* Customers to flock to managed security services
Running a VPN with its own equipment can be expensive and time-consuming for a business, especially with the advent of network security models that call for layering technologies to thwart the range of threats corporations face.
Multifaceted security architectures require a broader range of expertise that can be costly when supplied by in-house staff or consultants hired to set up a customer’s own network.
It is not surprising then that managed security services are projected to grow rapidly over the four years from $23 billion to $29 billion, according to a recent survey by Infonetics. It can be simpler, less expensive and potentially more secure than do-it-yourself security done on a shoestring.
At the very least, a service comes with a predictable bill that won’t drop any surprises on the IT budget at the last minute like homegrown security can. At the same time, it keeps full-time staff from having to assume the responsibility, which can present savings in training and actual numbers of staff. While corporate security is the one area that IT executives say is least threatened by budget constraints, it by no means gets a blank check, so money constraints are real.
In addition, security service providers constantly update their architectures to meet current threats. These upgrades, designed and implemented by security specialists, are arguably as good or better than the job corporations with limited means could do themselves.
Infonetics also predicts an increase in spending on VPN services, which the research firm attributes in large part to MPLS deployments among carriers that will actually supplant IPSec-based services. MPLS provides not only security but also meshed networking that is attractive for its features but also because of its price compared to alternatives.
