When a cyber threat strikes, it takes mere seconds for a quiet, typical day at the office to turn into a scene of chaos and panic.
Desks become crowded with employees huddled over a screen, watching the warning messages appear. Managers watch with horror, worry etched on their faces as they wonder what customer data is now in the hands of hackers.
No company wants this scenario. But taking a grip on your security isn’t as difficult as you might think. Read on to learn about the benefits of using a managed cybersecurity service.
You Get Expert Support
Cybersecurity is a complex topic, and it’s ever-changing.
It takes dedicated time to know about best practices and current threats. So, it makes sense to use managed service support for this.
You’ll have access to cybersecurity specialists with the experience and knowledge to give you first-class support. They will have a deep understanding of how to apply best practice.
Cybersecurity experts pay careful attention to current trends and technology. That can become a significant asset for your business.
They’ll read industry security reports and attend conferences. Often, companies can get caught out with business security because they aren’t up to date on the most recent threats, like new phishing techniques.
So, in that respect, it pays to have someone who can keep you informed and one step ahead of security issues.
Its Cost Effective
Using managed services can be more cost-effective in the long run.
Having support with your cybersecurity means you can save money on recruiting and training an in-house team and the overheads that come with expanding your workforce.
Hiring for cybersecurity work means having senior technical teams with expert security knowledge. And you will also have to pay for ongoing training for certifications.
There’s also the additional cost of buying tools and software that cybersecurity teams need to support them in their job.
When you outsource this, you don’t need to worry about all of that. But you still get all the benefits of having the best expertise, software, and tools your business requires to stay secure.
It’s Scalable
As your business grows, your security needs will evolve. So, you want cybersecurity systems that will change alongside you. Similarly, you need a flexible and scalable security model as external threats change.
The advantage of managed services is that they will have the experience and the capability to grow and adjust your security environment to meet the evolving needs of your business.
You can speak to experts who can establish your requirements and build a project to expand your security platform to one that best suits your business.
It means you don’t have to worry about an outdated security environment that’s not fit for purpose.
Access to the Most Cutting-Edge Technology for Enhanced Security
When you choose managed services, your business will benefit from the same technology the team uses for all their clients. And that means more specialist and advanced technology that most companies could buy in-house.
There is a significant advantage to using the best technology for cybersecurity.
For example, some of the latest security tools have AI, which means they can scan and detect threats from vast data pools that would be impossible for an individual.
AI is also excellent at spotting trends and may pick up tiny abnormalities that would otherwise go unnoticed. In an era where hackers are becoming more sophisticated, you want an equally impressive security setup.
Round the Clock Support
Cyber threats don’t happen 9-5, so you need security to keep you protected 24-7 throughout the year.
Monitoring, for example, is often a first line of defense in cybersecurity. But you need people who can oversee that monitoring and system alerts and immediately react when they spot a problem.
That’s where managed services offer an advantage because you can choose your desired service level. And if you need around the clock security monitoring, it’s available without hiring a vast security team to operate on shift patterns.
There is often a big difference in the impact of a security incident if it’s spotted straight away instead of one that goes unnoticed for hours or days.
Continuous monitoring can save money and protect your business reputation.
Managed Services Help You Stay Compliant
Most businesses have some form of security compliance they need to follow. The most common one is data protection for your customers, like GDPR.
Compliance will be more stringent in some industries, like banking and defense. Perhaps you handle top-secret government data. Or maybe you hold bank and personal details for people.
With any form of compliance, you’ll need to prove that you have the proper security for your business operations.
You may also go through external audits. A managed service team for cybersecurity will have an in-depth understanding of compliance, including policies, procedures, and documentation.
So they can support you every step of the way. You won’t need to worry about the risks of fines or audit failures.
It Supports Your Business Risk Management
Every business will have a risk register, and security will always be high on that list. But to manage these risks, you need to do more than monitor the situation from day to day.
You need carefully considered strategies that take your likely threats and address them with best-practice solutions. That’s where managed services come in.
Each business is unique and will have slightly different security risks; managed teams will understand this.
They will know how to tailor their approach and find the best setup for you, like using penetration testing to assess vulnerabilities.
They can use that expertise to help you prioritize your security tasks to ensure you always do your best to manage your most concerning business risks.
It Helps You With Business Continuity
In any worst-case scenario for security, you want to get your team back and running as fast as possible. That minimizes damage to the business.
Managed service teams can support you by helping you prepare for that eventuality, like overseeing your incident response planning.
They can apply their industry expertise to guide you on the fastest and most effective way to get your business operations if you have a severe security incident that’s impacted a significant part of your organization.
These teams can ensure this is planned to a granular level so that if you need it in the future, you have a clear set of responsibilities and procedures to keep you organized.
They Can Support Your Employees on Security Matters
While managed service can help provide you with a comprehensive security setup, it doesn’t mean the rest of your organization can set cybersecurity aside.
Security means implementing best practices throughout your organization, such as teaching teams how to spot signs of phishing or how to set robust passwords.
A managed service team can help with this in a few ways.
First, they can ensure you have the correct policies so your staff understand their security responsibilities.
Second, they can provide training and know how to help support your teams, such as setting up online security training programs for recruits.
They Can Protect Your Data
If you are a business that holds sensitive data, you’ll need to take special measures to keep that information safe.
For example, you will require the highest levels of encryption. And access to sensitive systems will need to be tightly controlled and managed.
All that takes work to set up and oversee. And overlooking something could put you at risk of a data breach.
By assigning the work to a managed service team, you can focus on your day job and ensure these crucial tasks never drop down your busy team’s priority list.
It means you will always remain a trusted brand in the eyes of your customers and partners and avoid the reputational damage caused by data theft.
You’ll Gain a Competitive Advantage
It’s not only products and services that can help you gain a competitive advantage.
How you look after customers and operate can do the same thing. Getting world-leading security in place for your business could greatly benefit your customers.
For example, imagine your business is a finance app. If your security is superior to any other finance app on the market, that’s a selling point for customers.
If people are moving money online, they want top security in place. So you can make this part of your key differentiator.
Having a dedicated team who can offer this means you can get it in place quickly and operate at best practice from day one of your business launch.
A Managed Cybersecurity Service: Giving Your Business the Protection It Needs
Cybersecurity threats can be catastrophic, as you will know if you’ve read stories in the news about companies that have experienced it. It’s not a chance worth taking.
A managed cybersecurity service can take the worry away from you and give your business the protection it needs.
EMPIST takes a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, which means we can offer your business a premium defense against any modern threat. To learn more, contact our team to discover how our experts can support you.