Businesses today face a growing number of threats. While much of the focus lately has been on IT networks, you cannot afford to ignore your physical security if you want to protect your data, facilities, and people. Approximately 25% of businesses reported an increase in physical security incidents in the most recent reporting year and more than half of those surveyed expect the number to increase going forward.
More industries are turning to managed physical security as a solution. By outsourcing your physical security, you can ensure your facilities are protected 24/7 with cutting-edge technology and monitoring.
What Are Managed Security Services?
A Managed Security Service enhances safety and reduces risks for your people, property, and assets. Unlike traditional in-house security models that require you to hire a full-time security team, managed security service providers can install physical security infrastructure and technology and handle monitoring and incident response.
To secure your facilities, you need more than just a few cameras and guards. Besides the security tools and systems, you need to manage, track, and monitor:
- Access credentials for employees and visitors
- Different systems and technologies
- Hardware and software updates
- Vendors and support plans
- Contracts and invoices
- Training
Even with a team of security experts, security management is a big job. Yet, gaps in your managed network and security services can create significant problems, such as:
- Injuries or even loss of life
- Vandalism
- Loss of sensitive information
- Financial losses
- Loss for reputation
- Legal liability, including lawsuits
You need a holistic approach to security that integrates the technology into a seamless solution, including:
- Access Control
- Intrusion Detection
- Video Surveillance
- Mobile Technology
- Visitor Management
- Fire & Life Safety
- Environmental Control
- Identity Management
- 24/7 Monitoring
The convenience of managed security services streamlines your operations while providing a reliable and cost-effective solution to managing the threat landscape and regulatory compliance.
Key Benefits of Managed Security Services
Let’s explore the benefits of managed security services, highlighting the key benefits of working with a provider like Kastle.
Continuous Threat Detection
Managed security services use advanced systems to detect physical threats in real time. Automated alerts and video analytics ensure that security incidents are identified and addressed promptly, reducing the likelihood of damage or loss.
Today’s video surveillance is enhanced with artificial intelligence to detect a wide range of suspicious activity and to provide automatic alerts to help human operators prioritize and address physical threats.
24/7 Monitoring and Support
Security service providers augment physical security systems with around-the-clock monitoring. This provides continuous coverage beyond work hours, including intrusion detection. Security systems paired with human intelligence are critical, but costly to implement in-house.
Access to Specialized Expertise
By outsourcing security, you gain access to a team of security experts who have deep expertise in the latest physical security technologies, compliance standards, and best practices. They are aware of emerging threats and the need for constant vigilance.
Professionals can assess your security posture, conduct vulnerability scanning to find gaps in your technology or procedures, and minimize your physical and virtual risks.
Cost-Effectiveness
One of the key benefits of managed security services is cost-effectiveness. Maintaining an in-house security team and infrastructure can be expensive. Managed security services relieve the burden of recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining security professionals. You also ensure the reliable operation of your security systems, including software updates and maintenance. This reduces downtime and ensures your technology and systems are working optimally.
Enhanced Security Posture
To ensure you have a comprehensive and layered security plan, you need a framework tailored to your unique needs. With managed security services, you get a proactive approach to security with integrated solutions. This helps manage physical security and cyber threats to your security systems.
You also benefit from easy credential management. For example, the MyKastle® Security Management Tool makes card administration easy, providing a single credential for your employees or tenants to enter authorized facilities, floors, and doors regardless of which office they are working. You also get interactive maps of your security system for each floor and video verification of incidents for review or investigation.
Managed security services ensure your systems are run by a neutral third party who is completely focused on your organization’s security needs at all times. This provides greater peace of mind that you’re protected and have access to advanced solutions. For example, with Kastle, you can manage employee badges digitally, eliminating keys and keycards and allowing access via smartphones or watches.
Operational Efficiency
By outsourcing security management to experts, you can focus on your core business without worrying about the administrative burden of managing security systems or personnel. Centralized control systems also offer efficiency gains, making control and configuration easier.
Challenges and Considerations
There are some challenges with managed security services. Many facilities have older technology or solutions from different suppliers. Systems may not blend together well or provide an incomplete picture of your facilities. Information might be contained in one system and not compatible with data from another — allowing for gaps in your physical security. Ensuring everything integrates seamlessly and works together is critical for ensuring safety and security.
Even if you have the right technology in place, it can be easy for things to fall through the cracks. For example, two-thirds of mid-sized businesses are running outdated versions of software. This provides potential attack vectors for criminals to bypass your security systems.
These are just a few reasons why many businesses choose Kastle. As a managed service provider with open technology, we can take over existing systems and overlay our technology. This unifies disparate legacy systems to perform together and be monitored as one. Everything works together, including your existing systems, without having to rip and replace.
Benefits of Outsourcing Security to Managed Service Providers
Outsourcing security to managed service providers gives you flexibility. Here are a few key benefits:
- Scalability: As your business evolves, you can scale your security, adding new locations or additional resources without significant investments.
- Integration: You can make sure your security tools work together, providing a comprehensive approach to managing security.
- Administration: Managed security providers will handle the technology updates, system management, and monitoring, along with the HR burden of maintaining a team of security experts.
- Custom solutions: You get a holistic security solution that is tailored to your unique business needs.
In short, you get the benefits of advanced security solutions and expertise without having to manage them in-house.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs About IT Managed Security Services
Let’s look at some of the most common questions people have about managed security services.
What Does a Managed Security Service Do?
A managed security service handles physical security through installation, maintenance, monitoring, access control, and incident response. Providers ensure your facilities are protected from threats while offering ongoing support and maintenance.
What Is the Scope of Managed Security Services?
While it can vary depending on the services you need and the providers you choose, the scope generally includes installing and maintaining security systems, 24/7 monitoring, alarm response, and access control management.
What Are the Benefits of Managed SIEM?
Security information and event management (SIEM) typically refers to cybersecurity, but its principles apply to physical security as well. SIEM typically refers to real-time monitoring and analysis to provide insight into threats, ensuring rapid incident response.
What Are the Two Main Benefits of Using an MSSP?
When you are talking about physical security, a managed security service provider (MSSP) offers two main benefits. You get comprehensive 24/7 protection with advanced technology and continuous monitoring. At the same time, you get a cost-efficient solution for your security needs.
Embrace Managed Security Services
Managed security services offer businesses an effective way to enhance safety, reduce costs, and streamline operations.
By outsourcing physical security needs to experts like Kastle, you can focus on growing your business and let experts handle the security. Choosing a trusted partner ensures a scalable, reliable, and tailored solution to meet evolving security challenges.
With Kastle’s managed physical security approach, you get an integrated solution and a single, accountable partner to maintain and protect all the links in your security chain. Kastle provides solutions for your security, including:
- Design: Crafting tailored security systems to meet your unique needs and challenges while ensuring effective integration with existing setups.
- Monitor: Providing 24/7 surveillance to oversee your facilities in real time, so you get immediate detection and response to potential threats.
- Integrate: Seamlessly merging access control, video monitoring, visitor management, and fire and life safety systems into a unified platform.
- Protect: Enabling proactive responses to security incidents, such as intrusion detection, to safeguard assets and facilities effectively.
- Install: Implementing security hardware and software to ensure reliable operation from the outset.
- Support: Offering comprehensive user training, troubleshooting, and IT infrastructure management to ensure system reliability.
- Maintain: Regularly servicing and updating systems to prevent disruptions and sustain optimal performance.
- Safeguard: Employing resilient monitoring architecture with redundant backups, ensuring uninterrupted security coverage.
You need a cost-effective way to protect your facility, data, and people as security threats grow. Managed security services reduce your risk and increase efficiency across your facilities. Contact Kastle today to learn more about Managed Security Services.