While new technologies such as virtualization, mobility and green IT are enabling organizations to cut costs and create growth opportunities, they have also opened the door to a new class of security threats and vulnerabilities. Today’s constantly connected enterprise faces increasing risk from information leaks, compliance violations, identity management lapses and access control loopholes.

Standalone security systems are increasingly inadequate in this sophisticated new threat landscape. The rapidly changing nature of today’s threats makes it difficult and costly for organizations to remain current with the in-house IT security skills and expertise required to monitor, manage and analyze a plethora of security point products.

“The IT infrastructure is evolving rapidly as organizations implement technologies to improve productivity and increase collaboration with partners, suppliers and customers,” said Butch Snow, VP Federal and Software Sales, Jeskell. “To keep pace, organizations need a comprehensive security architecture that utilizes a combination of security products and services to address both their perimeter security challenges and their internal security vulnerabilities.

“Implementing, maintaining and monitoring that kind of all-encompassing security infrastructure is going to be a tall order for any IT security organization. That’s why we believe the next generation of threat protection will involve the vast majority of solutions being delivered as services over an extensible, open platform, with security appliances and software becoming the enabling technologies.”

Proactive Security

Through its Professional Services portfolio, Jeskell has been a trusted source of security assessment, design and implementation services that help customers reduce the risk and complexity of the network security infrastructure.  Recently, Jeskell augmented its security portfolio with IBM Internet Security Systems (ISS) solutions.

IBM ISS is a comprehensive portfolio of world-class security products, consulting services and managed security services powered by IBM X-Force. As a top-tier IBM Premier Business Partner, Jeskell  can call on a nationwide network of IBM-certified technical and sales/support specialists to deliver ISS solutions — including host-based intrusion detection and prevention services that provide preemptive protection from network- and host-based attacks before they impact business assets.

“We believe IBM ISS provides the right solutions at the right time,” said Snow. “With a powerful portfolio of managed security solutions, IBM and Jeskell can help you develop a strong security posture that allows you to reduce costs, improve service and manage risk in your dynamic infrastructure. With IBM ISS, you can cost-effectively embrace change and innovation without compromising security.”

Reducing Cost and Risk

IBM ISS subscription-based security services support intrusion detection systems (IDS) and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) from multiple vendors and allow organizations to maintain the highest levels of protection without draining internal resources. Organizations are freed from making continual investments in security appliances, software and monitoring, and maintaining in-house security skill sets. Because these services are vendor neutral, they are available in a wide variety of options so customers can make the most of existing security investments.

IBM ISS managed security services deliver far more than simple device management and troubleshooting.  IBM takes a multi-step approach to event analysis and attack recognition to deliver unparalleled attack detection, as well as thorough, accurate incident escalations. Customers receive the highest level of 24x7 guaranteed protection from five globally networked security operations centers. These security-enhanced environments are designed to support the protection of mission-critical systems, electrical, data processing and communication links.

A Clear View

Conventional wisdom has always held that organizations must sacrifice a certain amount of visibility into the security infrastructure with a managed approach to security services. On the contrary, IBM ISS services actually increase visibility through the delivery of customized reports on security events and device configuration. Customers are always kept up to date on the current status of open issues, managed devices and emerging threats through the secure, real-time Virtual Security Operations Center (SOC) portal.

In addition to IDS and IPS, IBM ISS offers a growing portfolio of managed security services, including security assessment, firewalls, virtual private networks, and virus filtering. When managed IDS and IPS services are used in conjunction with IBM ISS security event, log management and firewall services, customers can view all security events from internally managed firewall, IDS and IPS devices alongside those managed by IBM. This provides a consolidated security view as well as query and reporting capabilities across the enterprise.

“Although security products continue to improve in capability, there is no evidence of a decline in the number and variety of network attacks. The cost of continually upgrading technology and skill sets is becoming a drag on many organizations, and it is often a losing battle,” said Snow. “Jeskell is offering IBM ISS services because we strongly believe these services can improve your security posture at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions.”