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Most companies know that cost reduction only makes sense if it does not affect business performance. Even security is outsourced to third parties, with companies looking at security as a service instead of managing their own security systems in-house.
This move can provide opportunities for resellers, but there is confusion on how best to meet customer needs.
In hosted security, the reseller puts the customer’s IT security resources into their datacentre. The reseller may provide just the hosting service, or management services as well. This does not involve huge investment in training to support sales, and can be bundled into other services as a value-add.
The next option for outsourced security is managed services. This can incorporate hosted security or remote management of customers’ IT assets in their own IT networks.
Where a customer already owns its IT security infrastructure, a reseller may be able to replace or upgrade these assets as part of the sale.
For the reseller, providing full management can generate good ongoing revenue, and can position the reseller for future sales to that customer.
The newest approach is cloud-based security. IT security services are provided over the internet and can be delivered anywhere a user happens to be. Because it is in the cloud, the service can be provided from any number of datacentres around the world, which should make meeting service level agreements (SLAs) easier.
This can be a low-margin, volume business or more targeted, depending on positioning and the type of service offered. Anti-virus scanning, email archiving and web security can be provided.
Scalability is key for customers, as cloud-based services can vary by user demands. For organisations that require this flexibility, buying security services in the cloud can avoid over-provisioning of systems to meet peak demand.
Customers need help to understand which model is best for them. Issues around compliance and the movement of data may count against cloud-based security, for example.
Long-term revenue from expanding services alongside customer requirements and repeat business is a strong incentive, particularly as customers seek to reduce their licensing costs.
Additional services can require shifts in hardware, or further products, adding to the management overhead for the reseller. The reliability of Internet connections should also be factored into the equation.
Simplifying decision-making, making it easier for customers to buy the services they require, is the ultimate route to success.
Andrew Fourie is sales director for UK and Ireland at Astaro
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