Johannesburg, 19 Aug 2002
In a largely Internet-driven economy, business executives and managers are increasingly taking stock of their companies` vulnerability in the areas of business continuity and security and are identifying areas where they need outside help - a trend that is likely to grow.
"Companies are realising that they cannot look after all of their business continuity and security needs," said Jaco Voigt, director of managed network solutions at first-tier Internet service provider (ISP) and business continuity specialist, DataPro.
"Companies often lack the in-house expertise required. The big problem is that to acquire this expertise is often a punitive cost. In addition, there is a lot of poaching of security and business continuity specialists because of their scarcity and this leads to a position where a company has just employed staff at great cost only to lose them to a rival."
Voigt said outside help is often needed when it comes to the Internet infrastructure that supports critical business operations. These systems are absolutely mission-critical and they are often too complex to manage and protect. This is why companies are hiring outside consultants to manage their infrastructure and to help them prepare for, and protect, against the constant threat of disruption to critical business operations.
"These days one doesn`t just have to worry about power spikes, crashed file servers or routine power failures - there is a need to look at a host of threats from security breaches, including hackers, denial of service attacks and malicious viruses. Specialist companies are better-placed to keep abreast of new developments, such as new viruses, and are able to provide the ongoing management and monitoring of the Internet access, hosted Web sites, security devices and storage facilities - which form the bedrock of today`s Internet-based IT infrastructures."
Voigt believes that companies should not hesitate to outsource parts of their IT management. One of the main reasons for this is because higher levels of cost-effectiveness can be achieved - as well as better performance.
"Managed service providers," he said, "can provide a higher level of performance and reliability than can a single company trying to do everything themselves. Choosing the right outsourcing partner will ensure increased speed to market, improved service to your clients and one accountable supplier."
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