Advancements in technology and ever-changing business practices have enhanced the risk and exposure of cybersecurity for businesses of all sizes. However, equal blame must be placed on the increased mobility and connectivity, along with the over-reliance on cloud technology.
That has instigated a culture of digital transformation, which has converted managed security services into the only safe and reliable option for organizations all over the world.
Security Professionals Are a Necessary Expense
Most businesses don’t have the resources or the manpower to establish and run a fully staffed, cutting-edge security operations center (SOC). However, no business can afford to take the risk of being without adequate protection that is offered by state-of-the-art cybersecurity solutions.
The advantages of outsourcing cybersecurity to managed security services providers (MSSP) is accurately reflected by the need for risk management in an ever-evolving business environment. For instance, a normal day in the office would involve expense reports, emails, purchase orders, conference calls, and so on. The mobility and cloud are incredibly complex because they extend the organization and place most of these business processes in the control of an external service provider.
The emergence of the smartphone as a business tool brought about an increasingly intangible, amorphous perimeter. How can you secure yourself completely in a world where you don’t have complete control over anything?
The biggest security challenges that increase the risk of exposure for most businesses are the three Cs of cloud, which include: cloud, cyber, and compliance. Most businesses have shifted operations to the cloud so quickly that their security systems are struggling to keep up. The enhanced number of data breaches and cyberattacks clearly show that criminal enterprises are abreast of this knowledge.
Then, there is the compliance factor. Simply, being compliant isn’t enough anymore as customers are facing increasingly stringent rules that vary between geographies, forcing them to look for support to help remedy issues, and understand their current exposure. For small organizations, it has become imperative to learn their exposure levels to cyber threats, especially those clients operating in highly regulated industries that must showcase their cybersecurity credentials to conduct business with them.
Solving the Conundrum of the Security Team
When you’re trying to identify the main factors that risk exposure, it is vital that you look beyond technology and practices. That is because the important drivers are systemic and fundamental. In criminal innovation, there are levels of state-sponsored investments for computer hacking developments, decades of accumulated supply-chain risk and technical debt, and the growing influence of security regulations.
Together all these systemic factors help create an environment of unpredictability and chaos, where cyberattacks will inevitably breach and compromise the business. That’s where the benefits of outsourcing cybersecurity come into the picture.
Small businesses with little to no cybersecurity capabilities and large businesses with sensitive information can take advantage of managed security services providers. Bigger organizations can address the challenges of volume and scale, which will give a helping hand to their internal security teams by allowing them to be more efficient without having to overwork employees or hire more personnel.
For small businesses without dedicated IT teams, forget about a dedicated security team, there are obvious benefits to outsourcing cybersecurity. Even mid-sized businesses with existing security teams will find it to be helpful as they can easily stay on top of any major emerging threats. That will allow them to focus their efforts on other areas of strategic focus to transform their business.
Managed Services Offer Efficiency and Economic Benefit
Are you still wondering what the efficiency and economic benefits of an MSSP are when compared to an in-house SOC? When you outsource security to an MSSP, it allows the organization to benefit from the threat intelligence, expertise, and capabilities of large security firms that are dedicated to that task.
Partnering up with an MSSP should provide a significant reduction in the time it takes to identify and mitigate serious threats. That would mean that in-house security teams can start focusing on revenue generation activities that are more aligned with the business.
The best part is that the return on investment is immediate and helps in terms of economies of scale, as MSSPs can invest in threat intelligence capabilities and tooling that would otherwise be out of reach of most businesses, except for the largest enterprises.
Furthermore, knowledge from various customers will help in the awareness and understanding of emerging threats. For instance, if the managed security services provider identifies a threat that is impacting a customer, they will investigate it to ensure that no harm falls to that customer, and all the other customers are protected from that threat as well.
When most businesses are choosing to work with partners on things that aren’t essential to their business, like human resources or email, why shouldn’t they think about partnering up for something that is as specialized as security operations?
The Risk Manager Remains with the Organization
This doesn’t mean that the business can outsource responsibility or risk because the data of the organization will remain theirs, along with the moral and legal responsibility of protecting it. Businesses will retain the strategic thinking surrounding security and must have people who understand how cybersecurity will interact with business risk.
That will then allow them to let their MSSP to work based on the standards defined by the business and, in a way, hold them accountable. So, any business with an existing technical security team should keep them on board and have them work in tandem with the MSSP to ensure they are doing their job properly. It’s important not to give complete control over to the MSSP, because, at the end of the day, all the risk is going to be undertaken by the business should they fall prey to a cyberattack.
by Bobby J Davidson
We love our company and we love what we do. Check out the ‘Why Percento‘ page to learn more: Love of Technology and Business! As the President of Percento Technologies International, I provide day-to-day leadership to the company’s senior management and I am personally involved in the strategy, business development and sales activities of the firm.
The company was founded in 1999 with the purpose of providing a one call source for organizations in need of Enterprise IT Consulting and Management. We also provide a line of products in the boutique Cloud Server space with a touch of high-end website strategy consulting and design services. We personalizes the IT Service experience with a team approach, working with clients from diverse sectors of industry, including energy services, financial, legal, entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, retail and general and/or corporate business. percentotech.com/contact