Why Businesses in Washington DC Need To Outsource Their Security To A Managed Security Provider

So, you’ve heard about companies that come into your business and for a monthly fee become your outsourced technology support team. That’s called “Managed IT Services.” It’s great for companies that want to have professionals caring for their IT infrastructure, but don’t want the cost and hassle of hiring an in-house IT team.

Similar to the concept of Managed IT Services, but newer to the marketplace is the Managed Security offering. Sure, Managed IT Services companies like Intelice have been caring for client’s cybersecurity all along, but Managed Security is a step up from what was previously offered.

What Is Managed Security?

Managed security is a holistic, strategic approach to building layers of security and continuously monitoring those security tactics in real time to protect your data and your business processes.

While there isn’t a magic pill that will ward off all possible cyber attacks, Managed Security is a company’s best defense – and offense – against cyber-crime syndicates that are determined to cause your business harm.

Why Don’t Companies Do Managed Security In-House?

The short answer is that doing Managed Security in-house is too cost prohibitive for most small to mid-size companies. When compared with the financial benefit of outsourcing this work, the cost of hiring full-time staff members – complete with expenses such as salary, benefits, sick days, and vacation pay – is just too costly.

On top of the staffing costs required to do managed security in-house, the equipment costs must be considered. The expense of the hardware and software involved are significant. In this, the outsourced Managed Security provider has the advantage over the in-house team because the outsourced provider can spread the cost of their hardware and software over many clients – making the equipment very cost-effective for them. That savings is then leveraged to give the small to mid-size company the savings associated with outsourcing their security.

How Does Outsourced Managed Security Work For Washington DC companies?

Once a company has made contact with an outsourced Managed Security Provider the following steps occur.

Step #1 – A survey of the client company’s entire IT system is performed to determine a baseline, assess their current security level, and to seek out vulnerabilities that exist within the IT environment.

Step #2 – A report is submitted to the client company’s leadership to indicate their current status, to inform them of risk issues that have been discovered, and to offer the suggested course of action to remediate the gaps and vulnerabilities that have been assessed.

Step #3 – Technicians begin to work on the client company’s systems by:

• Updating and patching systems where necessary
• Securing endpoint connectivity
• Implementing business-class encryption
• Implementing secure data backup and storage
• Implementing business-class antivirus, anti-malware, and anti-spam solutions
• Implementing cybersecurity protocols
• Replacing any outdated equipment that may cause a vulnerability
• Encrypting email and data
• Educating employees to ensure that they are informed as to phishing and social engineering tactics
• Implementing remote monitoring solutions on client company’s system

Step #4 – Automated monitoring and real-time response to anomalies begins. – The Managed Security provider uses cloud-based monitoring solutions to conduct continuous moment-to-moment examinations of the client company’s computer function and watches for any anomalies that may indicate an intrusion attempt. If a problem is spotted, the Managed Security provider’s team leaps into action – dealing with the issue before it becomes a big problem that creates IT downtime and impacts workflow in the client company.

Why Has Managed Security Only Recently Come On The Scene?

Managed Security is not brand new. Until this point, Managed Security was done in majority only by larger corporations that had the finances to buy the equipment and hire an in-house IT security team.

But things have changed.

The cloud has made it possible for most IT security issues to be dealt with remotely. Remote security intervention in combination with remote monitoring has changed the game of IT security – allowing small to mid-size companies to have the same cybersecurity defenses as their corporate competition. With the advent of remote monitoring and remote intervention smaller companies can have outsourced access to a complete IT security team, top-level security analysts, and cutting-edge security solutions and protocols.

Why Compliance Officers Like Managed Security

A company has a compliance officer for one reason – they have legislative or industry compliance standards that they must meet or face the consequences.

Because of every industry’s heavy reliance on technology, compliance today is more than keeping file drawers locked and computers password protected.

Today’s compliance requirements include a heavy emphasis on keeping client data safe from theft and recoverable if necessary. This requires a high-level of cybersecurity knowledge and skill.

Compliance officers within client companies can breathe a sigh of relief when an outsourced Security Management provider is engaged to handle the technology side of compliance. Having cybersecurity professionals onside makes the compliance and reporting process much simpler for the compliance officer and safer for the company. Best practices are established, and compliance targets are met.

Remote Alerts & Remediation – How Does That Work?

Managed Security providers have spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours perfecting their alert systems and their remote/on-site remediation procedures.

The goal?

To keep intruders from gaining access to the client company’s system, and if they do find a way around the layers of security, to keep their access isolated to an area where they can’t harm.

This is accomplished by employing a number of cybersecurity tactics including:

• Behavioral Analysis – Each individual uses a computer in a unique pattern that identifies them. Any user that does not use the computer, in the same manner, will be automatically flagged as a likely unauthorized individual, and their access will be denied until the situation is examined.
• Threat Databases – Managed Security providers keep current on present-day and horizon-level cyber threats. The use of this vast database and communication with other IT professionals worldwide give IT security professionals such as those at Intelice the ability to identify threats such as ransomware and malware quickly.
• Managed Firewalls – By configuring a company’s firewall to spot suspicious data packets and simultaneously monitoring a firewall’s operation, IT security experts can stop most intrusion attempts at the virtual “door” to the business rather than fighting an attack once the cyber-criminal has gained access to the system.

Some other cybersecurity tools utilized by Managed Security providers are:

• Server Monitoring
• Data Monitoring
• Web Application Scanning
• PCI Scanning
• Threat Prioritization
• Log Management
• Malware Detection Solutions
• Managed IDS/IPS
• Endpoint Security
• Employee Education

Why Are Businesses In Washington DC Are Outsourcing Their Security To A Managed Security Provider?

• Cost Efficiency
• Access to an Entire Cybersecurity Team
• Shortage of skilled resources – difficult to find and hire IT security professionals
• Help with Legislative and Industry Standards Compliance

There are more articles for you to read about cybersecurity and Managed Security providers in Washington DC HERE.