Most organisations understand the importance of keeping data secure, but the cost of doing so, on an on-going basis, can prove prohibitive, especially to medium to small businesses, where budget constraints and lack of in-house expertise are often areas of concern, so what are the benefits of using a managed security services?

What are organisations choosing?

Managed cloud providers can enable access to technology services in a cost-effective way, bypassing the need to perform functions in-house. But, these services can leave a company’s data exposed to theft, tampering or even seizure by law enforcement agencies, from many jurisdictions, exposing the data owner to large fines, bad press and possible business collapse.

Some businesses choose to use an encryption service offered by their service provider. However, this leaves them in a weak position as the encryption is tied to that service provider and can’t expand across multiple hosting companies.

A further concern is where encryption keys are stored.  If with the hosting company it means their staff could still view your data as they have the keys and if they are not UK based, data may be made available to, for example, government agencies, especially relevant if the storage company is US-based since the Patriot Act came into force.

And, whilst the best way to protect data is by encryption, which renders it unreadable to unauthorised people, it is vital that the data can be monitored, reporting on who, or what is accessing the data and when.  This is a service that many cloud hosting services do not provide.

Simply going with one provider and not thinking of the wider consequences is leading many businesses down a false path of confidence, taking a ‘head in the sand’ stance, thinking data loss just won’t happen to them whist with a big hosting provider.

 The solution: managed security services

But, there is a solution and it is the use of a managed security service.  Such a service offers functionality that can smooth out many of the problems involved with managing data security systems. It can control on-going budgetary pressures and separate the duties between cloud service providers, data owners and data protection.

Digital Pathways managed security service

The Digital Pathways Managed Security Service uses the nCrypt solution that can handle the full range of encryption needs, both for data in transit and at rest, including full-data encryption of any server and it is transparent to the application or data structure (i.e. databases). This means that encryption and key management are provided as a unified service across all platforms.

Security server appliances are located in a protected UK based Network Operations Centre (NOC). All encryption keys and security policies are stored. The encryption is enforced at the point of data access whether that is in the cloud or within clients’ premises. It provides separation of duty between security policy and data access.

Once deployed the system provides extensive auditing of all access to data, both authorised and unauthorised, which can then be used to report to management on system activities, compliance reporting, such as GDPR and PCI or data breaches where detailed analysis is required across multiple systems, to identify any weakness or rogue activity.

Reports are generated in an easy to understand format and are emailed to designated contacts on an agreed schedule. All logs gathered, applications or proprietary systems, are stored securely in their raw format to meet auditing requirements. They are also available for use in wider reporting and management, internal audits or as evidence during an investigation.

The Digital Pathways Managed Security Service takes away the ‘pain points’, including interoperability, associated with deploying a robust data protection and auditing system. It provides organisations with reduced costs in terms of encryption deployment, maintenance and management and offers more effective controls through the provision of centralised monitoring, logging and reporting capabilities.

Using a managed security service can ensure that your digital assets remain secure, keeping your company compliant.

Every organisation can benefit from added protection. call us on 0844 586 0040, or email [email protected] and we’ll be happy to advise you.