I like garlic. I really do. But somewhere along the way, the pungent herb seemed to cross over from a welcome flavoring to primary ingredient. Who hasn't ordered the filet mignon medallions with a red wine reduction and garlic, only to receive garlic, with some meat and a splash of wine? Or what about that order for hummus with red peppers and garlic that turned out to be garlic, with some smashed chickpeas and a hint of pepper flakes?
As you can probably guess, my preference is for garlic to serve as nothing more than a pleasing, subtle seasoning to my dishes. But if you were to ask my brother-in-law, he'd tell you to douse his meal in the stinking rose.
Security is a lot like garlic. If you attend any of the big infosec trade shows, everyone is selling the latest garlic. New security start-ups are regularly popping up, offering a new take on an existing technology that will "solve" all your data protection problems. If it were up to them, you'd walk away with enough point products to make your head spin.
On the flip side, resource constraints like skills shortages, emerging technologies like BYOD and the Internet of Things, advanced threats like custom-written malware, and evolving compliance demands like PCI DSS call for increased security solutions. So what is one to do?
It basically comes down to how much security you believe you need to protect your data? People's tastes (and appetites for risk, pardon the pun) vary. One organization can be completely different from the company next door.
Back to garlic: What if you could watch the chef as they create your meal and tell them exactly how much of the aromatic vegetable you want? The beauty of this is you get just the right amount of garlic for your taste - no more, no less. And you can adjust it each time depending on your preference.
A managed security services provider (MSSP) does the same thing for your security. Need a SIEM but don't have the manpower to monitor it? Add a touch of garlic. Have multiple locations, but not the capability to supervise them 24x7. Be liberal with the garlic. Can't keep up with all of the challenges and don't know what to do next? Load on the garlic!
Working with an MSSP allows you to tailor your security to meet your exact needs - no more, no less. Trustwave has a broad portfolio of managed security products to meet your exact needs. We're here to work with you to identify the right set of solutions based on your requirements.
And no after-dinner breath mint needed.
John Randall is director of product marketing at Trustwave.
