The way security is done has changed. Maybe not the most earth shattering, drop the mic moment; but the reality is the way physical security is done has changed. How? Well, in the past, security departments used gates, guards, and guns. Today, security departments have had to move past this mentality to address new physical threats to include workplace violence, active shooter scenarios, and social engineering threats. That has brought new technologies to address the physical threats; many of which are network connected, which also brings potential cyber vulnerabilities. This has compelled organizations to move the security department under the direction of the IT department. As a security director, does this resonate with your reality?
The past was simple. A security department purchased a security system, from simple to very complex. The system integrator installed and left a card to call when there was a problem. That’s like taking your car to the mechanic when the engine is knocking and hoping the car just needs a quart of oil. The dilemma is that when there is a problem, it’s too late.
The present finds many security departments handcuffed in partnership with IT; a partnership that has brought with it some struggles, but also some freedoms. To start, let’s talk good news. One, thanks to products like Office365, IT relies heavily on managed services and service level agreements (SLA). Why? Because they can quantify the cost. Each person is $24 per software deployment. They did the math and realized that while a SLA is an upfront cost; expect between 12% and 20% of the total system value year over year, the cost of not having one is actually more expensive. One would be hard-pressed to find an IT department that did not have SLAs for all of their servers, network storage, switches, and cloud applications; with priority response times. While in the past, maintenance agreements took an act of congress to get approved; security departments are finding SLAs that offer more are less difficult to get approved since IT has already received approval(s). Two, what IT brings is that they help bridge network cybersecurity. The truth is cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility; not just IT, the security department, or the system integrator. IT is there to harden the corporate network to ensure nothing gets in; but is also the responsibility of the security department and the system integrator to ensure that all systems meet cybersecurity best practices. This includes unique passwords for all employees touching the system; not Username: Guard, Password FluffyCats1.
The struggles primarily come around the IT concept that a network connected device is the same across the board. One way to harden a network for cybersecurity is to slap an anti-virus software and end-point management agent on the device and walk away; monitoring the entire network in real-time from a network monitoring application. The harsh fact is that security technology is not a traditional networked end-point and most security devices such as cameras and access control systems will not allow agent software to be added. Additionally, many of the traditional network monitoring tools can pull only basic information from security devices. This does not work inside the traditional IT workflow and causes friction.
Not to worry, MCA has our clients covered. We partner with the top security technology companies to ensure our clients have access to the technology needed to address the threats their organizations are facing. If we stopped there, we would be another albeit great system integrator for our clients; but why stop there? We understand the internal struggles that security departments are facing within their organizations; and we are here not to be a service provider, but a true partner with our clients. That’s not just marketing lingo, but rather a promise. How do we do that? Introducing the MCA SecurePlan™, the MCA exclusive program that scales to our clients’ growing security needs and ensures maximum uptime in a cost-effective manner. SecurePlan™ is our security technology focused SLA that brings transparency in service to our clients, an integral part of our “Service First DNA” culture.
What does that mean?
SecurePlan™ is not another maintenance agreement. Maintenance agreements happen when the car engine starts knocking and you take your car to the dealer; a reactive plan with long wait times. SecurePlan™ is a cybersecure whole system health monitoring solution designed for security technology that proactively checks the system in real-time to maximize uptime. If the system identifies an issue, a self-generated service ticket is sent to the MCA Client Support Center (CSC) remote support. These notifications allow MCA to provide same day service; saving our clients thousands of dollars each year, mitigating risks before they become an expensive fix. The CSC supports our clients anywhere in the United States, allowing SecurePlan™ to cover all of our client’s properties anywhere through remotely delivered services within hours. SecurePlan™ includes additional benefits such as comprehensive annual functionality testing, prioritized service, and no hidden fees.
SecurePlan Automated Workflow
