Adopting digital technology has become a key competitive differentiator for many U.S. businesses, resulting in growing investments in their secure connectivity to newly deployed cloud solutions. However as more critical applications move to the cloud, it’s becoming more challenging for companies to safeguard their sensitive data and resources, as these assets are now beyond the protection of their internal firewalls. To ensure their application and network environments are fully secure, businesses must take a holistic approach to digital security.

Most companies today understand the importance of “going digital” to remain competitive in their respective markets. This digitization process helps organizations streamline their operations and create new revenue streams. However, as companies continue to digitize, they face increased threats from cybercriminals, including those who exploit cloud-based applications and IoT devices. Consequently, organizations must develop a robust digital immune system to protect their applications and services from any anomalies arising from software bugs or security issues.

To address security challenges and maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly digital world, organizations can consider collaborating with managed services providers (MSPs) that can deliver the expertise and resources they need. In this way, MSPs can help companies protect their sensitive data and assets, enabling them to thrive in a digital landscape.

A strong digital immune system includes measures that make applications more resilient, allowing them to recover quickly from failures. According to Gartner, by building a robust digital immune system, organizations can significantly reduce downtime by up to 80% in the next two years.

The network serves as the front line of an organization’s digital health. To that end, organizations armed with skilled network security professionals have already taken a crucial step in keeping the company’s digital immune system resilient and robust. However, this can often come at a significant cost, which may leave a sizeable dent in IT budgets. Organizations may consider outsourcing their network security operations to MSPs that can optimize network security processes while improving the total cost of ownership.

Place Security at the Forefront of all Digital Businesses

The inherent risks of digital transformation are ever-present. For example, the recent ESXiArgs ransomware attack targeted cloud vulnerabilities and caused significant disruptions to thousands of companies across the U.S. With IT environments becoming increasingly complex, security must be built into the network, closing any gaps in protection that organizations may be blind to.

Unfortunately, research shows that many organizations are not taking these hacking incidents to heart. A global study by IDC found that over 95% of enterprises have either deployed software-defined wide area networks (SD-WANs) or plan to do so within the next two years. However, the study also revealed that nearly half of enterprises (42%) either don’t have security integrated with SD-WAN or have no specific SD-WAN security at all. These enterprises may unknowingly have vulnerabilities in their corporate networks that malicious actors can easily exploit. To mitigate these risks, companies must integrate their networks with their security stack to protect users at the point of connection.

Organizations face the challenge of adopting a proactive approach to security and investing in the right tools to protect against cyber threats despite shrinking budgets, a limited talent pool across sectors, and various other global disruptions in this digital age. Whether outsourcing security operations to MSP partners or building their IT teams to develop a robust security posture, organizations should regularly assess their security posture and be prepared to adapt quickly to stay ahead of changes in the threat landscape.

Enhancing an Organization’s Digital Security

With the market offering so many approaches to building and securing networks, coupled with the complexity that SD-WAN’s growing maturity and scale brings, expert partners can help mitigate the complexity for a company while providing a range of added benefits. By selecting the right partner, businesses can improve their digital resilience. These providers have established relationships with top security companies, which enables them to create customized solutions for each client at a reasonable cost.

Additionally, many MSPs offer the expertise of professional services specialists who can design secure solutions that can adapt rapidly to changing business goals, innovations and operations. These providers are crucial for companies seeking to effectively combine their network with their security infrastructure, guaranteeing the security of their digital assets in today’s constantly evolving cyber environment.