When you outsource part or all of your security program to a managed security services provider, the “services” cover every aspect of your security needs: the people, the process, and the technology. Often, providers say their services are backed by “best-of-breed” technology. But what is best-of-breed and why does it matter? Read on for the answers, and to learn why you need a cybersecurity vendor that uses best-of-breed technology.
What “Best-of-Breed” Means – and Why It Matters
For security professionals, the term “best-of-breed” describes a solution that most effectively addresses a specific security function, such as a firewall or SIEM.
At the top of its class of competing security point solutions, a best-of-breed technology rises above others in terms of its capabilities, performance, and reliability. The ranking also considers the technology’s lineage – its vendor’s proven reputation for top-notch product support, updates, and commitment to continued research, innovation, and advancement.
Best-of-breed technology assures the latest advanced protection for an organization’s distributed environment in today’s world of evolving cyber threats. Often, though, for in-house teams with limited resources or skills, this technology may be too complex to implement, manage, and maintain. Cost can be another factor.
For organizations who understand the importance of cybersecurity protection but need help keeping up, outsourcing some or all of their cybersecurity program to a managed security services provider is a viable option. It removes the complexity and resource needs of an in-house solution by delivering everything that’s required to implement and manage a particular cybersecurity function (e.g., SIEM, detection and response, vulnerability management, etc.).
But managed services are only as good as the people, processes, and technologies that back them.
It is vital, therefore, for a provider to vet technologies and their features and capabilities against the requirements of the services they provide and with an eye toward the evolving threat landscape. Integration of the selected technologies with the provider’s existing security solutions – including proprietary tools – is also critical to ensure that entire the technology stack works together to efficiently and effectively support the provider’s services.
Why Your Cybersecurity Provider Should Be Using Best-in-Breed Technology
There are multiple benefits from partnering with a managed security services provider that uses best-of-breed technologies: reliable solutions, advanced capabilities, technology that is supported and maintained by leading software companies, and above all else, the confidence that your systems are protected effectively with advanced capabilities that can address the latest threats.
Just as managed providers vet their technology, you need to vet your managed provider. One important question to ask is whether your prospective provider uses a specific technology for their services. For instance, SentinelOne is known for its endpoint protection solutions; Fortinet has a dedicated SIEM solution (FortiSIEM). Both vendors are security industry leaders with solid reputations for product support, reliability, and innovation. Sometimes, providers use a set of point solutions from multiple vendors that can vary by service based on factors including the specific service function and customer size, so this answer isn’t always straightforward.
Another way to determine a provider’s commitment to using best-of-breed technology is to ask whether it is partnered with any of the companies whose products support their services. Providers often list their partners on their websites or collateral, so it is possible to do some of this background investigation on your own.
There is much to consider when choosing the right cybersecurity services provider. The best providers make cybersecurity simple and effective, and incorporate best-of-breed technologies that support their leading services including managed detection and response (MDR), extended detection and response (XDR), endpoint detection and response (EDR), and security device management – as well as advanced capabilities such as behavior analytics, machine learning, and more.
Remember, managed security services are only as good as the people, processes, and technologies that support them. Your security depends on them, so when it comes to technology, it is important that your provider uses the best.
If you’re looking for managed services backed by a solid foundation of leading, enterprise-grade technologies, SilverSky can help. To learn more about the technology that supports our services, click here.