Tech Data Rolls Out Managed Security Services for SMB Partners

Tech Data, a TD Synnex company, has launched a new security operations center as a service (SOCaaS) offering.

SOCaaS allows partners to offer managed security services to their SMB customers without having to invest up front or hold off until they have built their own capabilities.

Last week, Synnex and Tech Data completed their $7.2 billion merger to form TD Synnex.

The SOCaaS offering provides a foundation on which partners can build their managed security business. Partners can white-label and present it as their own service offering.

Furthermore, SOCaaS includes a comprehensive audit, preparation of an incident plan, 24/7 monitoring with response capabilities and regular reporting.

Tech Data’s Alison Nixon

Alison Nixon is director of security for Tech Data Advanced Solutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

“Customers of all sizes now need to shift to a viable and proactive threat detection posture in order to fully protect their systems against cyberattacks,” she said. “SOCaaS has been highlighted as a huge opportunity by analysts. But many small and midmarket partners just don’t have the skill set, or the investment capability to build and offer a managed security service quickly enough to address the immediate opportunity.”

Cyberattacks Increasing Demand in Managed Security Services

The rising number of high-profile cyberattacks is leading to increased interest in managed security services, Nixon said. But with expertise and experience in short supply, setting up and offering such a service is a challenge for IT and security resellers.

SOCaaS increases partners’ ability to support their customers’ digital transformations, and lowers risk for both the end customer and the partner.

“Crucially, it also means partners can extend and enhance the range of services and value they offer to their customers,” Nixon said.

Tech Data’s SOCaaS provides continuous monitoring of different aspects of the customer’s systems to detect anomalies and trigger an effective response. It detects and contains threats, minimizing impacts on customers and providing fast restoration of systems following a security incident.

Partners that want to build a long-term security business can make use of Tech Data’s Security Practice Builder to define their strategy, follow a tailored development pathway, and become an adviser on security and data protection for their customers. They can then choose to develop their own offerings or make use of SOCaaS or any of the other as-a-service and managed security services that the Tech Data security practice plans to launch over the coming months.