A look into the security industry and the surprising lack of attention surrounding unmanaged IP devices and systems.
No matter how long you’ve been in the security industry, you know that vulnerabilities left unaddressed are lawsuits in the making. So, what happens when you don’t even know you have a vulnerability? How long until you know there’s a problem?
If you’re like most organizations, far too often security devices fail, and no one knows about it. In fact, many times days and months pass before anyone even notices the issue. And, the only reason it’s discovered? That’s right. A security event occurred, and the devices put in place to protect weren’t working.
How often has your organization tried to pull video evidence, and it wasn’t there? Or pulled the video but it was blurry or black and not able to be utilized? Are you then faced with compliance fines, lawsuits or violent assaults you can’t defend against? What’s that costing your business?
Do you ever have failures or malfunctions with any of these systems or devices?
- Access Control Systems
- People Counting Devices
- Intercoms/Emergency Phones
- UPS and Backup Power Supplies
- Switches (when a switch fails, all devices connected to it fail)
- Environmental Monitors
- Video and Non-Video Servers
- Workstations
- Building Management Systems
How long until you find out about it? Is it after a breach has occurred or hardware has been damaged beyond repair? Any one of these systems in a failure state can result in a significant resource strain on the business.
Furthermore, important network policies and procedures which are readily adopted and practiced by the IT department, simply aren’t being implemented across the organization’s security assets. Many times, IP cameras, a well-known attack vector by cyber criminals, aren’t updated with new firmware versions in a timely manner and sometimes not at all. And most surprisingly, many companies are still using default passwords leaving their entire security network virtually unprotected.
Over the last 20 years, an explosive number (about to reach 20 billion this year) of many types of IP security assets, have entered the business, think IoT, mobile, web apps – even building automation is now connected to the network. The industry has grown immensely technologically, but in many instances security teams and their integrators have failed to keep up. In fact, unmanaged devices are costing U.S. businesses upwards of $30 billion per year.
Managed Security Services – The SMART Approach
Now that we’ve uncovered the unfortunate truth in the security industry, we do have some good news to share. There are dozens of forward-thinking, service-focused integrators who are providing what we call Managed Security Services. These remarkable service providers are delivering cost-efficient solutions which will help any organization reduce their liabilities, prove compliance and increase safety. Learn about the SMART Approach to Managed Security Services.
Executive Level Summary Reports – On Demand, Scheduled and Compliance Ready
Additionally, these noteworthy companies go above and beyond to assure that YOU, their customer, is well informed about the health and status of all your security technologies. Imagine having a meeting with your integrator monthly or quarterly where they provide you with an executive report showing overall security system availability including the availability of each security system:
- CCTV
- Access Control
- Backup Power
- Environmental
- Servers
- Intercoms/Emergency Phones
- Any IP Based System
Also in this report is a detailed summary of all devices and systems that were in error or warning state, the reason for the malfunction or failure and how long it was offline. How valuable is this type of information to your business?
When you engage with a service-focused integrator who provides Managed Security Services, your business is guaranteed to quickly prosper from:
- Proactive monitoring and maintenance which ensures the highest possible uptime for your security systems and extends the life of your hardware
- Device failure and faulty performance detection for all your security devices 24/7/365
- Timely remote remediation and service technician dispatch
- Immediate and tangible ROI by reducing internal manpower
- Reduced technician time onsite with diagnostics that pinpoint reason for failure
- Rogue device detection on the network with appropriate personnel alerted and device access denied within minutes protecting your organization from cyber breaches
- Statistical and real-time data with customized dashboard reporting to make better-informed business decisions
- Firmware updates and password management for cyber hardening the security network.
How to Locate Integrators Providing Managed Security Services
If these are the kinds of services you would welcome at your organization but aren’t receiving today, give the team at Vunetrix a call. We have an exclusive network of Managed Security Service Partners who are already providing their customers with these valuable services. We’d be delighted to make an introduction. Contact us today!
Learn More About Proactive Device Monitoring
The Best Proactive Device Monitoring Solution for Physical Security is Purpose-Built to Detect and to Alert in Real-Time about the Health and Performance of your Entire Security Network through a Single-Pane-of-Glass.
You need to know more than a device or system is connected or not connected to the network. (A common problem when IT tools built for the corporate network are used to monitor physical security technologies.) You should know WHY a system or device is malfunctioning or failing. And, you ought to know BEFORE it actually fails. That’s the kind of service assurance we can offer through our exclusive Managed Security Service Partner Network.
