| Integrated security solutions | |
| “Organisations want to use security as a service but still maintain a degree of control and visibility” | 
Sophos Dermot Hayden, country manager |
| In general, most Irish businesses we talk to have acquired a mixed bag of point security products over the years, as that tended to be how IT Security products were sold and many service providers still encourage that model today as it means complexity and complexity means more consultancy days! Most businesses are now struggling from a cost and resource perspective to maintain these security products in an era when the threat volume and complexity has increased exponentially but the solutions to deal with them haven’t always kept pace.As a result, the key driver we see in the Irish marketplace is that organisations are looking to replace point security products with integrated security solutions where the different elements, be it endpoint AV, mobile device management, web, email or firewall work intelligently together to thwart the cybercriminals who are already working in this way to identify the gaps that exist between outdated point security products.
In many organisations with up to 500 users there is typically nobody dedicated to IT Security and in the 500-1000 user organisation space there is at most one person if anyone at all, so these organisations in particular need a new and better way of securing themselves against the huge volume of complex threats they now face – both externally and internally! 
Many organisations see Security as a Service as one way of addressing these issues but of course the multiple point products often act as a brake on the organisations ability to do this quickly. The key concerns I hear expressed are that (a) organisations want to use security as a service but still maintain a degree of control and visibility, (b) are unsure if security as a service will actually improve their security state and (c) whether they will realise the perceived cost benefits in moving to an ‘as a service’ model. Most will move one aspect of their IT Security at a time, partly because the different areas are typically with different vendors and partly because they want to see that Security as a Service works in one area before committing to others. Some Sophos partners have been offering our security solutions as a service for many years, ranging across endpoint security, mobile device management, encryption, web gateway, email gateway and firewall. As a channel only vendor, we have been focusing the bulk of our development efforts to help our partners more easily deliver all these aspects of IT Security as a Service and Sophos Cloud is the platform we have developed to make this possible. Sophos Partners can now deliver user based endpoint security including device and application control, mobile device management, server protection, server lockdown, web security and our unique synchronised security (endpoint and network combined) via their Sophos Partner Portal. Soon, they will also be able to deliver Cloud Wi-Fi, Cloud Email and Encryption through the same portal which makes deliver y of end to end Security as a Service a real possibility for every Sophos partner. Customers can move any one or all of their IT Security functions, addressing the concerns that they want to see it works before committing entirely and customers can have their own access through a customer portal so they maintain some visibility of their current security status while leaving the day to day management to their Security as a Service provider. The single Cloud based platform also ensures that if the customer migrates multiple security functions to be delivered as a service, they gain greater benefit by the fact that these functions are now integrated in Sophos Cloud and talk intelligently to each other, greatly improving their security state over the point solution approach of the past. From a cost perspective, organisations can now focus on running their business, safe in the knowledge that their IT security is now tightly integrated and being delivered through a cloud hosted Security as a Service platform from one vendor rather than the costly distractions of managing multiple vendors, products, support and license details as they would previously. |
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| Security intel | |
| “With information security concerns and challenges at an all-time high and shortage of security professionals to address them, more and more organisations are turning to managed security services to help them” | 
Zinopy Ltd John Ryan |
| Trends such as escalating cyberattacks, disappearing perimeters, the increasing complexity of today’s IT landscape and resource constraints are some of the IT key challenges facing organisations today. With information security concerns and challenges at an all-time high and shortage of security professionals to address them, more and more organisations are turning to managed security services to help them. However, turning control of your network infrastructure over to another company can be intimidating and key issues such a security and privacy are still major concerns for many businesses.Two thirds (66%) of corporate breaches in 2014 were detected by a third party (Business Partner, Police authorities etc.), while in 2015 the average time recorded to detect Advanced Persistent Threats was 256 days (source: 2015 Cost of Data Breach Study, Ponemon Institute). These worrying statistics show that organisations need visibility of their network to be able to detect intrusions in real time and to take appropriate counter measures to protect their business. In order to provide the metrics, monitoring and management to address the Security, Compliance and Risk Analysis requirements of your organisation, Zinopy has developed inSIght Security Intelligence, our Managed Security Platform powered by IBM QRadar technology. This service is ideal for any organisation that is concerned about their security posture and wants to minimise the CapEx and OpEx outlay associated with delivering an effective and efficient Security Operations Centre. With Zinopy inSIght our clients can benefit from an experienced organisation assuming responsibility for the monitoring of their security posture, leaving them with focus to grow their business. |
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| Network knowledge | |
| “Without visibility of the network, even the simplest problems, such as an unplugged device, can take days to locate. If that device causes the network to go down, the cost to the business can be huge” | 
Fastcom Ross Palmer, managing director |
| Business leaders are worried about security. As the number of connected devices steadily increases, so too does the threat of cyberattacks. Add to the mix human error and software malfunctions and you have a lot of busy IT departments.Businesses know they need to act, yet many organisations don’t have a designated security officer. And, while they may have traditional security features in place, such as antivirus or data loss prevention software, they have no sophisticated means to detect and diagnose problems and no visibility of their networks. That can leave IT departments in an impossible situation. They are trying to diagnose and fix problems without the knowledge, or control, of their networks.
Increasingly, businesses are seeing the value in collaborating with a third party, such as Fastcom; a move that will save them both time and money. However, some worry that external collaboration will compromise their data. At Fastcom, we mitigate that concern with a solution that gives customers a complete view of their network, while keeping all of their data in their network at all times. So, rather than taking the security function away from them, it allows us to put control back in the hands of the IT department. For multi-site businesses, that can make an enormous difference. Without visibility of the network, even the simplest problems, such as an unplugged device, can take days to locate. If that device causes the network to go down, the cost to the business can be huge. With Fastcom’s solution, businesses can reduce the risk of security breaches and diagnose problems quickly, thus simplifying compliance and improving not just the IT department’s, but the overall business’s performance. |
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