backgrounds of all your employees, tell them what you are looking for. At times, people work under cover and they take every protection possible to maintain cover. You must specify how thoroughly you want your employees records to be checked.
• Check the licenses of the security services. Contact the bureau that is responsible for maintaining the licensing records for such firms. This will give you genuine information and also save you time and effort while reviewing the firms.
Ask about security cameras and their positions so that the workspace is left without blind spots. You might also consider placing cameras where people are unable to see them to enable you to detect unusual action when their guards are down. Install surveillance in the most sensitive spots so that no suspicious action gets unnoticed. Following these points can help you to find an effective security service.