What is Security as a Service (SECaaS)?

As technology evolves, the way we store data has evolved as well. IT infrastructure has advanced drastically over the past decade as companies become more reliant on cloud-based systems. Businesses soon took to cloud computing and outsourcing infrastructure from third parties - which proved to be easier and more accessible with time. Soon the concept of Security as a Service SECaaS became a reality as well to help organizations create a reliable protective front. Now, let’s first get a solid understanding of what SECaaS is.

What Is Security as a Service (SECaaS)?

Security-as-a-Service – or what is also known as cyber security as a service - is the use of outsourced technologies on a subscription basis to protect IT infrastructure. These cloud-based services offer organizations enhanced security through the use of several platforms – including endpoint security, incident response, malware protection, and more. SECaaS solutions have become widely popular and the global security as a service market size is expected to reach US$ 51.3 billion by 2032.

Security-as-a-service platforms are a great way for businesses to enhance their in-house security teams’ capabilities while ensuring scalability for expanding companies. These services also drastically reduce the expenses of maintaining and building on-premises infrastructure and labor. SECaaS providers also work with existing security teams to feed them additional information to reinforce an organization’s security posture from within. Using Security-as-a-Service solutions provides companies with several lasting benefits – let’s go over some of the main ones now.

Benefits of Security as a Service

To fully understand the scope of Security-as-a-Service providers, you need to understand how they can benefit your organization. These are some of the main advantages of using SECaaS solutions to enhance your security posture:

• Cost Savings: A massive benefit of SECaaS solutions is their affordability. As Cloud Security-as-a-Service solutions, they are entirely scalable based on the specific needs of your business. This means that you never pay for more than you need. You also don’t have to spend too much money on infrastructure, labor, or tools for your security team.
• Advanced Security Tools and Updates: Using SECaaS solutions also means that you have access to the latest and best security technologies available. Most security software needs to be constantly updated to remain effective and by using SECaaS, you can enjoy the protection of upgraded and evolved tools.
• Advanced Expertise: While your in-house security gives you a level of protection, SECaaS allows you to dip into the skills and expertise of trained and professional cybersecurity experts as well. This is especially helpful for companies that may have inexperienced or overworked IT security teams.
• Improved Agility: Response time is a major factor in mitigating cyber threats before damage can be done. Using Security as a Service allows you to have immediate access to all the right tools and platforms you need to secure your network. SECaaS solution deployment is seamless and efficient – giving your organization enough time to assess and manage cyber threats in real-time.
• Improved Visibility: When using cloud and network security-as-a-service solutions, you give your organization unlimited visibility across the network. This means that you can spot anomalies faster and detect suspicious network traffic better from a centralized and efficient console.
• Reduced Vulnerabilities: The use of advanced SECaaS solutions also means that your network will be facing fewer cyber threats in the future by securing every gap and reinforcing every vulnerability.
• Increased Scalability: With cloud security as a service platform, you are free to scale your security services as needed. While traditional infrastructure is costly and tedious to scale, cloud-based security allows you to seamlessly add or reduce your services at the touch of a button.
• Freed Up Resources: In a fast-paced world, your workforce needs to be dedicated to the areas most important to your company. An effective SECaaS solution gives your team the stability, skills, and tools needed to help refocus your energy and resources on more productive issues.
• Enhanced Simplicity: Most SECaaS solutions give users a simple and easy-to-use interface to help regulate and control processes. This means that your IT security team will have a much easier job.
• Improved Compliance: Data regulations can be a pain for any company, however, using an SECaaS solution allows you to regulate and manage compliance with any regulatory standards - easily and automatically. This saves you from paying hefty fines and risking reputational loss.

As seen above, there are a host of benefits to using Security-as-a-Service solutions to elevate your organization’s security measures. Several different SECaaS platforms can be put into action to ensure these benefits – we’ll be exploring the different examples of these solutions next.

Examples of Security as a Service

Security-as-a-Service options vary from Network Security-as-a-Service to Cloud Security-as-a-Service platforms. Most SECaaS offer specific threat protection that focuses on certain elements of your security posture – however, the combination of all these services gives your company a truly comprehensive fortress of protection. We’ve listed some of the main Security-as-a-Service solutions available below:

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

Data Loss Prevention – or DLP – is a process of ensuring that your data remains secure. This service allows you to monitor cloud storage and usage for any anomalous behavior. For more information, watch this YouTube video on the Data Loss Prevention.

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Using an IAM platform allows you to control and manage access across your network. This ensures that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive data and can also be used to identify suspicious user behavior and patterns that may indicate a cyber-attack.

Continuous Monitoring

A constantly monitored network is a safe network. This ensures that network traffic is continuously monitored for signs of anomalous behavior. Watch the video to learn how Sangfor Cyber Command helps Continuous Monitoring.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR)

Disasters are bound to happen and your data needs to be in secure hands when they do. BCDR ensures that all your IT systems are kept up and running in the event of a natural disaster, cyber-attack, or anything that would disrupt regular business functions.

Email Security

Email security is an integral part of any cybersecurity plan. Phishing, social engineering, and spam can all lead to cyber-attacks. This tool will monitor all emails to detect any malware or suspicious files or attachments.

Network Security

Access across your network should be privileged. A network security-as-a-service solution will give you control over who accesses your network while scanning for network threats.

Web Security

Online apps and networks also present as a vulnerability and web security tools ensure the right defense against cyber threats and suspicious behavior. This keeps both applications and the network safe.

Endpoint Security

This type of SECaaS focuses on protecting endpoints, such as laptops, desktops, and mobile devices, from cyber threats. It can include features such as antivirus, firewall, and data encryption.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

An effective Managed Detection and Response solution will offer you an advanced Security Operations Center (SOC), threat detection and response, and other security capabilities.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Security Information and Event Management - or SIEM – tools will help your company use accumulated data from logs and security incidents to enhance protection. These platforms use real-time data from different places to assist your security team.

Intrusion Protection

As its name suggests, intrusion protection tools help to identify potential intruders and actively search for any cyber threats.

Vulnerability Scanning

Vulnerability scanning is an SECaaS solution that ensures that your network is constantly scanned for vulnerabilities or weak spots that could be used by hackers. This also offers comprehensive network visibility and protection.

Security Assessments

A security assessment is a great SECaaS tool used to examine and assess the security tools you have to make sure they meet industry and regulatory standards. This evaluation is necessary to maintain an updated and efficient arsenal of security measures at all times. See more on Threat Identification, Analysis and Risk Assessment for more information.

With all these great SECaaS solutions to choose from, organizations might be concerned about how to choose the right Security-as-a-Service providers for their company’s needs. Let’s take a look at some of the standards you should be looking for from your SECaaS provider.

Why should organizations consider opting for SECaaS?

Organizations should consider security as a service for several reasons. 

Firstly, SECaaS offers a cost-effective solution for outsourcing cybersecurity services. This allows you to only pay for the services you need when you need them and eliminates the costs and maintenance of on-premise alternatives. Additionally, SECaaS provides the latest security tools and updates, ensuring that anti-virus and other security measures are always up-to-date and effective.

Furthermore, SECaaS allows for faster provisioning and greater agility, as users can be given immediate access to these tools and services. It also frees up resources for in-house IT teams, allowing your staff to focus on other important tasks and leaving the security management to a team of specialized professionals. This can also lead to improved efficiencies and cost savings for your organization.

SECaaS can also offer a range of services, including continuous monitoring, data loss prevention, business continuity and disaster recovery, email security, and more. This comprehensive approach to security helps to protect your critical and sensitive business assets.

Another benefit of SECaaS is scalability. As your organization grows and its security needs change, you can easily scale up or down its services with SECaaS. This flexibility allows you to adapt to changing security threats and regulations without having to make significant investments in new technologies.

What To Look For In a Security as a Service Vendor

You should evaluate the security as a service provider's service availability and response time to ensure that their network and applications will have minimal downtime in case of an attack. Additionally, look for vendors who have strong partnerships and utilize cutting-edge technology to provide reliable and effective security services.

It is also essential to consider the vendor's disaster recovery planning and reporting capabilities. A good security as a service provider should have a well-defined disaster recovery plan to ensure business continuity and provide easy-to-use reporting tools for tracking the overall security strategy.

Another crucial factor to consider is the possibility of automation in the security services. Cloud-based security solutions can leverage automation to make the job of IT teams more manageable and efficient, making it a key feature to look for in a security as a service provider.

You should also consider the scalability of the services offered. As the amount of data generated by companies continues to increase, it is essential to have a security as a service solution that can scale to protect this data effectively.

Lastly, look for zero-trust capabilities in your security as a service provider. This approach to security eliminates the concept of trust and requires continuous authentication and authorization for all users and devices. It is a crucial feature to ensure the security of sensitive data and resources.

Challenges When Implementing SECaaS Solutions

Opting for an SECaaS solution can bring many benefits to organizations, such as cost savings, access to the latest security tools, and freeing up resources for other tasks. However, there are also several challenges that you may face during the implementation process. 

One of the main challenges is ensuring the availability and uptime of the service. As the security service will be hosted by a cloud provider, you will need to carefully vet their service level agreements (SLAs) to make sure the provider can guarantee 24/7 availability. In case of an outage, it is important to understand how the provider will handle the situation and ensure minimal disruption to the organization's network. 

Another challenge is ensuring fast response times from the provider. In the event of an incident or system update, your organizations need to have the assurance that the provider will respond quickly and efficiently to minimize any potential damage. This requires clear communication and established response times from the provider. 

Disaster recovery planning is also a critical aspect to consider when choosing a security as a service solution. The provider should work closely with your organization to understand your infrastructure and potential vulnerabilities, as well as have a plan in place to quickly recover from any disruptive events, such as natural disasters or cyber attacks. 

Additionally, your organization will need to carefully evaluate the partnerships of the provider. As the effectiveness of the service heavily relies on the security solutions and technologies used, it is important to make sure the provider has strong partnerships with reputable and reliable security vendors.  

How to Choose Security-as-a-Service Providers

Although SECaaS solutions are proven to be effective, businesses might still feel hesitant to hand over the reins of their security posture to an outsider. This is why we’ve put together a set of criteria that Security-as-a-Service providers should be able to fulfill to offer you comprehensive and reliable security:

1. Availability: Naturally, one of the main things you need to look for in an SECaaS provider is how accessible they are. Organizations often need solutions, feedback, and help with concerns which means that the provider needs to be readily available and easy to contact for support. Try to look for a vendor that offers 24/7 useful assistance and has local teams on the ground ready to help out if you need it.
2. Language: You need to find a partner who speaks your language. It is very important that the service provider understands your problem and then finds out the solution. Once they find the solution, they should be able to explain it in your own local language so that it is easier for you to understand. Sangfor provides local support in your own language, which makes us one of the most favored SECaaS vendors. Find our office locations here to contact us.
3. Response Time: Time is of the essence in most cases when it comes to cybersecurity. This is why your chosen SECaaS vendor needs to be able to respond quickly and efficiently after a security incident. This helps to prevent the spread of the damage and ensures faster deployment of the incident response plan. A good assessment of response times would be to check reviews and customer statements for your chosen provider. Try to choose one that emphasizes the need for a speedy response.
4. Flexibility: In a dynamic world, your SECaaS provider should be able to offer you a plan that suits your specific needs. Look for vendors who invite collaboration and can give you a subscription that fits your existing infrastructure and plans.
5. Disaster Recovery Solutions: The sign of a good SECaaS provider is how they respond in times of disaster. Ensure that your vendor has adequate and informed disaster recovery solutions in place that focus on your network’s specific vulnerabilities and prioritize business continuity and data integrity.
6. Vendor Partnerships: Another good assessment of an SECaaS provider is the partnerships they have fostered over time. Do your research and see which vendors they have partnered with and how credible they are. Try to look for providers who work with the best vendors on the market and have a reputable name for themselves in the industry.
7. Reporting: Your SECaaS provider also needs to regularly generate detailed reports about your security posture to keep you informed and in the loop. These reports should be easy to understand and should give you an overall look at your network – including vulnerabilities that need additional work.

An efficient Security-as-a-Service provider will ensure that your business enjoys all the security benefits of security solutions while hosting, scalable, affordable, and effective infrastructure. Sangfor Technologies offers all that and more with a range of security platforms and solutions.

Sangfor’s Security Solutions

With a dedication to advanced technologies and efficient solutions, Sangfor is a leading cloud computing and cybersecurity provider. This means that Sangfor is also the ideal place to find all your essential Security-as-a-Service solutions. Sangfor offers flexible and rapid security services with a team of dedicated and helpful support staff.

Sangfor offers a wide range of extensive and precise SECaaS solutions that will reinforce your in-house security while ensuring scalable and flexible infrastructure. This includes the AI-powered Sangfor Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) can be used to identify malicious files at both the network level and endpoints using advanced malware detection.

Take your security to the next level with ease when you trust Sangfor to help out. For more information on Sangfor’s cyber security and cloud computing solutions, visit www.sangfor.com.

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