Businesses now more than ever need to stay on top of the emerging threat landscape, according to CenturyLink.

The company says new tools and evolving methodologies are giving hackers the resources to mount attacks more frequently, creating greater profits, turning cyber crime into a commercial enterprise.

Stuart Mills, regional director for CenturyLink ANZ, says the emerging threat landscape can be an enormous drain on internal resources.

Mills says managed security services give businesses a new way to keep pace.

“In some industries, cyber security is beginning to attain a core business service status, as the volume and value of information skyrockets,” Mills explains.

“It's a lot to keep up with, especially if you consider the growing number of risks attached to company data,” he says.

“Instead of building up an internal cyber security centre to tackle these risks, companies can simply get someone else to manage it, so they can focus on their core business,” Mills says.

Mills says there are ways managed security services can help businesses keep up with the evolving cyber threat landscape.

Up-to-date defences

“Unlike internally managed security infrastructure, with standalone components that can become obsolete over time, managed security services are continually evolving to adapt to changing threats,” says Mills.

Endpoint protection

Mobile device use and the rise of the Internet of Things is dramatically expanding companies' potential threat surfaces, Mills explains.

"Managed security services often provide device management, with endpoint protection and intrusion detection to protect the entire ecosystem,” he says.

Real-time response

According to Mills, a managed security service gives organisations the benefit of around-the-clock monitoring, management, and support without having to continuously maintain an internal team at all hours.

“Because there is always support at hand, incidents can be dealt with immediately,” he says.

Threat intelligence

“Threat intelligence working hand-in-hand with predictive analytics lets companies tap into a deep resource of up-to-the-minute intelligence on the latest threats from around the world,” says Mills.

Lower overheads

Mills says externally managed security lets organisations offload the expense of maintaining a full-blown security operation internally.

“Because managed security providers can leverage their technology for multiple clients, it lowers the overall cost of security for end customers,” he says.