Security-as-a-Service: The only solution for 360-degree IT security?

DDoS, malware, viruses, Trojans, phishing, man-in-the-middle, bad bots, advanced persistent threats: the list of digital attack vectors is long – and continues to grow. For 2021 alone, the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) reported 144 million new malware variants, 40,000 bot infections of German systems and a significant professionalization of cyberattacks. Protection for businesses requires cyber defenses that are becoming more comprehensive and specialized. Security-as-a-Service solutions enable companies and organizations to respond appropriately to IT security threats – and save costs. For example, there are no in-house expenses for personnel, software, hardware, operation and maintenance of security solutions. However, there are a few things to consider when outsourcing IT security.

In this article, you will learn what Security-as-a-Service actually means, which IT security services can actually be outsourced, and why a 24/7 Managed Cyber Defense model is indispensable for your IT security.

What does Security-as-a-Service mean?

Security-as-a-Service, or SaaS for short, is the name given to an outsourcing model in which the security management of certain areas is transferred in whole or in part to an external IT security service provider. The range of SaaS services available is wide and offers protection options at a detailed level. For example, tools and services adopted by specialized service providers (also called managed security service providers (MSSP)) include data loss prevention (DLP), endpoint detection and response (EDR), encryption, email security, IT security assessments, security information and event management (SIEM), vulnerability scanning, and more.

SaaS is offered by Managed Security Service Providers in the form of differently designed service packages. This allows customized solutions for the individual needs of a company – and makes costs plannable and transparent. The services are usually offered remotely. This enables the fastest possible response times.

Conclusion: Security-as-a-Service offerings primarily serve to relieve companies of their own time and personnel expenses related to their cybersecurity – and thus save costs significantly. Companies benefit from the expertise and know-how of the service providers in cybersecurity matters and thus achieve – depending on the service package selected – reliable IT security protection, if necessary around the clock and 365 days a year.

Which IT security services should be outsourced?

In summary, it can be said that virtually any IT security task can be outsourced to a service provider specializing in this area. However, while companies with their own SIEM and SOC may only want to make use of additional consulting services or have their own defense systems put to the test with penetration tests, smaller and medium-sized companies in particular often resort to almost complete outsourcing of their IT security. Among other things, it is possible to outsource management tasks for firewalls, intrusion detection or the monitoring of e-mail traffic, the monitoring of networks or the blocking of spam. The detection and closure of security gaps or the proactive cyber defense against hacker attacks can also be outsourced to MSSP. IT security training and sensitivity training for a company’s employees are also becoming increasingly important – because the “human weak point” is currently considered one of the most dangerous gateways for cyber attacks. Last but not least, the complete operation of a Security Operations Center (SOC) can also be outsourced to security service providers.

Managed security services as a 24/7 model

Hackers don’t sleep, don’t know vacations and don’t have vacations. What reads like an exaggeration is unfortunately a fact: cyber attacks on companies of all sizes take place around the clock, 365 days a year. Accordingly, IT security teams must be able to respond quickly and comprehensively to threats around the clock. This “constant bombardment” can quickly push internal security teams to the limit of their available capacities. On the one hand, they may be busy processing the latest alerts, while at the same time a hacker penetrates the network – undetected and therefore doubly dangerous. Managed cyber defense services therefore ideally offer the option of the 24/7 model. A 24/7 model provides protection against cyber attacks every day of the year and around the clock – regardless of holidays, vacation time or sick leave of a company’s employees. In a globalized world where hackers never sleep, 24/7 cyber defense services significantly enhance corporate cybersecurity – while relieving in-house security teams of numerous tasks.

Managed Security Services as a hybrid solution

In very few cases does all the work involved in a company’s cybersecurity need to be outsourced to MSSPs. Rather, when selecting security-as-a-service, the central question should be which competencies should be built up in-house – and which services should be purchased externally. With hybrid solutions, IT security service providers such as SECUINFRA offer an approach that can be highly flexibly adapted to the actual needs of a company through a modular structure. With such hybrid solutions, a company can choose from building blocks and thus put together a customized package of IT security services: Precisely those services can always be supplemented in a targeted manner that cannot be covered in a company’s own organization, or only with significantly increased effort. The hybrid approach not only makes costs transparent and IT security plannable, but also brings another enormous advantage: Close collaboration between internal IT security and external service providers results in a continuous transfer of knowledge, which “incidentally” improves the performance of internal teams and brings know-how up to date.

The Managed Cyber Defense Service Offer of SECUINFRA

With its solutions and services, SECUINFRA specializes in the detection, analysis and defense against cyber attacks. As part of its 24/7 Managed Cyber Defense Services, the IT security specialist has an already established co-managed SIEM service. For some time now, 24/7 availability has also been guaranteed for the “Compromise Assessment” and “DFIR” (Digital Forensics & Incident Response) services. In concrete terms, this means for customers that the selection of proven services has once again been significantly expanded. With the Co-Managed SIEM Service, which includes optional 24/7 Security Monitoring, SIEM messages are monitored, analyzed and qualified around the clock – and of course suggestions for countermeasures are provided, based on experience from more than 120 successful SIEM projects. With the Compromise Assessment (Compass) service, compromised IT systems are detected, ideally before high damage has been done. Based on the regular review of the system landscape by SECUINFRAs Cyber Defense Analysts (Continuous Compromise Assessment), the cyber resilience of companies is significantly increased.

When an IT security incident has occurred, fast support in resolving it is immensely important. With the DFIR service, SECUINFRA provides court-proof identification, backup, analysis and documentation of security incidents and supports incident response.

Conclusion

Digitalization is gaining momentum in Germany as well. However, more IT in use also means that the gateways for hacker attacks are increasing dramatically. From smuggled-in malware and phishing attacks to highly professional Advanced Persistent Threats, the range of dangers to which companies of all sizes must respond is wide. A particular challenge is the 24/7 monitoring of networks and IT systems. Smaller IT security teams in particular quickly reach the limits of their capacities. By offering managed cyber defense services, IT security can be outsourced. Managed security service providers offer customized security solutions that can be tailored precisely to a company’s needs. Outsourcing IT security is characterized by a high degree of flexibility and modularity. With hybrid solution approaches, such as those offered by SECUINFRA in the context of co-managed SIEM, IT security know-how can be supplemented exactly where it is lacking in a company. Thus, internal teams are relieved, cybersecurity is ensured around the clock and 365 days a year, and missing internal knowledge is supplemented by the use of external, experienced security specialists. The knowledge transfer that takes place incidentally increases the defensive capability of the internal teams.

Would you like to learn more about SECUINFRA’s capabilities in the area of continuous monitoring and analysis of security-relevant processes in your company? We would be happy to advise you on our comprehensive 24/7 Managed Cyber Defense Services. Contact us – also by phone at: +49 30 5557021 11

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SECUINFRA SIEM Experts Team • Autor

Managed SIEM and Co-Managed SIEM experts

The SECUINFRA SIEM Experts Team is specialized in the areas of "Managed SIEM" and "Co-Managed SIEM". The team not only performs the classic operational SOC activities such as analyzing and evaluating SIEM alerts or threat hunting, but also designs, implements and operates the SIEM environments.

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