11 Hints Your Business Needs Managed Services
Data breaches are becoming higher profile and more expensive. In 2022, T-Mobile experienced a data breach that cost them $360 million. Toyota exposed 300,000 of its users – and Uber may have undergone a total compromise.
Cybersecurity is more important than ever before – not just to protect your organization, its employees and its users, but to preserve the future of your business. Hackers are more sophisticated, have better tools and have little standing in their way.
But not every organization has the time or money to invest in their internal cybersecurity. Here are 11 hints that you might need a managed security service.
What are managed services?
A cybersecurity managed services provider is an outsourced third party who manages the implementation, maintenance, improvement and optimization of your security solutions. A cybersecurity MSP will work with you to improve your security posture – and will monitor your systems 24/7 for evidence of a breach. Further, a managed service doesn’t require micromanagement or internal management; managed cybersecurity services do everything for you.
11 hints you may need cybersecurity managed services
It’s always difficult to determine when your business has grown large enough — or when your systems have grown complex enough — that managed services have become the answer. Here are 11 critical hints that you may want to at least consider managed cybersecurity services.
1. You don’t have a dedicated IT team.
Gone are the days when you could operate primarily with a help desk. While your internal team may help with password management and other low-level security issues, you need a dedicated IT team to thwart the complicated and advanced security attacks businesses face today. If you don’t have a dedicated IT team – and are instead offloading security tasks to tech-savvy employees – you are virtually guaranteed to have less security than you need.
2. Your current IT team is overworked.
Even if you do have a dedicated IT team, they may be too overworked to give security the attention it needs. If your IT team is constantly putting out fires and doesn’t have time for preventative maintenance, it’s time to bring in managed services. An internal IT team that is pulled in multiple directions won’t be able to do a good job in any of them.
3. You’re not sure if your current security measures are adequate.
Are you unable to even spend the time that you need to in order to assess whether your security measures are adequate? Even high-profile companies experience breaches. If you can’t write a report regarding your current security needs, it’s very likely that your organization has started to fall behind. A managed security service provider will analyze your current security measures and make suggestions customized to your needs.
4. You’re not confident in your ability to respond to a breach.
Responding swiftly to a data breach can mean the difference between it costing your organization a few hundred dollars or millions of dollars. A good cybersecurity consulting company will have a plan in place to immediately mitigate the effects of a breach. Without a response plan, it’s likely that you aren’t going to be able to respond to a breach quickly enough.
5. You don’t have a plan for employee training on security best practices.
Ultimately, your employees are the ones who are going to be using the systems – and they need to know how to use them securely. A lack of employee training can lead to a massive increase in vulnerabilities. Most weak points within an organization are not regarding their technology, but instead related to their employees.
6. You don’t have time to stay up to date on the latest security threats and trends.
The cybersecurity landscape is always changing; presently, many companies are switching to a zero-trust model. There are new threats, new vulnerabilities and new ways for hackers to gain access to your systems. If you don’t have time to stay up to date on the latest security threats and trends, you are putting your organization at risk. This is especially true if you aren’t regularly updating your systems with new patches and updates.
7. You’re not sure if your backups are working properly.
This is insidious and happens more often than anyone wants to admit. Imagine being struck by ransomware and entirely unable to restore your backups. This happens more often than you would think – and it’s usually because the backups weren’t tested or configured properly. A good MSP will regularly test your backups to ensure that they are working as intended.
8. You don’t have a disaster recovery plan in place.
A disaster recovery plan is absolutely essential for any organization. Business interruption is costly – and people need to know what they need to do when a disaster occurs. An MSP doesn’t just build a disaster recovery plan for you. They also train your employees on the disaster recovery plan and implement it when needed.
9. You’re not monitoring your network for unusual activity.
Networks today are both more expansive and more vulnerable. If you’re not monitoring your network for unusual activity, you are opening yourself up to all sorts of attacks. A good MSP will have tools in place to monitor your network and identify unusual activity.
10. You’re not keeping up with software updates and patches.
One of the most important things that you can do to secure your systems is to keep them up to date. This includes both the operating system and the applications that are running on it. A good MSP will ensure that all of your systems are regularly updated with the latest patches and security fixes.
11. You don’t have a budget for cybersecurity measures.
People think that an MSP is going to be expensive. That’s not generally true; an MSP can save you money. MSPs are frequently less expensive than internal teams because you only pay for the hours and services that you need. And they can be used for big projects like migrations.
Conclusion: How do you hire a cybersecurity managed service?
If you can relate to any of the above hints, it’s time to explore what an MSP can do for you. Talking to an MSP will give you a better idea of what cybersecurity efforts they could help with – and which services you most direly need. You can also debunk many of the associated “risks” of an MSP, such as whether they risk internal jobs.
At Red River, we can assess your organization’s current security posture to determine whether it’s the right time for you to make the transition. Don’t wait until you’re experiencing major security issues — talk to us today.
FAQs
What are managed services in cyber security?
Managed services in cyber security are when an organization outsources the management of their security infrastructure to a third-party provider. This can include everything from firewall management to incident response.
What is the difference between managed security services and cyber security services?
There is not a strict distinction between managed security services and cyber security services. Generally, managed security services are considered a subset of cyber security services. Managed security services are typically focused on the proactive management of an organization’s security infrastructure, while cyber security services can also include things like incident response and forensics.
What are some cyber security services?
There are a wide range of cyber security services that an organization can outsource to a third-party provider. This can include things like firewall management, intrusion detection and prevention, incident response and more.
