Every time an organization reports a data breach, it underscores the need for companies to take their data security seriously. If your company hasn’t been the victim of a data breach, it’s not an indication that it won’t happen in the future. A recent study showed that more than two-thirds of organizations that have never experienced a data security incident believed their company was unlikely to be hit with a breach in the future. At the same time, nearly half of businesses reported they have experienced a security breach.
It is now more apparent than ever that companies must make protecting their systems a priority. Today’s cybersecurity landscape provides attackers with an advantage as they need just one entryway into a system to compromise the network. Security professionals, on the other hand, must find and fix every security vulnerability that can leave their system open to attackers. Additionally, the amount of time between a system break-in and a total compromise could be seconds, which underscores the need for continuous security monitoring.
The eternal question remains whether to use a managed security service provider (MSSP) or an in-house security operations center (SOC). We will examine both approaches and determine which offers more advantage to businesses.
An MSSP is a company that provides outsourced security monitoring and management of the organization’s systems and networks. This can include managing intrusion detection, firewall, the company’s virtual private network (VPN), anti-virus configuration and vulnerability testing. MSSPs provide enterprises with 24/7 monitoring services thus eliminating the need to hire and train a large security staff.
MSSP’s disadvantages essentially boil down to an increased risk factor and a lack of control. Pricing is also a major factor with some MSSPs.
No dedicated IT team: This is a factor with most enterprises. Your dedicated IT team knows the nuances and priorities of your business. An outsourced MSSP might not know your business as well as you and your employees. However, it’s also a possibility that your in-house team might not have the resources to solely dedicate all their time to it.
Lack of flexibility: An MSSP might not be flexible enough to work within the parameters of your IT procedures and technologies or willing to try new things with your IT team.
Lesser control: Handing over your security concerns to an external vendor also means passing over a large extent of control. For businesses that prefer to maintain full control over security, outsourcing could be a difficult proposition.
SOC is a department within a company dedicated to monitoring the network to identify and respond to security breaches. While this group is usually part of the IT department, the SOC staff doesn’t perform in-house customer services as the rest of the IT staff.
Companies need to keep their information confidential, so many executives are hesitant to outsource their valuable data. But setting up a SOC can be more expensive and less secure than using a MSSP. Here is a lowdown on the costs associated with in-house security.
While there are some valid reasons to create an in-house security operations center, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. A managed security service provider is staffed with a team of professionals who are experienced in a range of security issues and can be counted on to resolve the problem quickly.
Whoever you choose to work with, take ample time to ensure that agreed SLAs meet your needs and that you can trust the provider with your sensitive data.
Trianz, an industry acknowledged managed security provider, provides 24/7 monitoring, detection and threat response, as well as a host of security consulting and testing services. Contact us for all your security service needs today.
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