Alert Logic, Tenzing Managed IT Services Team On Security

tenzing

Tenzing is integrating Alert Logic’s intrusion detection services with its managed hosting offering. In addition, Tenzing uses Alert Logic’s scanning capability to offer its customers Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) vulnerability assessments. Alert Logic earlier this year was recertified as an Approved Scanning Vendor by the PCI Security Standards Council.

For Tenzing, the partnership marks a shift in how the company provides security.

“Historically, as customers subscribed to Tenzing’s Intrusion Prevention service, we would deploy a physical device on-premise in our datacenter in a 1:1 model,” said Simon Keogh, vice president of marketing at Tenzing.

Keogh noted the convergence of the companies’ business models: Tenzing as a cloud hosting provider focuses on e-commerce and SaaS applications, while Alert Logic offers a SaaS-based delivery model.

Alert Logic’s View

For Alert Logic, the deal underscores the notion that cloud service providers will opt for managed SaaS security instead of looking for an MSSP partner. Hall said Tenzing’s services portfolio, which includes managed private clouds and a range of managed hosting options, offers small and medium enterprises a choice of IaaS flavors. Those services, embedding security as they do, essentially lock out MSSPs.

“The fact that IaaS providers like Tenzing have security integrated into their solutions cuts out the MSSP from being able to service SMEs who elect to adopt the IaaS model,” Hall said.

Hall said the more SME companies work with cloud service providers, the smaller the addressable market becomes for traditional MSSPs.

The lingering question is how quickly customers will snap up the cloud model. MSSPs face a market-timing task as they straddle their traditional on-premise and emerging cloud/SaaS businesses.

Sign up for MSPmentor’s Weekly Enewsletter, Webcasts and Resource Center. And follow us via RSS,Facebook, Identi.ca; and Twitter. Plus, check out more MSP voices at www.MSPtweet.com.