SilverSky is adding more security to its managed services lineup with the acquisition of the Security Services division of StillSecure.
SilverSky has already been pouring money into its existing MSP business to boost its cloud security offerings.
SilverSky will add the StillSecure wares to its lineup, “which combines advanced technology, expert intelligence and superior scale to reduce the costs and complexity of network security, while improving customers’ security posture and easing the compliance burden,” SilverSky said.
SilverSky didn’t just buy the business – it also nabbed StillSecure engineers and security analysts.
So what technology did SilverSky pick up? “StillSecure’s Managed Security Services protects your premises, colo, cloud or dedicated hosting facility by acting as a security gateway that is placed between your servers and the Internet. This gateway can take the form of a StillSecure Network Security Appliance (NSA), which is our own proprietary unified threat manager, a Fortinet UTM appliance, or a Cisco ASA appliance: your choice,” StillSecure explained. “StillSecure’s Security Operations Centers (SOCs) sets up your security gateway appliance, watches it 24x7, and stops attacks as they happen. Based on your preferences, we will call you, text you, or email you from either 8-6 local time or 24x7 to let you know about a security event as it arises and based on its severity.”
The StillSecure Approach
Prior to this acquisition, SilverSky counted over 6,000 customers.
A Healthy Managed Security Market
SilverSky, if you listen to the analysts, made a good bet in managed security. This is a market that hit $13 billion last year when you count cloud-based services and managed CPE. That is what Infonetics Research discovered about this market that grew 12 percent last year.
In the researchers’ recent report, “Cloud and CPE Managed Security Services,” it was found that “buyers are moving to managed security services to deal with increased attack volume and complexity, manage security product sprawl, deliver consistent security for a distributed workforce and device population, and provide security for cloud infrastructure,” notes Jeff Wilson, principal analyst for security at Infonetics Research.
In these services, the cloud is clearly taking over, and cloud services are expected to grow 69 percent over the next five years.
Managed security services will be the center of the action. “Manufacturers and service providers are developing more mature offerings to build out and deliver managed security to customers, and the net result is the market continues to enjoy healthy overall growth, with particularly strong growth for cloud-based services,” Wilson says.
Frost & Sullivan Has More Sour View
While Infonetics is distinctly optimistic, Frost & Sullivan is distinctly less so. In its February report, “Analysis of the Global Managed Security Market,” Frost & Sullivan had the entire market at some $66.5 billion last year, and sees it rising by 2021 to $139 billion, slower growth than that predicted by Infonetics. These figures include physical security.
Frost & Sullivan, however, is bullish on outsourcing and MSPs. "In current times, many organizations remain highly cost-conscious, motivating them to outsource their security requirements and reduce operating costs," said Frost & Sullivan Aerospace, Defense & Security Research Analyst Anthony Leather. "Even while security remains a priority for organizations, chief decision makers are looking to the industry to provide them with the most advanced security solutions at the most competitive prices."
Edited by
Alisen Downey
