At your service

Nick Verykios, marketing director at Firewall Systems, says managed security provision is a top example of the ability of managed services to provide sophisticated, complex services that a customer would find very difficult to do itself.

“Without continued, invisible and comprehensive tuning of threat management devices and applications, all businesses are vulnerable,” Verykios says.

Firewall Systems therefore offers “complete” threat management combining a suite of managed services with best-of-breed technology.

“These services are only available through our reseller partners and are developed in association with our vendors,” Verykios says. “We are doing this for Network Box, Check Point, Resilience, Trend Micro and WatchGuard.”

“We must continually prepare for threats that haven’t even been thought of yet!” he says.
 
Data security has jumped to second place after budget considerations for many IT managers. “It’s no wonder that the Yankee Group predicts that virtually all larger companies will outsource security by 2010,” Verykios says.
 
However, Verykios believes resellers need better skills and should seek partners to help them meet customer demand for threat management solutions that secure the networks, systems and applications -- maybe even the ones they already sell.
 
“For those channel players prepared to evolve and adapt, these are new opportunities,” he says. Perpetual investment in IT security knowledge in-house can bankrupt a reseller. So partnering a non-competing provider that already has that specialist knowledge can be an answer, suggests Verykios.
 
It seems the competition is getting hotter. Seccom Networks has just inked a managed security services deal with SonicWall. Seccom Networks is also seeking resellers to manage the network security of corporate and SMB customers.
 
Colin MacKenzie, chief executive at Seccom Networks, says the partnership let it provide 24x7 technical support and rapid replacement services to new and existing SonicWall clients, while expanding its ability to offer broad-based security to larger clients.
 
“Many of our customers are demanding this type of solution,” Mackenzie says.
 
Seccom is providing managed security via two FortiGate-300 systems and FortiReporter software to the Australian Rugby Union (ARU).The ARU’s system holds sensitive data -- registration details for 160,000 rugby players.
 
Under its previous arrangement, the ARU could “see” traffic from its security supplier’s other customers. It is possible they could read ARU messages as well. That has stopped, and Seccom has curbed the downloading of large files from the internet, such as music, videos and pictures, as well.
 
Now, Seccom looks after the network at a high level while the ARU controls the desktop, which makes the ARU much happier.
 
“That transparency is important to us,” says ARU network manager Greg West. “Much of the IT network security industry tends to operate on a ‘you don’t need to know’ basis. It all blows out traffic costs, which we need to keep to a minimum.”
 
About 70 percent of Seccom’s customers have network security problems, such as virus  outbreaks. Yet MacKenzie says Seccom has seen MSSPs fail in trying to manage a multi-vendor environment. Even those with lots of staff find it difficult to master and manage multiple platforms, MacKenzie claims.
 
Where perimeter protection is not appropriate, Seccom partners ISPs to provide “clean bandwidth” pipes to the ISPs’ customers. By supporting virtual domains, these larger systems allow an ISP to offer full security services to multiple customers from single devices, MacKenzie says.
 
Some resellers are taking a more diversified approach. Drew Arthur, director at NSW-based franchise management software developer and managed services provider Micronet, says his company has been working on its hosted business model since 2000.
 
Micronet’s vision is to let SMBs, retail franchises and corporate buying groups divest themselves of servers, application software, backups, intrusion detection, anti-virus and overall data management.
 
“Most SMBs, for example, don’t invest significantly in infrastructure and end up with sub-standard systems that prevent IT developing as a strategic part of their business,” Arthur says.
 
Micronet has worked with the likes of Pirtek and Amber Tiles. It develops and deploys inventory and accounting offerings. “Micronet manages the process with its customers and enables more complex implementations in a faster cycle,” Arthur says.

“This reduces the need to go shopping for a variety of outsourcing arrangements from niche suppliers and then trying to combine them into a practical desktop.”
 
Networking gear vendor 3Com has just unveiled a VoIP, security and infrastructure managed services strategy targeting enterprise and carrier customers. It sees the move as taking advantage of a growing market.
 
Managed service providers would use 3Com products to automate implementation, service configuration and support offerings.
 
Bruce Claflin, chief executive at 3Com, says few vendors are actually enhancing products specifically for managed services.
 
“The capabilities we’re building into our products through our managed services will enable both managed service providers and enterprise end users to streamline, secure and automate their business processes,” he says.
 
Meanwhile, Sun Microsystems has partnered managed services provider Frontline Systems in a three-year deal to support an electronic messaging system for shipping companies Patrick Corporation and P&O Ports.
 
A Solaris-based 1-STOP shipping industry-specific managed service is expected to cut data hosting and cargo management re-engineering compliance costs by half, eliminate most paper transactions regarding cargo and cut network downtime.
 
Shipping, like many industries, is under pressure from new regulatory stipulations. Recent cargo management legislation means stevedores must comply -- a task that gets ever more onerous.
 
Steve Murphy, managing director at Frontline, says the new managed service gives the Melbourne dock 55,000 extra minutes of trucking time. The next development for 1- STOP will be developing a common, internet-based vehicle booking system platform for Patrick Corporation and P&O Ports.
 
“This is an exciting project to host, as 1- STOP is propelling multiple entry systems into the 21st century and helping to eliminate both double entry and human error,” Murphy says.
 
There are caveats. David Taylor, regional director at NetIQ, says any organisation setting up a managed services business must consider at least two fundamental elements.
 
“Firstly, the staff and processes must be in place to deliver a very high level of client service. Secondly, technology tools must be in place to ensure they can deliver on their technical SLAs,” he says.
 
These tools must be aligned with the service to ensure application and network availability and uptime, Taylor says.