How to Overwhelm the Top Security Apps with Managed Services

In what way does the organisation lower the security risks related to applications while still prioritising the productivity and the ways to manage the costs?

There are some applications that can easily access the most sensitive data and information while some have the ability to support the tactical business processes. Compared to network security, it has been observed that application security is receiving the less budget. This has made business leaders and security experts realised why hackers are attacking the applications. To reduce the risk of cyber attack that becomes successful in most of the cases, the majority of the security leaders are believing that the application security programmes should be enhanced.

According to the survey of 2014 by CompTIA, it has been analysed that the security problems are being mostly resolved with the help of managed services and around 47% of the companies are using them to report their cyber security needs. Here we will discuss the application security challenges that an organisation may face and how the managed services can overcome these risks:

Recruiting and Retaining the Security Experts is Challenging and Costly

As per the Cisco’s 2014 Annual Security Report, the internal security experts are searching for the new roles and are few in number while around 1 million IT security jobs are vacant all across the world. In the case if anybody is able to satisfy its role, the area of expertise that an employee may need can cover numerous domains as security software programmes develop, for instance, data protection, authentication, testing, encryption, bugs, design flaws, client side applications and many more. The companies are required to make investments in these domains in order to ensure that the new experts are up to date and performing to their full potential.

Image Credit - Infosecurity

Quick Responses to Change is a Necessity

Whether it’s a technology or business, everything needs development. In the case of technology, it is necessary for the business to analyse whether the security team is able to respond the new threats immediately that have been inspected and addressed. It is essential that the security groups can quickly respond to changes.

Only Tools Are Not Sufficient to Save You

For the applications that handle the crucial business functions or can access the sensitive data, operating a standard set of automated scans is not enough to guard these applications. Performing a manual testing and interpreting the results is also required.

There is a continuous change in the application security. The testing and prevention strategies should be kept up to date because new threats and attacks may arise at any time.

Why Managed Services?

In the case, if you are striving to overwhelm the obstacles that arise due to the limited skills and fixed capacity, you may find your team overburdened and reactive to the newest crisis. This is the time when you can make onward plans, complete other projects and invest in new skills. With the assistance of managed services, the provider can manage the application security testing while you will be able to emphasise on the other business key areas.

Sourced from Jim Ivers, Chief Marketing Officer, Cigital

Source: http://www.information-age.com/technology/security/123461048/how-use-managed-services-overcome-top-6-app-security-hurdles

Managed Service Providers – Getting a Boost from Security Products!

A continuing overall growth has been observed in the managed service companies particularly the ones that are providing the security services, as revealed by the IT management specialist Kaseya according to the new survey.

The data has been gathered from the Kaseya’s Global Pricing survey in which 400 managed service providers across 30 countries were scrutinised that offer the exceptional visibility in IT services to the customers. The result which has been concluded is that most of the MSPs have gone through more than 20 percent growth over the last three years.

As per the results, the high growth managed service solution providers offer more evolving services than the ones that are facing the lower growth counter parts. This may involve hosting services and cloud monitoring for the clients owning the equipment. One of the most important thing that has been observed is that the high growth MSPs offer an effective portfolio of services such as the desktop and server management, cloud, backup and recovery services.

Image Credit - Aditya Techno Solutions

Increased security risks will be the top demand of the customers in the year 2016. Security is always considered as the high rated services that usually gets the competitive advantage in all age times.

Kaseya’s SVP and GM of MSPs, Miguel Lopez narrated that Kaseya is in the privileged position because it is the vendor that delivers IT security, management and automation technology to MSPs and this is what separates it from the crowd of managed services provider. For every successful MSP, clients’ concern is their top priority, so they design bolder strategies for this purpose. Their client success model is based on the year over year growth instead of the business’s sales, and this is what successful MSPs always do for their clients.

Besides this, around 85 percent of the high growth MSPs deliver hosting services to the clients owning the equipment while around three quarters of the high growth MSPs deliver desktop security services.

Source: http://www.itproportal.com/2016/01/21/security-products-give-managed-service-providers-boost/

The UK Will Enjoy Microsoft’s First Laptop on Tuesday!

Image Credit - Microsoft

What a great offer Microsoft is providing in the shape of its first Surface Book laptop being offered in the UK, Germany, Australia, France and others on January 5, 2016, as per the company’s blog post.

Initially, these Microsoft’s first laptops were available in the US. A professional who was a liaison between the Microsoft and the developers informed that the books will be made available in March, but it seems that the Microsoft is working ahead of the schedule.

In the US, the Surface Book was launched on October 26. Contrary to the Surface Pro, the Surface book is primarily a laptop and then a tablet. Due to the lacking of the keyboard dock, its display can only last for three hours that makes it look more suitable to laptop style when in use.

Image Credit - Seven South

From the past few years, Microsoft is progressively increasing its hardware that it has started with the Surface Pro and now moving onto the Book and Band which is a fitness wearable. In 2016, the company will also create HoloLens, which is an augmented reality headset.

After opening two stores in the New York City and Sydney, Australia, the Microsoft is planning to open a store in the London.

Besides this, Microsoft has also invested around $1 billion in security to double its security executives. It has designed new managed services strategy so to launch a new managed security services group and cyber defense operations centre.

Reference: http://uk.businessinsider.com/microsoft-surface-book-is-coming-to-the-uk-on-january-5-2016-1

Why Microsoft Has invested in New Managed Service Strategy

Microsoft has integrated the security approach throughout its software and service while a new managed services group and cyber defense operation centre has been announced according to the briefings of the Executives.

Over the past year, Microsoft has invested around $1 billion in security so to double the number of security executives and make thorough research and development in security. Now, it has broadcasted the launching of a new cyber defense operations centre and the managed services security group in which the security is integrated with the products and services.

Microsoft executive Dark Reading explained how the new strategies related to the security had been established inside the internal network of the company and throughout the Office, Windows and cloud services offered to the clients.

Image Credit - Raymond Allen IT

The primary aim of the Microsoft is to secure, detect and respond to threats. The executives have pointed billions of services, endpoints and systems from where the Microsoft has drawn threat intelligence so to use the Intel for detection, fortification and respond to the security issues.

In addition, Microsoft has bought three security firms in the last year that involves cloud security firm Adallom, behavioural learning and Active Directory security firm Aorato and most recently, data and file protection firm Secure Islands.

One thing that should always be remembered is that Microsoft wouldn’t reveal how many security executives it has again hired for the managed services security in the last year. Microsoft Enterprise Cybersecurity Group (ECG), a new managed services arm, emphasises on sales and services particularly the cyber defense. This group is intended to work with the Microsoft’s security partners, Office 365 and the Azure teams.

Reference: http://www.darkreading.com/endpoint/microsoft-invests-$1-billion-in-holistic-security-strategy/d/d-id/1323170