Cloud Point security: Thinking about the security services

Article summary if an enterprise never upgrades its malware management system again. Instead of taking the time to install software patches and maintenance hardware, companies can use a cloud-based console to analyze the malware trends within the enterprise.

Q: A vendor has just released a cloud based endpoint security solution for the enterprise. Recently I saw a lot of similar products, they provide network scanning, configuration management and other functions, but in fact, I am concerned about the availability of products, latency and overall reliability. Is this going to be a trend in the future? Do I have a legal right to know the security of the enterprise endpoint for the cloud Point Security service commitment?

A: I am a big fan of cloud based security services, and although I have not yet used this product for endpoint security, there is no intrinsic reason to avoid them. In fact, in the next few years, I think it is very normal to see these various cloud security services become the daily use of the enterprise. I've seen some successful deployments of cloud based vulnerability scans and log monitoring products, and I think the next one might be the endpoint management product.

First, you need to consider which parts of the end product are actually in the cloud. When dealing with endpoint security, organizations must install agents on remote devices to provide powerful anti-virus, firewalls, and other security controls. Unless there is a major breakthrough in security technology, this requirement must be achieved. If the actual scan occurs on the endpoint, it also resolves common latency and usability issues.

The cloud has enormous potential to manage these products. In my opinion, security professionals spend too much time fiddling with security products to make them work properly, and as a result, they don't have enough time to spend on valuable work, such as analyzing suspicious intrusions and proactively designing security controls. Cloud-based vendors can take advantage of economies of scale to reduce the total time spent fiddling and clearing these useless activities.

Imagine if a business never upgraded its malware management system again. Instead of taking the time to install software patches and maintenance hardware, companies can use a cloud-based console to analyze the malware trends within an enterprise and identify and fix the source of the infection. This is the world I want!

(Responsible editor: Liu Fen)