Internet Security
Better Security
With so many products to choose from, the challenge to find one that caters for all a company's Internet Security needs can be daunting. Consequently, most businesses will opt to continue with their existing vendors rather than brave the task of disturbing their existing set-up. A few businesses choose to change one element of their security, as this tends not to have an impact on their business in the short-term. This is referred to as "patch and delay". This is understandable but is not addressing the fundamental issue of security that can impact upon the operation of the business.
Product or Service
Ever since the earliest threats emerged, companies have chosen products and not service to keep their networks protected. It is only in the last five years that there has been a growth in the service provision for Internet Security. However, many of the services only address two or three of the five or six key fundamental security tools required to provide adequate Internet security. The result is that companies have a combination of services and products and therefore the headaches of multiple products/support contracts and license management. There is no panacea, but there are better options available now to deliver combined products with service so that the headaches can be taken away. Take a look at a Managed Service Security Appliance – with one support contract, one hardware platform and no "per user" license costs, the security problem can be effectively managed.
Business case or Technical
Up to five years ago the technical case was the driving force behind changing a security policy. New threats needed new solutions, so companies deployed firewalls, anti-virus, intrusion detection, anti-spam, URL filtering, VPNs and so forth and the number of appliances grew and the network had to be extended to cope with them. A huge problem was making them work together and keeping them all up to date.
Today, companies are better educated and equipped to understand the threats that are targeted at their networks. They now look to the business case for change. This has been driven by the need to control internet usage and reduce risk while complying with rules or policies and enabling the company safe access to the Internet, a frequently contradictory task.
At Network Box, the emphasis is on taking away the mundane work of security so that companies can become more proactive and plan their business from a technological standpoint. Too many IT managers are embroiled in the tedious day to day task of getting systems to work, configuration, updating and maintenance to provide the company with the advice and planning that the company really needs from them. Network Box assists by allowing the IT manager to delegate the configuration and day to day maintenance to Network Box engineers whilst providing advice and expertise to enable the company get the best return on its investment both in Network Box and its IT staff.
Reviewing your Internet Security
There are two fundamental choices to make when reviewing your internet security:
- Do you choose to consolidate?
- Do you choose a managed service?
Phase 1: Consolidation versus Legacy Systems
| Consolidation | Legacy | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Consolidation can deliver significant savings | If you maintain your Legacy products then you are more likely to patch your security |
| Service Levels | One SLA under contract will give you "peace of mind" | Need to manage multiple support agreements |
| Skills & Training | Required for one product | Required for multiple products |
| Licenses | Single License required | Multiple licenses for multiple products |
| Management controls | Centralized on single console | Spread across multiple platforms and interfaces |
Phase 2: Managed Service vs Self-Managed Product
| Managed Service | Self-Managed Product | |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Hosted | Localized |
| Change control | Provided by MSSP | Limited by product, time and skills |
| Service Levels | Tailored to customer needs | In-house limitations |
| Security Level | Choice of security provision | Limited to products & skills |
| Time | Delegate the issues to the managed service provider | Consumes considerable time, especially when skills are limited |
| Updates | One update for all services | Separate updates for each product |
| Management | From a single console | From separate consoles |
| Knowledge of threats/risk | Constantly refreshed & proactively applied | Reactive |
Result:
From this exercise you will see that the value of consolidation and a managed service are the key business drivers of change in the Internet Security space. Whether you choose to switch your security to Network Box or any other vendor that provides consolidation of the Internet Security components, you can be reassured that this will deliver measurable financial, time and management benefits. To learn more about some of the companies that would endorse this view, see our case studies.
