Moving beyond managed security: providers are using network-based services to build more efficient enterprise productivity models

The face of business is changing, placing new demands on business' communications networks. Today's corporate network must not only reach mobile executives as they travel from city to city, it must also extend to the remote outposts that traditionally were not part of the network at all. Whether it is a 24-hour gas station in Tulsa, a parts supplier in Detroit, or car dealer located in another area of the world, an IT manager must figure out how to equip each remote user or locale with the full resources of the corporate network. Add to this the complexity of securing the entire network from today's myriad threats and you have a situation that is untenable to most enterprises. Faced with stagnant budgets and limited staffs, more and more IT departments are delegating the chore of protecting the corporate assets to their service providers.

Service providers, already tasked with managing some of the world's most complex networks, have the resources and expertise required for servicing the extended enterprise 24X7. For the provider, offering managed security services in addition to basic connectivity increases both revenue and customer penetration. However, many service providers view managed security as an incremental service as opposed to a strategic offering that will solidify the relationship with the enterprise. Services such as managed firewall or DoS (denial of service) protection are implemented in such a way that the provider is vulnerable to being displaced by either a competing carrier or a decision to move the service in-house.