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Choosing a bespoke cybersecurity solution for your business has become vital

With a fair few number of incidents having already made headlines just two months into 2020, the need for a robust cybersecurity solution is more important than ever.

With the smorgasbord of choices available to decision makers however, it may be tempting to implement the easiest, most general solution, but that could prove problematic.

The reason for this is that no two businesses are alike, even if they operate in the same space.

It’s for this reason that security managing executive at Dimension Data, Tony Walt, believes that businesses should partner with a managed security service provider (MSSP) which can tailor security solutions to that specific business’ needs.

“The cybersecurity industry isn’t new. There are several industry leaders that have been working hard to protect their clients for decades, who offer almost the same services as each other,” says Walt.

“As the threat landscape continues to evolve, however, it’s becoming more important to assess your needs holistically and find a partner who can co-create, co-innovate and co-implement with you to ensure that you have the most appropriate solution that speaks to your organisation’s business continuity as a whole, and takes into account the nuances as a result of the different countries they are domiciled in,” the executive adds.

The executive says that a good place to start on the journey is to find a partner that offers local development capabilities. In addition, a partner with a global reach which has the ability to leverage the assets, knowledge and skillset of a global workforce is an attractive quality as well.

“Choose a local MSSP that is part of a larger group, they will have greater insight into the threat landscape. There is a lot of value to be derived from being part of a very large, managed service provider. From a security perspective, they will have broader sight of the attack vectors that threaten the ICT landscape,” Walt explains.

“The larger the organisation, the more oversight they have because they are covering more logs and attack vectors. Understanding the potential threats from billions of logs is more valuable than insights from millions. Having the platforms and tools in order to handle the mass of information and distinguish between critical and non-critical logs is imperative.”

But Walt stresses the importance of the MSSP being locally based. A MSSP in Kenya may be primed to tackle solutions in a very different way to an MSSP in Nigeria or South Africa.

This is because these MSSPs will have a deeper insight into local issues. Here in South Africa for instance, MSSPs may be acutely aware of loadshedding and the impact it has while an MSSP in the UK would have no idea what loadshedding is at all.

In addition, local MSSPs may be able to offer trimmed-down solutions rather than the full-fat solutions offered by larger organisations.

“What we’re seeing a lot of in emerging markets, is that there are a host of smaller organisations for whom such large-scale solutions just aren’t appropriate, and there is a need for greater customisation of solutions. Choose an MSSP that can adjust their solutions to work more appropriately for your business environment. That willingness to co-develop specific solutions for clients in various countries is what can set an MSSP apart,” says Walt.

For those looking at entering the cybersecurity space, this is rather good advice. The value of a solution is in its implementation and if as an MSSP you are able to tailor solutions to specific businesses and use-cases, you’re likely to be more valuable than the bigger firm that takes a spray-and-pray approach.

Of course, business owners must recognise this and understand that partnering with an MSSP that is willing to help them implement solutions properly can save them a massive headache in the long run.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]

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