FUTURE TECHNOLOGY
Majid Khan, Manager Cybersecurity Managed
Services, Help AG.
process? Opinions differ. Continues
Dave from ProVise Secure Lab, “The key
drivers for any organisation to work with
a managed security service provider are
cost optimisation, quality outcomes, global
intelligence, freedom from managing skilled
resources, extended security arm, rapid
incident response, event investigation,
managed risk and compliance, and
automating security technologies.”
“The ability to quickly leverage the
benefits of a given service, with minimal
upfront investment in both technology
and in-house skills, is a key differentiator.
The value proposition hinges around quick
time-to-market, efficient commercial
models, and peace of mind when it comes
to operational aspects of a service’s
lifecycle,” adds NXN’s Charif.
Majid Khan, Manager Cybersecurity
Managed Services, Help AG, adds to this.
“Two main factors driving adoption of
managed security services are access to
expertise and cost efficiency. Managed
services help move IT budgets from
intimidating capex to more manageable
opex. The pay-as-you-go model lends itself
to both upward and downward scalability,”
says Majid Khan, Manager Cybersecurity
Managed Services, Help AG.
“While a managed service provider
can drive a positive impact in tackling
cybersecurity needs, collaboration is the
key to ensuring best results. It needs to
follow a top-down approach, from the
24
Yasser Zeineldin, CEO eHosting DataFort.
top management downwards,” comments
Yasser Zeineldin, CEO eHosting DataFort.
Enterprises that use a managed service
provider can save costs by eliminating the
requirement of an on-premise IT security
department, getting 24x7 protection, faster
deployment times and meeting compliance
requirements. Primarily, the need is to
While some
companies
may opt to be
niche players
in managed
security
services, others
choose to add
the practice
to an already
existing
managed
services
business model.
utilise existing investments made by
the customer rather than replacing it,
while adding additional security, multi-
tenant shared services, saving additional
overheads for end-user.
As an example, Saudi Arabia based,
BT Al Saudia guarantees a high speed
of response with lowered mean time to
detect, and mean time to respond, which
means less damage from threats that
cannot be prevented or mitigated.
“This essentially means the key
performance indicators for a security
operations centre, can successfully be
measured, while customers get protection
for their network and IT infrastructure.
Unlike traditional managed service
providers, who often focus on perimeter
monitoring and log collection, BT Al Saudia
provides necessary business context to allow
end-users to effectively assess practical
implications of a risk on its business,” says
Mudar Al-Ani, COO BT Al Saudia.
The ROI model
Achieving compliance certifications is a
long-drawn process but nevertheless a
necessity. Managed service providers must
be consistent in their efforts in working
towards these certifications. They must
have the necessary procedures and people
in place to ensure that they are up to date
with these requirements. For the business
to be profitable, there must be a significant
amount of automation which can ease the
Issue 16
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS