Why Managed Security is the way to go for modern Businesses

In the last few years there have been a number of phrases and key words that have been floating around the tech industry. Things like Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and data analysis are on everybody’s lips but the biggest buzz word of them all is cyber security.

The threats that the open Internet introduces are very real and the effects have been felt across the world. The public Internet has a lot to offer in terms of positives, but we cannot ignore the real threat that is present when we connect our businesses to the public Internet. The cost of global cybercrime is increasingly mind boggling and can cripple enterprises who have not factored in IT security in their plans. Accenture (2017), points out that the average cost of a malware attack on a company is $2.4 million; the average cost in time of a malware attack is 50 days and the most expensive component of a cyber attack is information loss, which represents 43 percent of costs.

In Kenya, businesses face challenges such as lean IT teams; low headcount of skilled personnel in matters cyber security making it difficult to cope with the fast changing pace and sophistication of cyber-crimes; and basically very novice users of the Internet who may not know what to do minimize or prevent exposure to security risks. In the midst of all these, peace of mind matters to you. How then should businesses stay ahead? The solution lies with Managed Security service providers.

Managed Security Services are basically security services that have been outsourced to a third party for implementation, management and maintenance. Through this, you get to leverage on the third party’s constant R & D, specialized skillset, deep event monitoring and round the clock customer support all this on a flexible pay- as -you go pricing. A recent Gartner report (2018) forecasts that risk management and privacy concerns within digital transformation initiatives will drive additional security service spending through 2020 for more than 40 percent of organizations. The report also, forecasts that Worldwide Information security spending will exceed 124 Billion dollars in 2019 with detection, response and privacy driving the demand higher. To cushion organizations from the ever increasing cost of securing their environment, MSSP’s are providing detection and response as a service where the service provider takes the heavy investment on infrastructure, systems and people.

MTN Business Kenya’s core function as a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) include but are not limited to round-the-clock monitoring and management of intrusion detection systems & firewalls, performing security assessments & security audits, and responding to emergencies. Below is an array of our services:

· Clean pipe – An Internet connectivity solution that filters all Inbound and outbound traffic through our inbuilt security systems thus ensuring all packets are scanned to eliminate threats such as malware attacks, DDoS, Man-in-the-middle attacks etc. This service requires a dedicated link provided by MTN.

· Cyber security threat assessment – This includes vulnerability assessment to check on the status of network and system nodes and identifying the security

vulnerabilities in each while penetration testing involves the practice of ethical hacking to seek out vulnerabilities in networks and systems with the aim of resolving them.

· Security analytics & monitoring- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) – This is a solution that allows an organization to aggregate relevant data from multiple sources, identify deviations from the norm and take appropriate action. Being able to look at all security-related data from a single point of view makes it easier for them to spot patterns that are out of the ordinary.

· Managed firewall – A solution that provides a virtual firewall where all inbound and outbound traffic irrespective of your current Internet service provider, is routed through for packet analysis, Intrusion detection and prevention.

· Secure SDWAN – This solution deploys a Software defined network using Fortinet edge devices whose prime focus is on secure packet delivery across a Wide Area Network.

At MTN Business Kenya, it is our vision to build a bold and bright new Digital future for Kenya and that means being at the forefront of matters such as cyber security.

Would you like to be contacted by one of the MTN Account managers to get a full presentation on Managed Security? Click here to make a request->http://bit.ly/MTNMgdSec