In the ever-evolving landscape of data security, it is now widely recognised that handling cybersecurity matters in-house is no longer feasible for businesses looking to protect themselves from a range of cyber-related threats.
When you need a professional logo you don’t have to have a go yourself with some crude drawing on a scrap of paper—you would hire a professional such as a graphic designer or branding specialist to do the job. The same should be true for cybersecurity and handling these concerns in-house would likely make you a key target for potential hackers and cyber criminals looking for an easy option.
Most Effective Managed IT Services to Protect Your Business
Adopting the use of a managed IT solutions provider gives businesses a range of benefits and extra options when it comes to dealing with cybersecurity.
There are a wide range of providers and various services on the market, some more cost-effective than others, but which cybersecurity services are most useful and effective at protecting your business?
Which Services Should You Look For When Choosing an IT Solutions Provider?
Vulnerability Management
Vulnerability management is a continuous, proactive, and often automated process that keeps your computer systems, networks, and enterprise applications safe from cyberattacks and data breaches.
At Lyon, we provide sophisticated end-to-end vulnerability management systems that detect any weaknesses in data security measures and automatically apply fixes, download updates or uninstall software as needed to rectify the issue.
Effective vulnerability management provides an all-encompassing view of your network and endpoints, continually checking and updating the security of each component of your business operation.
Exploits and weaknesses that may have gone unnoticed can be picked up by vulnerability management systems providing an extra layer of protection from a variety of cyber threats.
24/7 Live Monitoring and Incident Response
When dealing with a data breach or hacking attempt on your business it is important to have trained specialists operating round the clock and ready to proactively respond to any incoming threat.
Ensuring this option is available and that cover is all year round and 24 hours a day is vital when choosing an IT solutions provider.
Live infrastructure and security operation monitoring gives a bird's eye view of the current status of the entire business network, providing the initial identification and reporting of the incident.
Of course, this service is more or less useless in itself if you don’t have the incident response technicians along with it, who can rapidly respond to any crisis and take the appropriate action.
Much the same as it is pointless to have a fire alarm if there is no fire service to put out the fire - the effectiveness of detailed security analysis is lessened if there are not the appropriate specialists on hand to act on this information.
Penetration Testing
Once an effective and robust defensive system for countering cyber threats has been established, it is important to test this system as rigorously as possible.
The best way to do this is to approach your systems and attempt to gain access in the exact same way that a real hacker would.
This in essence is the job of a penetration tester and another vital security offering for any potential managed IT provider you are looking to partner alongside.
Penetration testers are a type of ethical hacker who will test all areas of your business looking for any weaknesses in either the physical security, IT systems or even the behaviour of staff members and business owners themselves.
Once the areas of vulnerability have been identified then the security measures can be adapted or further training provided as needed.
Cybersecurity Awareness Training
A key component of nearly every data breach is human error somewhere in the timeline of the incident, professional cyber training for your staff is a key consideration and should be among the top priorities when choosing a solutions provider.
Look for managed IT service providers that can offer training that suits the nature of your business. Do you need online or in-person training, or both? Can the provider visit you at your workplace and do they offer one-on-one sessions as well as group lessons?
When it comes to cybersecurity awareness training the main thing to look for is that the training materials and lessons are engaging and interesting for the participants whilst actually helping them to learn and remember the useful information that is needed.
What you don’t want is reams of boring material that will send your employees to sleep and leave them taking away little from the training session. Ask about the types of activities and training that are available and see if that fits in with your workforce.
Choosing a Provider That Ticks All the Boxes
Whilst there are a number of managed IT service providers on the market, not all will provide the full suite of services to protect against cyber threats coming from all angles and on all avenues of attack.
At Lyon, we offer vulnerability management, 24/7 monitoring and incident response, penetration testing, security operation analysis, cyber awareness training and a wide range of services to protect businesses from any kind of cyber threat or attempted data breach.
We welcome business owners to get in touch and ask about our range of options and which would be most suitable for their industry. Our friendly advisors will be more than happy to explain how we can protect your business today with the most cost-effective solutions available.
