Security as a Service(SECaaS): Outsource Your Security Today!

In 2022 the global Security as a service market was approximately $10.2 billion. 

The projected rise is about $81 billion. 

Security solutions are the following best solutions to increasing cyber threats. 

It is better to be proactive rather than reactive. 

Security as a Service(SECaaS): Your innovative business solution

SECaaS is a game-changer for companies!  

Organizations tap into the expertise of external providers to handle their cybersecurity needs. Managing antivirus software, detecting intrusions, and preventing data loss are some of the SECaaS tools.

The dedicated team of cybersecurity experts whom you partner with as SECaaS vendors help you solve cloud computing problems. This keeps you ahead in cyber challenges.

Cyber Security as a Service: Benefits and the Service Providers

The SECaaS has many benefits, and many companies excel in providing the best value to their customers. 

Expertise Access

SECaaS provides access to specialized cybersecurity experts. One prominent example is CrowdStrike, known for its expertise in endpoint security. Their Falcon platform can offer you advanced threat detection and response capabilities.

Cost Efficiency

SECaaS can be more cost-effective than building an in-house cybersecurity team and infrastructure. Sophos offers SECaaS solutions for your small and medium-sized businesses, making enterprise-level security accessible at a reasonable cost.

Scalability

As a business grows, its security needs change. With its Prisma Cloud SECaaS, Palo Alto Networks allows your organizations to scale their cloud security as their cloud footprint expands.

Real-time Monitoring and Response

Companies like FireEye, which provides SECaaS through its Helix platform, excel in real-time threat detection and response, minimizing the impact of security incidents you could have.

Simplified Compliance

SECaaS can assist with compliance management. McAfee offers compliance solutions that help you meet regulatory requirements in a streamlined manner.

Global Accessibility

Cloud-based SECaaS providers like Akamai ensure their services are accessible from anywhere, enabling organizations to protect their assets globally.

Reduced Management Complexity

Fortinet offers you a range of SECaaS solutions, including firewall as a service, which simplifies your security management for organizations with complex network architectures.

Constant Updates

Trend Micro is known for its proactive approach to security, providing regular updates to you as a partner offering to defend against evolving threats.

Risk Mitigation

Proofpoint specializes in email security as a service, helping your company mitigate the risks associated with phishing and email-based threats.

Focus on Core Business

Companies like Symantec have comprehensive SECaaS portfolios, allowing your businesses to focus on their core operations while managing their security needs effectively.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Carbonite offers SECaaS solutions for data backup and disaster recovery, ensuring your data is available in emergencies.

AI and Automation

Darktrace is a pioneer in using AI for threat detection in real-time, exemplifying how SECaaS can leverage cutting-edge technology for the security of your organization.

These benefits and examples of companies at the forefront of cybersecurity demonstrate how SECaaS can provide specialized expertise, cost-effective solutions, and effective threat mitigation for organizations of all sizes and industries.

Components of Security as a Service

Various service providers excel in specific monitoring and control areas, some of which are also mentioned above. It is always better to consult and discuss your organizational needs and budget when you opt for security as a service.

Threat Detection and Prevention:

Antivirus and Anti-malware: Scans and removes any malicious software.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS): Monitors your network traffic for suspicious activity and takes action to prevent attacks.

Firewall as a Service (FWaaS):

Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW): Provide advanced features like application-level filtering and deep packet inspection.

Identity and Access Management (IAM):

Authentication and Authorization: Ensures that only authorized users can access your sensitive resources.

Single Sign-On (SSO): This lets you log in once and access multiple services without reauthentication.

Data Encryption and Protection:

Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Identifies and prevents unauthorized data transfers. 

End-to-End Encryption: Secures data in transit to protect it from interception.

Cloud Security:

Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB): Provides you with visibility and control over cloud applications and services. 

Container Security: Ensures your security of containerized applications in cloud environments.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM):

Log Management: Collects and analyzes logs from various sources for threat detection. 

Incident Response: Helps identify and respond to security incidents in real time.

Network Security:

Virtual Private Network (VPN): Securely connects remote employees to your corporate network. 

Web Application Firewall (WAF): Protects your carefully designed web applications from online threats and attacks.

Email Security:

Email Filtering: Scans and filters your business emails for spam, phishing attempts, and malware. 

Email Encryption: Secures email communication to prevent unauthorized access.

User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA):

Monitors user and entity behavior to detect abnormal activities and potential threats.

Security Awareness and Training:

Provides educational resources and training to help you recognize and respond to security threats.

Compliance and Governance:

Policy Management: Helps your organizations define and enforce security policies.

Compliance Reporting: Generates reports for you to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements.

Backup and Disaster Recovery:

Backs up critical data and systems to ensure data availability in case of disasters or cyberattacks.

Mobile Device Management (MDM):

Manages and secures your organization’s mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets.

AI and Machine Learning:

Uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms for advanced threat detection and response.

Quantum-Resistant Encryption:

Develops encryption techniques that are resistant to future quantum computing threats.

What is SASE, and how is it related to SECaaS?

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is a comprehensive cloud-based security framework that combines network security and wide-area networking (WAN) capabilities into a single cloud-delivered service. 

SASE represents a shift away from traditional security models that rely on data center-centric security and towards a more agile, cloud-native approach to security.

SASE incorporates several key components, including:

• Network security
• Cloud-native architecture
• Identity-centric security
• Data protection
• SD-WAN integration

So, how does SASE relate to Security as a Service (SECaaS)?

SASE can be considered a subset of SECaaS. It provides a cloud-based approach to network security. SECaaS encompasses a broader range of security services delivered from the cloud, while SASE focuses explicitly on the convergence of network and security functions. 

SASE is a specialized form of SECaaS tailored to modern networking and security needs.

What is SOC(Security Operation Centre), and is it needed after SECaaS?

A Security Operations Center (SOC) plays a crucial role in cybersecurity by monitoring and responding to security incidents. It often operates independently from regular operational staff to ensure a clear separation of duties. 

The SOC relies on specialized tools like SIEM (security information and event management) systems, which process logs and data, correlating information to generate alerts for further investigation.

A typical SOC team comprises security analysts, engineers responsible for managing tools, administrative personnel, and sometimes threat intelligence experts. SOC operations involve monitoring logs and data sources, identifying potential security issues, and responding to incidents promptly.

Is SOC needed?

Setting up an effective SOC can be expensive and time-consuming, leading some organizations to outsource these functions. However, external SOC analysts may lack deep knowledge of an organization’s infrastructure.

Cloud adoption has influenced security requirements. Cloud-native services can simplify security monitoring but don’t eliminate its need. Monitoring logs for security incidents remains crucial.

Government projects sometimes adopt alternative strategies like cloud-native architecture, zero-touch production, environment separation, and simplified log collection. These strategies can simplify security monitoring requirements and reduce the need for traditional SOCs.

What’s the verdict?

Whether a SOC is needed depends on factors like log availability, detecting attacks in real-time, and incident management requirements. 

SOC and protective monitoring systems still have their place in security, particularly for specific enterprise systems and higher-security classifications. Centralized SOCs can identify broader attacks affecting multiple organizational services.

SECaaS and SOC provide a better approach to cyber security, complementing one another’s functions in the long run.

What’s your Security Stack? Our Review on Security as a Service 

Deploying SECaaS is not worryless. There are some notable challenges that you might encounter despite being mainly on the safer side. 

Most importantly, it becomes a complex process to seamlessly integrate the existing infrastructure with the security needs of SECaaS. 

Also, it becomes complicated for the internal team to fine-tune the false positives and negatives, which becomes a persistent issue.

The scalability adjustment also becomes an issue when the organization expands with the data volume. Also, it becomes challenging to comply with the rules and regulatory standards even with SECaaS as a partner.

Recommendation: SECaaS with internal monitoring tools could be the best fit if you are in the vigorous growth stage.