Aberdeen Report Reveals All Best-In-Class Companies Leverage Managed Security Services To Bolster Defenses
Businesses Report Better Security Results Via Managed
Services Than Strict In-House Approach
DENVER, February 8, 2008 - Virtela, the global
network solutions company, today announced the availability of a
new research report by the Aberdeen Group, a Harte Hanks Company
(NYSE: HHS), finding companies that are getting the best results in
security performance are all using managed security services as
part of their arsenal.
The results, based on a survey of almost 200 respondents, are
revealing in that all best-in-class companies are not only using
managed security services, but cited the primary driver as
improving their security posture.
"These results are groundbreaking. Beyond the lack of expertise,
beyond the challenges of managing security solutions, even beyond
potential cost savings, companies have recognized that they can
actually get better protection by using a managed security
service," said Carol Baroudi, research director in the IT Security
practice at Aberdeen. "The market is realizing that some kinds of
services are better delivered by managed services providers that
have visibility into security events across networks and a spectrum
of customers, allowing for earlier detection and prevention."
"Virtela is just such a managed services provider," noted Bill
Dodds, vice president of sales and marketing for Virtela.
"Companies can easily achieve defense in depth on a global basis
through our integrated network and security services. The Aberdeen
findings further validate what we are seeing in the market and the
increasing demand for Virtela's unique capabilities across a broad
range of network and security platforms, with the ability to
correlate events between them."
The new report, "Best Practices in Choosing and Consuming
Managed Security Services", sponsored in part by Virtela, found
that best-in-class companies demonstrated significantly better
security performance across an array of criteria: less data loss,
fewer failed audits, less fraud, fewer security incidents, reduced
help desk costs, and less downtime as a result of a security
incident.
According to the report, managed security services have enabled
organizations to "improve their security and compliance
performance, reduce the management overhead associated with
security solutions, avail themselves of security solutions and
expertise that would otherwise be unaffordable, and avail
themselves of protection "in the cloud" - stopping threats such as
denial of service attacks before they actually reach the
organization."
Virtela's portfolio of managed security services provides
real-time monitoring, correlation and analysis of enterprise
security infrastructures and critical applications for instant
response to and remediation of cyber-threats on a global, 24x7
basis. Services include managed router, switch, firewall, intrusion
prevention (IPS), secure email, URL filtering, Network Access
Control (NAC) and Security Information Management (SIM).
Virtela offers "clean pipes" via its Global Service FabricSM
network infrastructure using carefully selected and strategically
placed best-of-breed security technologies, offering customers the
flexibility of premise-based, in the cloud and hybrid security
solutions based on their requirements. For more information on
Virtela's network security services and current promotions, please
visit: www.virtela.net/services_mss.html
The Aberdeen report also examines the best practices that
companies employ in choosing and using managed security services,
including ways veteran customers have learned to get the best value
from their Managed Security Services Providers (MSSPs).
For a complimentary copy of the Aberdeen report, please visit:
www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410956&cid=4581
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market
intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked
more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is
uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market
awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering
meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to
the global technology markets, corporations turn to AberdeenTM for
insights that drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting
content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing
company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the
"customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information -
Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the
client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings
to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen www.aberdeen.com or call (617)
723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748
or go to www.harte-hanks.com
About Virtela
Virtela, the world's largest
independent managed services company, offers award-winning
managed services including MPLS and IP-based Virtual Private
Networks (VPNs), Security, Remote Access, and WAN/LAN Device
Monitoring and Management, to some of the most competitive
multinational companies in the world. Offering services in 190
countries, Virtela integrates and manages best-of-breed service
providers through partnerships with 500+ carriers, to address the
unique needs of its customers. Virtela is headquartered in Denver,
Colorado, with Global Network Operations Centers in Denver, Mumbai,
India and Manila, Philippines. For more information, please call +1
(720) 475-4000 or visit www.virtela.net.
Media Contact:
Jane Morrissey
Virtela
720.475.4012 (office)
303.808.7671 (mobile)
jmorrissey@virtela.com