Some bloggers have recently delved into the issue of whether or not Security as a Service, or on demand security, is more or less secure than end-user security. This will become a crucial issue as the scale of attacks increase and companies have to find ever-improved ways to protect themselves from an ever-growing list of vulnerabilities.
The issue was raised at IT Week, with the reason being that many of the SaaS security vendors do not allow access to their applications for security testing. And while there hasn't been a high-profile info spill yet from a SaaS security company, like the recent attack with Monster.com, that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to happen.
Very simply, if you choose not test the security of your applications, more than a few hackers will be very glad to test it out for you in a winner-take-all, or at least your corporate reputation, game.
"It's not a massive issue because we've not seen a huge incident yet, but that's not to say it won't happen in the future," Nick Wells from The Training Camp said. "The potential is there for a massive breach to occur because people are not being allowed to go about their job in preventing it."
Clarence So of Salesforce.com believes that security-as-a-service vendors are able to secure data more effectively than companies can themselves.
Essentially, it comes down to the customer. And the great thing about software as a service is, if the security service isn’t there, the SaaS model makes it ever easier to make the switch. But in the case with security, we are often talking about an organizations most vital information.
Somewhat relatedly, there was always this issue in New York City that, when moving, you never wanted to chose the cheapest moving company because, while the way-too-cheap price might seem great when they're loading your stuff up on the truck, things turn-for-the-worse when the steroidal moving thug turns to you and says, "OK, how much you gonna pay to get your stuff off the truck."
Obviously, choosing the right SaaS company is absolutely essential.
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