Managed services is the practice of outsourcing your business technology’s proactive maintenance and monitoring needs to a third party provider to help improve operations and cut costs. A managed services provider (MSP) provides these services. Managed security services adds an extra level of protection to your business infrastructure by providing all MSP services with additional safeguards such as cyber security consulting, security alerts & monitoring, patch management, and on-site/off-site backup & recovery. These services are provided by a, you guessed it, managed security services provider (MSSP).
Now you may be wondering, do I need to hire two separate managed services companies? One to manage my business technology and the other to secure it? You could, but we don’t think it’s a good idea. Our approach is to keep security and technology interconnected from the get go. Read below to find out why we think your MSP and MSSP should be the same company.
It’s simpler
Using two separate companies to manage and secure your technology creates an unnecessary layer of complexity and another avenue for communication break down. For example, why have your MSP deploy your wireless, then have your MSSP check its security, then tell your MSP to make a change, then have the MSSP confirm the changes in order to deem the wireless deployment a success? If you think that process sounds complicated, we’d have to agree. Why not just have one company, an MSSP, deploy your wireless correctly and securely the first time around by aligning the deployment with the security standards you have implemented? At the end of the day, the more convoluted these technology processes are, the more you’re paying and the more your business is suffering. Avoid sloppy results and a “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario by opting for one company as your MSP and MSSP.
There’s less risk
Your business is your livelihood. Don’t be fooled into thinking you don’t need to comprehensively protect yourself just because you’re small. Why risk leaving your base IT infrastructure unsecured? You really don’t need to pay two separate companies to maintain and secure your technology for you. You need one company that always keeps security top of mind right from the get go. The fact is, technology and cyber security should never be independent of one another. They’re two wheels on the same bicycle and must always work in tandem. By taking a holistic approach to your technology and cyber security needs, nothing slips through the cracks.
It saves you money
You could pay two different companies to do the work of one but why would you? No matter how you look at it, paying two companies to accomplish the single task of ensuring your technology is the best it can be, is going to be more expensive. Not to mention, the complexities and communication lapses associated with two disparate companies trying to work together can be costly. Things can and will slip through the cracks, potentially leading to data breach disasters. Did you know that the average cost of a data breach is now $3.92 million? That’s not a figure that any small business could withstand, especially in today’s climate.
Trust the experts
ADKtechs is a managed security services provider and has been for a while. In fact, we were the Glens Falls region’s first MSSP. Our tagline, “We make technology work for you,” isn’t just a saying we throw around without any meaning. It’s the mantra we live by. No matter your business, no matter your challenges, no matter your needs – we will make technology work for you seamlessly and securely. For us, cyber security isn’t just a trend, it’s the foundation of who we are and who we’ve been for the last decade.
