The Host with the Most!
I suggest this because there is a delicate balance between ensuring that you are not compromising the level of security within your infrastructure, versus balancing your expenditures – both capital and operational. Compromising either of these can affect your bottom line.
Explore all options and solutions, and don’t feel like you need to compromise on quality and best of breed technology because of budgetary constraints. A perfect example of balancing your IT security needs while maximizing your dollars is using a hosted or “in-the-cloud” model. A hosted model by definition means that you pay for a service you require that is hosted by a third party – similar to a utility (electric, cable etc) – in this case your IT security or areas of it.
Here are the advantages of hosted services and things to look for in a hosted security solution… keep in mind, that though I write this with security in mind, the hosted model is available for many other applications…and depending on your need and budget, you may want explore this option for more than just your IT security needs.
Advantages:
1. No need to buy hardware or software– the vendor ‘hosts’ all of the service and carries the burden of owning the software and hardware. (saves your capital expenditure and you can now use your operational dollars).
2. No need to worry about installation, troubleshooting, and applying patches or upgrades. These worries are again reduced because it is ‘hosted’ and taken care of by the vendor.
3. Predictable service costs-there are no surprise maintenance fees or upgrade requirements – hosted services typically come with fixed monthly or annual costs.
4. Always getting the latest and greatest technology as part of your ‘hosted subscription’ – upgrades are automatically pushed out without the need or hassle to go looking for the latest version.
5. Decreases the burden on your already very busy IT staff (if you are lucky enough to have ‘staff’).
Things to look for in a ‘Host’ provider
1. Scalability – ensure that the provider can manage your needs should your business grow or you need to scale back.
2. Service Level agreement – although rare, there is always a possibility that an outage may occur. This is why many hosted providers build in “uptime guarantees” within their service level agreements (SLAs). If the provider you are considering does not have an SLA – buyer beware. Make sure you compare SLAs between vendors as well.
3. Research – Just as when you buy a car or house… make sure you research your options. The top vendors will have references, case studies and local resellers who can validate them.
As more and more businesses feel the squeeze of today’s economy, the more they look to their vendors and partners to help them maximize the ROI on their IT spend. A hosted model for your IT security may be a good fit for your organization… and there are many best of breed vendors that offer this type of solution… so make sure you research your options and pick the Host with the absolute most.
