In-the-Cloud Approach to Cyber Security

Security breaches or other unexpected interruptions can happen anytime to anyone -- whether you are a large enterprise or a small business. Fully maintaining communication network security is a demanding responsibility -- and typically not the best use of your limited IT resources, that would be better applied to delivering incremental new business technology benefits to your organization.

Fortunately, there are alternatives to a do-it-yourself comprehensive security solution. Skilled managed service providers continue to enhance their network security offerings.

AT&T announced the availability of Security Event and Threat Analysis and Security Device Management, two new managed security services available for businesses of all sizes.

Customized to Your Unique Business Needs
The services enable you to engage AT&T security professionals selectively and simply to provide customized security support. Services range from security event analysis and threat management analysis to targeted security device management including firewalls, intrusion detection sensors and VPN servers.

These new services use AT&T’s expertise in security analysis to evaluate, correlate, and report on information from multiple devices and device types, both on your premises and embedded in the AT&T network.

AT&T Managed Service Benefits Include:

• Prioritizing security events based on threat and risk management methodologies using AT&T and customer-defined standards.
• Rapid notification when security events are detected and identified as critical by the AT&T Security Network Operations Center.
• Event mitigation and security analyst counseling during critical security incidents.
• Global Security Operation Centers and 24X7 T1-T4 Analyst Coverage with portal access through AT&T’s BusinessDirect Portal.
  

With Security Device Management, AT&T provides complete, customizable monitoring and management of your security hardware and software, with a range of services including managing your organization’s current security capabilities up to assessing, designing and implementing a custom security infrastructure.

Full Suite of Professional Services
These new services are a natural complement to AT&T’s existing Security Consulting services, which include independent assessments of vulnerabilities inherent in customers’ networks, as well as the policy and procedures surrounding them. Security Consulting services include Log Management, Security Policy Management, Vulnerability Analysis, Application Security, Trusted Advisor services and Payment Card Industry Solutions.

AT&T delivers a suite of security and business continuity services to help assess vulnerabilities, protect infrastructure, detect attacks, and respond to suspicious activities and events. The upcoming AT&T Cyber Security Conference is an annual day-long conference offered by the AT&T Chief Security Office.

Next-Generation Managed Security Services

Reports of network attacks and stolen data are commonplace. Consumers routinely undergo the stress of fraudulent charges or compromised credit cards. Computer hacker terms like "botnet" are becoming a part of our everyday vocabulary.

As a result, enterprise security and risk professionals find themselves on a never-ending quest to maintain the integrity of their communication networks, according to the latest study by Forrester Research. Fortunately, managed service providers offer solutions to help relieve the burden.

In its latest initiative to help businesses protect their vital assets from cyber threats and other online attacks, Verizon Business is now offering its next-generation managed security services (MSS) platform, complete with new options.

This enhanced platform is designed to safeguard corporate networks by proactively identifying vulnerabilities and prioritizing threats across the extended enterprise -- resulting in better visibility, enhanced security and reduced risk.

Businesses can now identify the threats that could do the most damage, and then respond quickly. The Verizon Business platform is available immediately to customers throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Risk-Based Approach to Network Security
Going beyond first-generation threat and vulnerability strategies to address underlying risk, Verizon’s new platform enables the management of multiple security platforms, changing business requirements and increased security compliance requirements.

It also enables enterprises that lack in-house security expertise and have limited resources to effectively secure their networks while obtaining a consistent quality of service at an affordable, predictable cost.

"The Verizon Business risk-based approach to network security gives enterprise customers a better understanding of the threats to their businesses so they can plan accordingly," said Amy DeCarlo, principal analyst - Managed IT Services at Current Analysis. "This pragmatic approach, coupled with the global availability of this service platform, makes this a compelling managed security offering for the enterprise."

Benefits of Flexible Service Levels
Verizon customers can choose from one of the following three new service tiers to address individual requirements -- including providing effective security solutions across multiple networks in different parts of the world, each with country-specific requirements.

• Basic Monitoring: Allows customers to outsource only the monitoring of security devices to while leveraging in-house staffing and retaining management control.
• Premium Monitoring: Provides continuous monitoring of security devices with analytical support. Security logs and alerts generated by security devices are analyzed and interpreted by security analysts located in one of the company's global security operations centers.
• Premium Monitoring and Management: Incorporates the Premium Monitoring service, and also proactive management of all devices. This includes installing security patches, managing security policies and restoring devices.

Eight Options for Managed Security Services

In the online network connected business environment, security is more critical -- and also more complex. Today, network security requires constant monitoring and management. All businesses now experience vulnerability on an infrastructure that often extends to many locations.

Managed service providers can create a comprehensive security offering that enables you to maintain the level of protection and control you require. They can manage some or all of your network security functions -- giving you access to their dedicated manpower, 24-hour safeguarding, as well as routine maintenance and management of disaster recovery.

Finding the right security solution for your organization begins with establishing your priorities and becoming informed about alternatives. The following describes typical managed security service offerings, and how you can apply them.

Managed Firewall
Firewalls protect internal and external networks by restricting the types of network protocols and traffic allowed on your network. Firewall appliances, which the service provider manages remotely, include dedicated hardware and software platforms located on your premises.

Managed Distributed Denial-of-Service Protection
This service involves protecting the network infrastructure and network-based resources from distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks -- so that your business can operate without interruption. It also helps prevent worm propagation that can cause DDoS attacks. DDoS mitigation provides protection against emerging threats.

Managed Intrusion Prevention Systems
Intrusion prevention systems (IPSs) identify and stop inappropriate attempts to access your network, systems, services, applications, or data. Intrusion detection services (IDSs) rely on network-based or host-based monitors, and often match monitored traffic or activity against profiles of known attacks.

Managed Antivirus Protection
This service most often involves checking for viruses at the gateway or firewall as well as in your e-mail messages, attachments, and file transfers. The service often includes automatic updates to antivirus definition files.

Managed Endpoint Protection
This service detects and stops unusual behavior on your endpoint devices, such as desktops and servers. In this way, you can prevent damage from Day-Zero security threats whose signature has not yet been identified.

Managed Authentication
Authentication refers to a group of processes and technologies used to verify the identity of a user attempting to gain access to your systems or applications.

Managed Content Filtering
Filtering is used to isolate and block content deemed inappropriate according to your internal policies or regulatory policies.

Vulnerability Assessment
The service includes security risk assessments, network scanning, and probing to reveal vulnerabilities in your network, operating system, or applications that can be accessed from the public Internet.

Contact a managed service provider, to learn more about these security capabilities, and the associated cost savings or productivity benefits. Most providers will have customer case studies for your consideration.

Four Must-Have Managed Services: In Any Economy

I spent Thursday afternoon moderating a Webcast about the managed services industry. The discussion drove home the fact that small businesses will continue to embrace certain managed services regardless of the economy around them.

My guests included:

• Gary Pica, general manager of mindSHIFT Technologies, one of North America’s top managed service providers
• William MacLeod, CIO, Accu-Sort Systems, a mid-size business that focuses on automatic data capture solutions
• Jim Alves, executive VP, product marketing, Kaseya

Full disclosure: Kaseya sponsored the event but the Webcast did not involve any product pitches. Rather, we were exploring how small and mid-size businesses will depend on managed service providers regardless of the economy.

MacLeod conceded that his company is "rethinking everything" -- nearly all IT projects and expenses -- during the current economic turmoil. But here's the interesting part: MacLeod mentioned several managed services that his company will continue to embrace, no matter what:

1. Internal customer (i.e., end user) support: Here, MacLeod depends on a mix of outsourced help-desk and on-site services from mindSHIFT, his managed service provider.
2. Enterprise business systems maintenance and support: In other words, MacLeod is not going to cut any IT costs that could harm the reliability and scalability of his applications.
3. Data Backup/Retention: Information is the lifeblood of Accu-Sort's business. Here again, MacLeod depends on his MSP for managed services.
   
4. IT Security: Rudimentary tasks -- such as patch management and network monitoring -- can be outsourced to ensure businesses can focus on more innovative projects.

I don't want to paint managed services as a cure-all IT solution for small and mid-size businesses.

But, MacLeod's strategy at Accu-Sort reinforces the fact that progressive businesses are embracing reliable, predictable, cost-effective managed services -- regardless of the economy around them.