Why a Managed IT Services Approach Works Best for IT Security

Your organization’s IT security is critical because it helps you protect your business’s most important assets. Data, proprietary information, and the network are all potentially vulnerable to unauthorized access and attack. Keeping these assets safe is essential to keeping your business running smoothly. Data breaches can be extremely costly, both in terms of direct financial losses and indirect damage to your reputation.

Many organizations attempt to manage their own IT security, but small and medium-sized businesses may not have the required in-house expertise. A more effective, cost-efficient approach is to partner with an expert managed services provider (MSP) to manage your IT security.

How MSPs minimize risks to client networks

Securing a network can be a daunting task, especially for organizations without dedicated IT staff. A well-qualified MSP like GSDSolutions, a local Bay Area IT support provider, can offload this responsibility from you so you can focus on other critical tasks in your company—the tasks that are part of your company’s core focus.  Because they take full responsibility for protecting your business’ data, MSPs can take a more strategic approach to minimize your risk:

• By focusing on preventive maintenance and continuous monitoring. This helps you identify potential threats early and mitigate them before they can cause damage.
• By using full-featured enterprise-level tools.
• By keeping your tools up to date to protect you from the latest attacks. This is essential because new threats are constantly emerging.
• By making expert staff available to you to respond quickly and effectively when you need to contain the damage from data breaches and minimize their impact on your business.

Strategies MSPs employ to protect client networks

MSPs can provide the following enterprise-level services to guard against unauthorized network intrusions.

• Endpoint Protection
  MSPs ensure connected devices (“endpoints”) are secured against malware and hackers. They do this using security software that scans incoming and outgoing traffic for signs of malicious activity. The software blocks the traffic if suspicious activity is detected and alerts the user.
• DNS Filtering
  DNS filtering blocks content from known malicious sites from reaching your network in the first place. This includes phishing sites and sites that host malware.
• Data Backups
  Backing up data can be a time-consuming and complex process. By scheduling regular backupsof critical data, MSPs ensure that clients can recover from catastrophic events with minimal downtime.  They can also recommend the best places to store your backups.
• Password Protection
  Businesses can leverage their MSP’s expert guidance when choosing and implementing the most effective password protection strategies. The provider can also help monitor password usage and identify potential vulnerabilities.
• Email Filtering
  Email filtering is a critical tool for protecting client data security. Malicious emails can be identified and blocked using tools like Valimail to prevent email phishing and malware attacks. These tools use the Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) protocol to identify and block traffic from prohibited servers from getting into your email network.

How MSP cybersecurity is cost-effective

Many businesses underestimate the costs of handling their network security in-house. Utilizing the managed IT services approach saves money in the following ways:

• MSPs use advanced automated monitoring and detection systems 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to prevent unauthorized intrusions. This reduces downtime and boosts productivity, potentially saving your business thousands of dollars.
• MSPs advise clients on the most appropriate network security tools and strategies to help them avoid wasting money on inefficient resources. Your business receives a customized protection package to secure the network effectively.
• They give you access to enterprise-level tools as part of their fixed monthly fee and have the skills to also run those tools for you.
• They eliminate the need to hire an in-house IT security team, substantially reducing your staffing costs.
• They give your business access to dedicated cybersecurity specialists with extensive experience, knowledge, and skills without your having to pay high consulting costs.

GSDSolutions is dedicated to safeguarding your network

As your business grows, new challenges and risks continuously threaten your IT security. GSDSolutions is a Bay Area IT support provider with enterprise-level security solutions that will protect your network from unauthorized intrusions. Our team of experts will work with you to create a customized security plan that fits the needs of your business.