The next benefit of Managed Services is Security. Security is an area that most people desire but when it comes down to making an investment they often choose to spend available budget elsewhere. Security is a difficult area to prove a return on investment.
The ROI is usually only proven when a breach is prevented. And even when a breach is prevented it often goes undetected. So security is often not given the attention it deserves…which is a rather scary concept when you start thinking about it….
If you don’t know already security is arguably what D&D Consulting is most known for. Ask someone about D&D Consulting in the IT world of Albany NY and the typical response you get is ”oh, I know them, they do a lot of security and networking stuff.”
Anyway, the point is we have a lot of security experience. Usually there are three responses I get when I talk to folks about IT security:
- “We have our security taken care of”… Ah but do they really?
- “I know I have vulnerabilities but honestly, I don’t know where to start to make the biggest impact”
- “I know I need security but I’m willing to take my chances”
An example is that employees commonly use USB flash drives to bring data with them or to transfer data to other employees. The use of unprotected USB flash drives is a security risk to an organization because a user can either accidentally lose the device or purposefully give the information to an unauthorized person.
In order to protect against this the organization may choose to lock down all ports on computers so that users can no longer use USB flash drives. In protecting the environment you have now disrupted the user experience and their work flow.
And conversely the further you move towards a more usable environment the less security you will be able to implement. An example would be firewall rules. The “correct” way of approaching the configuration of a firewall would be to block everything and then allow what you know you need.
This can result in calls to helpdesk with users complaining that they can't get access to something. To avoid these calls organizations often configure the firewall to allow all traffic and then restrict what they know should be restricted…the problem is do they know what should be restricted? While this keeps your users working happily you open yourself to more avenues of attack.
Where and how do I apply Security?
Security applies to every device in your environment, the physical security and security policy. There are many things to consider in the security world and understanding the characteristics and objectives of the organization is key to making appropriate security recommendations. Does “Best Practice” apply to every organization? NO!
Your managed service provider needs to be asking you questions that determine where your organization sits on the security see-saw. If they don’t then the security measures and management that the MSP puts in place could be misaligned and cause the organization more harm than good. When your talking security it needs to be right, the risks are too great…
Some of the things (depending upon the level of service) a managed service provider should give your business from a security standpoint include:
- Security Assessment
- Security Review and Recommendations (at a Business Level with IT detail to back it up)
- Managed Firewall Services
- Regular Configuration Reviews
- Regular patches on all your devices
- Regular firmware and other devices updates
- AV/Spyware/SPAM
Bryan Spinner
Solutions Consultant
D&D Consulting Ltd.
For more information on D&D's SmartCare Core Services, call an account manager at (518) 218 0900, or email me.
Previous Posts in the top 11 benefits of managed services:
- Managed Services: Benefit # 10 Accountability
- Managed Services: Benefit #11Risk Reduction
- White Knight or White Elephant?
D&D Consulting Ltd | 3 Columbia Circle | Albany NY 12203 | T: (518) 218 0900 | F: (518) 218-1829 | info@dandd.com | www.DandD.com
D&D Consulting Ltd. is a:
- Certified NYS Women Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) #51957
- NYS based Small Business Enterprise (SBE)
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