10 Essential Features that your Security Provider must have

Most physical offices can’t do without an established workspace with PCs and other equipment. With small-scale businesses, owners usually purchase and maintain this equipment on their own. But with large-scale businesses, this is not possible. Hence, you need to avail a provider who takes care of all your requirements from your server needs to maintenance to security systems.

When it comes to getting a security provider for your workspace, there are certain things that you should keep in mind. For your workspace to be efficient and safe, your security provider has to provide a few specific features. I have talked about these features here, so that, you know what to be expected of your managed security provider.

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1. Table of Contents

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   Specialized providers

When you are looking for security solutions for your worksystem, you should approach security providers who can customize as per your needs. Because each business has different structural layouts and faces unique security issues.

It is also better if the security provider you have hired has a dedicated team of professionals for your needs. These experts should not only resolve any security issues you might be facing, but also, they should provide system training to select few people who have a stake in your business. This way, you are aware of your system’s frailties.

2. Equipment

The first thing you do when you start searching for equipment providers is the kind of plans being offered. You check if there is enough equipment for your office’s needs and if they are giving some kind of backup.

You don’t want to have equipment that goes bad quickly and takes a lot of money to replace. You should have security providers which provide coverage for any damaged equipment in your plan. Stave off the heavy expenses you would be needed to make on replacements otherwise.

3. Diagnostics

For quick assistance and resolving of any security issues you face, a security provider has to be in a position to monitor your worksystem’s state continuously. This requires remote diagnostics to be performed by the provider.

With remote diagnostics, the provider might be able to resolve a threat before it causes any issues. This kind of proactive approach towards security is what all good security providers are about.

4. Maintenance

As said earlier, security providers need to be proactive in delivering to their clients. This means that they shouldn’t wait for any issues/security threats to crop up. Instead, not only should they prepared for any such eventuality with backup systems and well-formulated solutions, but also conduct preventive maintenance.

Frequent maintenance by the provider might be a bit of a hassle for the client but the quicker a problem is discovered, the easier it will be to resolve it. Remote diagnostics, which I mentioned above, might be a good alternative to this, if you’re not one for having your office stop working for frequent maintenance.

5. Quick Response

One of the key elements of good security providers is that they are able to respond to any need of the client quickly. Be it maintenance or solution to some problem, your security provider shouldn’t keep you waiting.

In order for your security provider to respond to you effectively and quickly, they should ideally have a dedicated team of on-call technicians who can arrive at the problem quickly. They should also be able to co-ordinate efficiently with your own IT team.

6. Answerability

Your security provider should always be answerable to you. At no point, will it not take responsibility for any security issue that you might face. You, as the client, should be nothing but fully satisfied with the security services that you have procured.

The ideal security provider sends you weekly or monthly reports about your system’s performance and security gaps. It will also be transparent with you about anything in which it is failing to serve you.

7. Different security strategies

The very first feature I talked about here is the ability of your security provider to customize to your security needs. This means, having a wide range of security strategies to pick from, each one of them being catered to a specific kind of business’s needs. There should also be different security strategies depending on the kind of threat your system faces.

Your managed security provider should be able to adapt to the ever-changing security needs of your business.

8. Firewall protection

When you are talking about large amounts of data coming in and leaving your system, you need a firewall to prevent unauthorized access to this data. In a business environment, this becomes critical for the integrity of your company.

As a provider, firewall should be one of the must-have services that you should provide to your clients.

9. Reliable backup of data

Your security provider should be prepared for any eventuality or data loss that might occur. This requires frequent and reliable backing-up of data and then, easy restoration of it, once the problem has been resolved.

This also involves storing your client-related data at a secure server, provided by your security provider which you can access whenever you want.

10. Authentication

For your office system to be 100% secure, you need an authentication procedure installed by your security provider. This usually involves setting up login usecases, designating usernames and passwords to all employees while ensuring that the authentication process can’t be sidestepped in any manner.

There should also be a facility to help employees, in case, they face any issues with login.

In conclusion, I believe I have covered all the essential features that you should seek in your managed security provider. How much secure your worksystem is defines your business’s integrity to the market. It makes you more reliable and likeable to prospective clients.

If you are aware of any other features that a security provider must have, kindly let us know in the comments.