Managed Internet security is a popular solution for many businesses, and can be surprisingly cost-effective.
For nearly all businesses today, an Internet connection is indispensible. However, an Internet connection opens up your business to all manner of new threats, such as viruses, hackers, bandwidth theft, or inappropriate internet use by insiders. There is a very real need to take steps to safeguard your firm's information security. However, many businesses, especially smaller firms, lack the relevant technical expertise and resources in-house. For them, the right solution will managed internet security, whereby their computer security needs are outsourced to a specialist security firm to be managed on their behalf.
The growth of managed Internet security is a logical extension of the outsourcing of business processes that has been known for many years, such as the outsourcing of the payroll, finance, IT or training functions. However, as a relatively recent development it lacks the high profile available to these other outsourced business processes. This is regrettable, since managed Internet security is a vital development in the on-going fight against computer threats, and can form an essential part of a firm's information risk management strategy.
There are several areas where an organisation's computer security can be outsourced to specialist firms, such as the following core aspects.
Monthly web application scanning services: Regular monthly security scanning of your web applications can be indispensible in identifying vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers. The automated scan should ideally be supplemented by a manual review by an experienced tester, as automated tools will not yield all possible data on their own.
Monthly network vulnerability assessments: In a similar way, a monthly review of your network's security can catch problems before hackers find them, so that they can be corrected. This regular scan will complement the less frequent full penetration testing.
PCI Audit: This type of testing is mandatory for all companies licensed under the Payment Card Industry (PCI) regulations. It needs to be undertaken regularly by a suitably qualified company.
Your company's managed internet security solution can also be complemented by outsourcing your general information security management needs. This can be either on a permanent or a short-term basis, making use of expertise from a specialist computer security firm.
Whatever type of service is selected by your business, you will almost certainly find that it is more cost-effective than developing the same resource in-house, especially in the case of smaller companies that do not have the resources to hire their own specialist staff. The managed Internet security solution is also more flexible, in that it can be discontinued at short notice, or alternatively increased at short notice. It avoids the need to acquire specialised technical software, or to spend time keeping one's technical knowledge up-to-date. For all but the largest companies, therefore, managed Internet security is a clear winner in terms of cost versus benefit, and should be seriously considered by all companies with an Internet connection.
Harvey McEwan writes to offer information and advice on a variety of areas, from technology to holiday destinations. Read through Harvey's other articles here to find out more.
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