RE: A new concept for security management?

[sanjay.patel () rexwire com]

Hi Keith,
This is a obvious plug but we at Rexwire target small to mid-size companies
and we provide the full service including a firewall and security
maintenance of the servers and other devices.

-Sanjay

-----Original Message-----
From: Keenan Smith [mailto:kc_smith () clark net] 
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2003 5:50 PM
To: security-basics () securityfocus com
Subject: A new concept for security management?


All,

I've been contracted to build the infrastructure, as it were, for a small
company.

Right now, they've got a single computer hooked up to a cable modem.  No
security and little LAN functionality.

They want to add 5 computers, for a total of 6 and network them together,
all having access to the Internet.

Not a big problem, if they had an IT staff or even any technical ability at
all.  However, these folks are newbies to technology and can't afford to
hire anybody to manage it for them.  Creating a LAN is no problem.  A
bare-bones firewall or Linksys-type router to provided NAT functionality and
they're off and running.  What they'd still be missing is active security.

So I started looking around at the MSSPs (Managed Security Service Provider)
as a possible security solution.  My thought was that I could create a
bare-bones LAN for the company and let an MSSP provide the security.

However, after researching MSSPs for a while, they all seem to provide the
same basic function: they manage/monitor your network and security devices.
That implies that the company would have to buy a firewall, intrusion
detection of some sort and a virus scanner before an MSSP could come into
play.

My question is this:  is there an MSSP (or some other acronym) that provides
security as a service?  My thought is to provide a secure tunnel from this
company's LAN to a remote LAN.  The remote LAN would be secure and managed
and provide that service for a monthly fee.

Is there anything like that out there or am I stuck trying to sell a
complete security solution of some sort to this company?

Thanks in advance for any help.

KC Smith


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