Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field and cannot be set up once and then forgotten. As data and applications move to the cloud, businesses can enjoy various benefits, but many struggle to protect their networks from constantly changing cyber threats. Ransomware attackers have recognized the value of targeting smaller organizations and tailored their attacks to exploit businesses that they believe will pay immediately, often supported by cyber insurance, rather than investing in defense measures.
Tight security for data and resources is crucial for ensuring that business operations run smoothly and are not disrupted to the point of closure. However, how can small and medium-sized businesses achieve comprehensive security management and threat intelligence while on a budget? The solution lies in forming partnerships and alliances.
Implementing shared threat intelligence across an alliance of cybersecurity experts creates a stronger security approach. Vendors can now offer integrated security through strategic cybersecurity cooperation, shared telemetry, and threat intelligence. The combined resources are more effective than individual offerings, enabling the development of a more sophisticated security ecosystem necessary to combat modern cyber threats.
Virtual CTO at Espria.
Adapting existing solutions with Shared Telemetry
Collecting and analyzing data across different parts of the technology stack provides valuable insights for defending and optimizing your business's IT infrastructure. Instead of operating in isolated environments, it's important to treat your security stack as a constantly evolving ecosystem. Simply layering one solution on top of another in your legacy infrastructure is not enough. Each integration interacts with other elements, identifying weaknesses and aiming to address evolving security challenges.
Shared telemetry and threat intelligence gather information about the individual IT components working together as one complete infrastructure, which allows for more thorough data monitoring and analysis. Operators can suddenly see the bigger picture more easily. This isn’t limited to significant security platforms but becomes possible with existing vendors offering public API integrations. Mimecast reported that over 200 API integrations are now available as part of their ongoing security ecosystem, which provides even more insight than their already powerful Microsoft partnerships.
Access to expertise and collaborative threat intelligence
Automated security technology isn’t enough to keep up with modern challenges; having expert eyes on your cybersecurity 24/7/365 is necessary and gives businesses the peace of mind that their network is being tightly monitored. However, due to the growing shortage of cybersecurity talent, millions of businesses are now choosing from a far more competitive IT talent pool for roles integral to securing their operations. Limited resources and budgets mean that smaller businesses are more likely to miss out on high-quality professionals.
Cybersecurity leaders have access to top talent and resources to secure their operations. Smaller businesses can rely on their cybersecurity provider to enhance their cybersecurity profile. Cybersecurity information-sharing partnerships go even further by uniting experts from all allied partners. This allows all businesses to utilize top-notch cybersecurity for a collaborative approach to threat intelligence.
MSPs, as primary targets for cyber-attacks, have realized that having expert security partnerships provides better protection against advanced attacks. This enhanced security trickles down as part of the services they offer to their clients. Businesses can be confident that they will have access to a security expert who can address their specific security needs, rather than requiring an in-house IT security professional with advanced expertise in all security technologies. The importance of this specialized knowledge cannot be overstated.
Keep your cloud backups up to date to avoid disruptions
IT security company Sophos reported that 94% of ransomware victims in 2023 had cybercriminals targeting their cloud backups, with 57% of these backup compromise attempts being successful. Ransomware and payment demands were also found to double when successfully compromised, meaning that ongoing preventative cybersecurity strategies are no longer as simple as relying on just a single cloud backup solution.
Utilizing immutable cloud backups should be a core focus for any business’ security strategy in 2024. By relying on the integrations of high-profile and industry-respected allied partners, such as Sophos and Veeam, or more recently Veeam and Microsoft, companies gain the greater peace of mind that multiple indicators across your estate keep your data secure.
Since these are allied technology partners, there is no need to worry about migrating from one system to another. Unified management across solutions ensures that they work together effectively, providing a greater return on investment from the start. This eliminates concerns about leaving the door open to attacks, as more security tools usually require greater management.
Don't worry about security - focus on your customers
Understanding which solution is best for your business may seem daunting at first. However, this is where your MSP can step in to provide advice. By tailoring their offering to your specific needs, you can be assured that you are not buying services you don't need. You can also trust that the heavy lifting of security is in the hands of the right experts - experts who share their security knowledge with each other for a united approach to threat intelligence.
With the combined power of allied resources and support, business owners have the advantage in the ongoing battle against cybersecurity threats. By entrusting security to a trusted entity, they can concentrate on their core business activities, spending fewer hours concerned about security and more time on strategies to help their business grow.
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