By Larry Gentry, Executive Vice President
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, cybersecurity has become an essential priority for businesses of all sizes. Even though it has been a challenge for many years now, and plenty of advanced solutions have emerged to help, we see many organizations still struggling to effectively manage their cybersecurity initiatives. If I were to break it down as simply as possible, here are a few points as to why we believe that’s happening.
Growing Cybersecurity Talent Gap
Securing your organization’s sensitive data and digital assets requires a team of highly skilled cybersecurity analysts. Unfortunately, the industry is currently facing a severe shortage of talent. According to a recent report in Cybercrime Magazine, there are approximately 750,000 unfilled cyber job openings in the U.S. alone. This scarcity makes it increasingly difficult for companies to find and hire the right experts to fortify their defenses.
According to a recent study, there are approximately 750,000 unfilled cyber job openings in the U.S. alone. This scarcity makes it increasingly difficult for companies to find and hire the right experts to fortify their defenses.
Costly Nature of Cybersecurity Expertise
Assuming you manage to locate the right cybersecurity professionals for your company, the associated costs can often exceed your budgetary constraints. Hiring skilled cybersecurity experts as full-time staff demands substantial compensation budgets due to the high demand for their services. That means small to mid-sized companies, in particular, may find it challenging to allocate the necessary funds to recruit and retain qualified professionals. But even when we connect with clients at enterprise-sized organizations, many also struggle to find and retain the right team in order to create and maintain a well-integrated, end-to-end security solution.
Insufficient Cybersecurity Budgets
We are seeing that inadequate budget allocation is another common hurdle for organizations attempting to establish a robust defense plan. Many companies fail to recognize the magnitude of cybersecurity threats and consequently overlook the importance of investing in adequate protection, which needs to include the right skills and best-in-class tools. Interestingly, we continue to see substantial budgets allocated toward data center and cloud initiatives, yet not towards cybersecurity. Trust me when I say it’s not going away, and it’s time to rethink your budget allocation process — sooner versus later.
Point Technologies vs. True Solutions
Another challenge we’ve seen emerge is the overload of point cybersecurity technologies aimed at helping various pieces and parts of the problem. While many incredible point technologies address difficult cyber defense areas such as email security, endpoint protection, and user awareness training, that all leaves the internal team left to bandage together a comprehensive solution that eliminates every gap and weak point in the chain.
You can see how this cybersecurity environment is quickly becoming very complicated, expensive, and inefficient.
In 2022, after years of meeting with countless clients, honing our skills, and expanding our cybersecurity practice, we realized the rapidly growing need for a complete, integrated, cost-effective cybersecurity offering.
So that’s exactly what we created… the MicroAge Managed Security Services.
This new MSS offering is purposely designed to be fast, easy, flexible, and affordable to implement for organizations of all shapes and sizes. Our number one goal is to make an advanced cybersecurity defense solution truly attainable for anyone and help clients dramatically improve their security posture while simplifying the overall daily management of security operations, all without the need for large capital outlay or the burdens of staffing a full team of certified cyber analysts. You also don’t need to find and evaluate a full spectrum of tools since we’ve done that work already. The Managed Security Services offering is built as a simple, all-in-one monthly support service, with the flexibility to start with just a piece or two based on your unique business needs and then add on if needed or launch the full solution right out of the gate.
Here’s what’s included in the new MSS offering:
24x7x365 Monitoring with Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Services
Proactive threat detection and rapid incident response are essential components of a robust cybersecurity strategy, but managing this in-house can be daunting. Many internal cyber teams have ‘alert fatigue,’ as they chase one cyber alert after another only to find they are essentially false alarms. Setting up a robust Managed Detection and Response initiative that leverages AI and machine learning technologies means you can continuously monitor network traffic, detect anomalies, and get expert help to swiftly respond to potential threats. The offering helps ensure 24x7x365 comprehensive monitoring and protection with rapid incident resolution, significantly enhancing a company’s security posture very quickly.
Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
Implementing MFA is a crucial step in securing your organization’s digital infrastructure. Our MSS offering provides robust MFA solutions, ensuring only authorized individuals can access critical systems and sensitive data. By consolidating MFA with other cybersecurity tools, businesses can streamline their security operations, reducing costs associated with separate purchases and management.
Email Security
Email remains a prime target for cybercriminals. Our Managed Security Service solution includes comprehensive email security that protects against phishing attacks, malware, and other email-borne threats. By using advanced, proven technology, machine learning, and AI combined with highly skilled cyber professionals, organizations minimize the risk of data breaches and ensure the confidentiality of sensitive information.
Endpoint Security
Endpoint devices are often the entry point for cyber threats. The offering includes advanced endpoint protection tools like next-generation antivirus software, real-time threat detection, and proactive vulnerability management.
Server Security
Servers store and process critical data, so prioritizing them in your defense plan is critical. Our server protection includes robust intrusion detection and prevention systems, regular patch management, and log monitoring. By leveraging these comprehensive server security measures, companies can fortify their infrastructure against potential breaches.
User Awareness Training
Employees continue to be one of the most challenging components of effective cybersecurity defense, so educating them about best practices is crucial to mitigate your risks from human error. Our user awareness training program educates employees in a fun and engaging way about the latest threats, phishing scams, and safe online practices.
Final Thoughts on Managed Security Services
Part of creating success in your cybersecurity initiative means using new thinking to solve new problems. In an era where cyber threats continue to evolve and multiply, it’s clear that organizations need new solutions, tools, and comprehensive strategies that better align with their budget and resource limitations while still improving their security posture. And that’s precisely what we set out to do with MicroAge’s MSS.
If you’re struggling to find a capable partner, the right tools, and sound advice or are unsure where to start, be sure to check out Chris Reid’s recent blog, “What Kind of Cybersecurity Assessment is Right for You.”
Transform Your Cyber Protection
Let’s talk
Schedule a time with our cybersecurity experts to chat through your unique challenges to see how we can help.
“Larry Gentry is responsible for ensuring MicroAge provides its clients with innovative cybersecurity, infrastructure and cloud solutions for the healthcare, manufacturing, government, education, retail, insurance, and utility industries. His business acumen and management expertise stem from years of senior level leadership and high-tech management experience with companies such as Kroger, Kohl’s department stores, and Shopko.”
Larry GentryExecutive Vice President
