Connectivity and cloud computing have changed the business world forever. Organizations can analyze consumer behavior and preferences in more detail than ever before. This brings great benefits to customers and end users, who receive an experience tailored to their needs. Unfortunately, these changes also enable criminals to come up with new ways to threaten businesses. The number of significant cyber incidents increases every year, with thousands of smaller attacks and leaks going unreported.
Cybersecurity is an essential activity for any business today. It’s also one that can be complicated to do effectively at a reasonable price point. To maintain secure servers, you need to hire security experts and pay for the upkeep of specialized equipment or software. While it’s tempting to train existing IT employees, this can reduce your ability to meet other core areas of business like customer support or hardware maintenance. However, especially if you work with financials or other sensitive data, it’s imperative to get a handle on security. Failing to do so could put not only your customers but your company’s reputation at risk from data leaks and sophisticated attacks.
Security experts recommend a managed security services provider, or MSSP, to deal with security threats at organizations of any size. Small and medium businesses especially benefit from this approach, as their budget often has no room for specialist staff and equipment. You’ll partner with a company that knows the ins and outs of security in today’s corporate world. Services vary, but usually include:
As the Software Engineering Institute at Carnagie Mellon University points out, working with an external security provider allows you to share their expertise in threat mitigation and significantly lower your risk.
To get the best out of a managed security partner, we recommend finding a vendor that can marry the resources of a large national organization with the personal touch of a local company. Although most managed security tasks can be completed remotely, it’s much more convenient when you can contact someone nearby in an emergency. You don’t need to fret about time zone differences or whether you’ll be able to get help in time. A local office also makes it easier for you to coordinate staff training—an important part of effective risk management.
Partnering with an MSSP is a big decision. Here are a few things to consider when choosing between your finalists.
No matter what industry you’re operating in, your company is unique. That means your risk profile and threat concerns are, too. Any provider that’s selling a cookie-cutter suite of cybersecurity software isn’t giving you a good deal. Instead, you need to make sure that the service you select has your interests in mind. If you can, find someone whose strategy is to embed security into processes and workflows you already use. This way, you benefit from a system that is made to order for your specific situation. Solutions that are based on your unique qualities are also much easier to scale effectively.
To effectively manage risk, you need to be able to monitor and respond to multiple attack vectors. That doesn’t mean you need to obsess over everything that might go wrong, but it does mean that it’s a smart choice to run different types of threat assessments and security tests. Automated tools can improve your code and network security when relevant. Combining them with a manual penetration test or other, broader analysis of your assets is even better. For best results, you’ll want to choose a vendor that has a suite of security offerings. This allows you to get more for your money and also ensures that you’re more likely to find and mitigate risks and threats.
The best system in the world is no use if you can’t figure out what it’s telling you and how to implement its findings. Try to find a company with a dashboard where you can access all your test and assessment reports in an easy-to-read format.
Technology is part and parcel of any managed services provider. Whether their staff knows how to use it effectively is another thing. If possible, select a company with a proven history of expertise. Ideally, you can gather this information by looking at testimonials on the provider’s website. Look for vendors that include things like virtual chief information security officers or vCISO. These are highly trained experts who can give you a holistic understanding of security at your organization. If a company hosts video tutorials that explain basic concepts on its website, review those to get a sense of their knowledge and approach. When those aren’t options, make sure to ask about these things during a consultation and before you’re locked into a contract.
At Meriplex, we offer security services to companies around the country. We’re also local, with regional offices in Lake Oswego that enable us to directly interact with our clients in the Rose City metro area and other parts of Oregon.
Cybersecurity is one of our specialties. Among other things, we offer:
We always see ourselves as partners rather than just another vendor. Our goal is to learn about our clients’ security objectives and enable them to meet them by providing top-notch service at the local level.
If you’re ready to lower your company’s risks with a managed services provider in Portland, please contact us today to schedule a free consultation with our security experts.
