Have you ever heard the phrase, “It pays to be prepared?” Being proactive, rather than reactive is beneficial, especially when it comes to your business. Imagine installing or updating a firewall program across your company’s computer systems; now imagine that same program compromising existing data and software programs and creating system vulnerabilities. This in turn hurts your business by pivoting your employees’ efforts to resolving the new costly disaster, instead of helping your business meet its security needs.  The intention of installing firewalls is to protect against hackers, compromised software, or even needless network traffic.  Overall, businesses depend on firewalls to ensure a safe connection for employee computers and the network in its entirety.

Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) are your Cybersecurity experts. Offering essential services for businesses, such as managing next-generation firewalls (NGFW), endpoint detection response (EDR), patch management, and vulnerability testing. Next-generation firewalls deliver superior protection then traditional firewalls; by providing multi-layer protection, as well as full application control and visibility; whereas traditional firewalls allow only limited application control and visibility. Endpoint protection response analyze data and network user behavior to detect suspicious activity and attacks, then alerting the Managed Security Service Providers to investigate and to take action in order to identify malicious activity and eliminate the threat to the software and data. When system vulnerabilities or flaws are detected, Managed Security Service Providers employ the patch management process to procure, test, and install multiple code changes known as patches before employing the patch across companies’ computer systems. It is important for Managed Security Service Providers to provide vulnerability testing to ensure that the systems are not susceptible to threats and attacks and to use patch management and make adjustments before employing updates and programs across companies’ computer systems.

Using Managed Security Service Providers protects your business against firewall and program compatibility issues, in addition to keeping your employees’ computers and the business network safe and secure by using patch management. Managed Security Service Providers assesses, procures, tests, and administers the patches across the business network. Using Managed Security Service Providers allows businesses to have the peace of mind that the patches have been administered successfully company wide, while ensuring that it has been tested properly, so that it will be helpful and not harmful to the business. Unfortunately, when businesses take these matters into their own hands, problems can arise. New programs or updates can cause incompatibility issues with existing programs. Managed Security Service Providers are essential for testing, correction, implementation, uniformity, and maintenance to ensure the best outcome across your company. Overall, Managed Security Service Providers have the expertise to combat issues and incompatibilities that may arise during the testing phase, as well as maintenance after implementation. It costs much less to employ the expertise of Managed Security Services Providers from the start, than restore systems and data after systems have been compromised. Although the upfront cost may be higher, the longevity of costs is lower; saving your company money and invaluable time in the long run.

‍

iTecs is a leading provider of managed cloud, cybersecurity, and IT services with its corporate headquarters in Dallas, TX. With clients across the United States, Canada, and Europe, iTecs is well positioned to provide your business with the best white-glove services.