A View on Security Outsourcing

Filed in archive Best Practice on December 16, 2006

Outsourcing security does not mean that the company is desperate.

This is the statement shown in the online article written by Larry Greenemeier. Most people and companies assume that once a firm has outsourced its security functions, it only means one thing: It's desperate.

This is not true. In fact, the author points out that security outsourcing could be the best option when it comes to protecting the company as well as in making sure that you comply with the latest government regulation issued.

Though it may seem that security outsourcing is best, it is always better for companies to have first-hand knowledge on how their security features work. The article offers this advice:

Do your homework. You must know what's in your networks, systems, and databases and clearly define how the service provider is going to help your company meet its security and compliance needs. You also must be sure the service provider is financially stable before trusting it to manage intrusion detection and prevention, log analysis, firewall, or other security services.

This is a sound advice because companies are encouraged to do their part in their outsourcing deals. Success in outsourcing is not solely dependent on the outsourcing provider because the company's role in it is rather big.