Linda Tucci,  Options for outsourcing security grow, offer IT budget savings

Today’s WhatIs.com Word of the Day is Security as a Service.

A word about definitions: Like most IT monikers, Security as a Service takes various shapes.

It can refer to a traditional managed services model, in which a company hires an outside provider to configure, manage and even maintain its security infrastructure. These services can be dispatched remotely using a connection over the Internet.

Another model, “in-the-cloud” services, allows a company to use security technologies that are not located on its premises. One such cloud service that has gained traction is email security: Companies point their email to a cloud-based provider for cleansing before it’s delivered to the on-premise mail server.

Web security is also catching on, as cloud-based providers have resolved latency issues.

A third model, Security as a Utility, usually refers to an arrangement in which companies pay a monthly fee to lease security hardware for their premises and pay for the services to manage and maintain it.