3 Things To Seek In A Managed Security Services Solution – Forbes

Cofounder of BuzzClan, official member of Forbes Business Development Council. Connect with me about next-gen tech, Cloud, AI on LinkedIn.

With cybersecurity continuing to reign as a top-of-mind concern for most leaders, many organizations are opting to leverage managed security services—those provided to organizations by a third-party vendor. As a disclosure, my company BuzzClan is one provider of such services.

Many companies choose to leverage these solutions to protect their organization’s networks, systems and data from cyber threats and attacks. A strong managed security services solution will complement your organization’s existing security infrastructure by providing additional layers of security. In this article, I will outline some qualities I recommend leaders seek out when considering a managed security services solution.

What should organizations seek in a solution?

A strong managed security solutions should provide your organization with access to a team of security experts who have the skills, knowledge and experience needed to detect and respond to cyber threats. You should also ensure the team offers expert teams trained to monitor networks and systems 24/7.

Here are three qualities I recommend leaders seek out when considering a managed security solution.

1. A strong partner will provide you with a comprehensive strategy solution.

Probably the biggest advantage offered by a managed security services is their ability to provide your organization with a comprehensive security solution. Services you should make sure to seek out include threat detection, incident response and security auditing. The goal of these services is to help organizations maintain a high level of security, even in the face of rapidly evolving threats.

When evaluating a managed security services provider, it’s important to consider whether the security solution covers all areas of the organization, including physical, network and data security, and protects against external threats like hackers, malware and phishing attacks. It should also offer advanced threat detection and response capabilities, employee training and education, regulatory compliance and data privacy measures, access control and identity management and continuity and resilience in the event of a cyberattack or data breach. Additionally, it should integrate with other IT systems and technologies in the organization, provide regular security assessments and audits to identify vulnerabilities and ensure ongoing compliance and be capable of striking a balance between security and usability without disrupting operations or limiting innovation and growth.

2. It should also help you save time and resources.

By outsourcing security to a third-party vendor, your organization should be better able to focus on their core business operations, without having to devote time and resources to managing their own security infrastructure. This can lead to increased productivity and efficiency, as well as reduced costs. Two questions to ask of a potential partner in order to ensure their solution’s capacity for time and resource savings include:

1. How much time and resources are currently being devoted to security-related activities, such as incident response, threat detection and compliance management?

This question helps leaders understand the current state of their security posture and the resources that are being expended on it. By identifying the activities that consume the most time and resources, leaders can determine which areas would benefit the most from a security solution that provides automation or streamlining.

2. How does the security solution integrate with our existing IT infrastructure and workflows, and what is the potential impact on our overall productivity and efficiency?

This question helps leaders assess the potential time and resource savings offered by a security solution in the context of their overall operations. By understanding how the security solution fits into their existing infrastructure and workflows, leaders can identify opportunities for automation, consolidation or simplification that could result in significant time and resource savings.

3. It should possess a demonstrated record of quality services.

It’s important to choose a reputable managed security service provider that has a track record of delivering quality services. Organizations should look for a provider that has a deep understanding of the latest threats and the experience needed to detect and respond to them quickly and effectively. Here are two things I advise asking of a potential partner in order to ensure the quality of their reputation.

1. Ask for references.

A leader should ask for references from other companies or organizations that have worked with the potential security partner. This can help establish the partner’s reputation and track record of success. Leaders should also prepare specific questions about the quality of the partner’s work, their ability to meet deadlines, their level of expertise and their overall reliability.

2. Conduct a security assessment.

A leader can conduct a security assessment of the potential partner to determine their level of expertise and capabilities. The assessment can include a review of the partner’s security policies and procedures, an evaluation of their technical capabilities and an assessment of their physical security measures. This can help the leader determine if the partner has the necessary skills and resources to provide the level of security needed to protect their organization.

Here’s an illustration of what a strong solution should accomplish.

One of our own customers, a mid-sized financial services firm, approached us with concerns about the security of their sensitive client data. Their in-house security team was struggling to keep up with the ever-changing threat landscape, and they were worried about falling victim to a data breach.

After our solution was implemented, our team of experts quickly discovered several vulnerabilities in this firm’s network, including unsecured endpoints such as laptops, mobile devices and other IoT devices that were not properly secured or protected with antivirus software, firewalls or encryption. Our incident response team sprang into action, neutralizing the threats and patching the vulnerabilities before they could be exploited by attackers.

Thanks to our proactive monitoring and quick response, this customer was able to avoid a potential data breach that could have resulted in significant financial losses and damage to their reputation.

Does your organization know what to seek in a managed security solution?

Managed security services can be an essential component of any organization’s security strategy. I hope this article sheds light on leaders on what to seek in a solution.

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