The online environment is full of dangerous entities, ranging from minor viruses to full-fledged security threats that can compromise corporate systems. Hackers and cybercriminals are also getting more sophisticated, always testing for weak spots in security systems and posing as legitimate network users. Damage from cybercrime is set to exceed an annual amount of $6 trillion by 2021, doubling the impact from 2015. (Source: CSOnline). Losses from cybercrime come in many forms including data and IP theft, lagging customer confidence, and heavy compliance fines,
The modern digital organization requires security solutions that protect their networks hardware, software, and cloud-based applications in a coordinated and systematic way. It takes security solutions like antivirus, firewalls, Intelligent security systems (ISS), identity-based security, and security information and event management (SIEM) software, to have a fighting chance against would-be hackers and costly data breaches.
In this environment, businesses are turning to Security-as-a-Service (SECaaS) as an alternative to keeping security efforts strictly in-house. SECaaS allows organizations to outsource security solutions needs to outside specialists while allowing internal IT teams to focus on core business objectives. SECaaS options vary from full-service managed security providers to cloud-delivered security solutions, but in a nutshell, SECaaS offers a full suite of managed cloud computing services to protect the organization from cybersecurity threats. While SECaaS solutions can vary, let’s dive into the typical components of leading managed security offerings.
Automating manual tasks
No matter the size of your business, it takes an incredible amount of time and effort to manage the security solutions necessary to keep your corporate assets and data secure. Yet, having an IT staff in place to continually monitor your network to watch for vulnerabilities is a luxury many businesses don’t have. SECaaS platforms can augment internal security teams and perform security monitoring and management more efficient through automation. Results are either delivered to the internal team or to the managed security partner in real-time with automated alerts that are triggered when abnormal behaviors are spotted. These managed security systems also include benchmarking, contextual analytics, and insights to help teams respond much more quickly. Tools that automatically scan networks and endpoints use machine learning and big data analytics to analyze data points across the network. With these data-backed insights, security professionals can then make adjustments to all systems from a centralized location.
Cover your bases – Get proactive first
The first line of defense is getting proactive about threats. With a SECaaS offering, organizations can take advantage of complete and robust security solutions, without all without the expensive up-front costs or costs. Proactive security tools include web protection that safeguards users from visiting malicious websites, plus patch management for popular programs such as Office 365. Mail security systems also stop incoming email threats including malware attachments, phishing, ransomware, and spam, for instance.
Threat detection and backup and recovery
Of course, threat prevention is only one part of the equation. When potential threats do crop up, teams need to have the tools in place to respond immediately. Managed antivirus tools as part of SEaaS solutions provide malware protection with alerts and active directory discovery to find issues before they cause harm. Even by being proactive and with automation and security tools in place, some threats will likely slip through the cracks. SECaaS solutions should also deliver backup and recovery systems to help organizations get up to speed after an attack. This may include having disaster recovery and business continuity plans in place with virtualized servers, local backups, and cloud-based redundancy.
Today, cybersecurity professionals are fighting off attacks from all directions ‐ there’s malware, ransomware, data breaches, plus good old fashion human error that may be exposing networks to external attacks. With security services delivered by a trusted partner, your business can take advantage of next-generation enterprise-level technology solutions, to fight off these threats. By relying on a managed security partner, your organization will have peace of mind, without the burden of enterprise security squarely on your shoulders.