Network security: Multiple layers of protection (page 2 of 2)

This is particularly the case, where many of the large businesses are family run and like to keep all their processes and information in house.

Add to that a degree of concern within the Middle East about company information leaving the country or the region, and convincing companies to outsource their IT security becomes a whole lot harder, especially in cash rich organisations.

But keeping up with the various threats, patches and policies necessary is becoming increasingly costly for all but the best resourced companies.

Quocirca analyst Clive Longbottom says using an external provider for remote network management is a big cost saver: "For example, an organisation with 20-50 employees needs at least three people looking after the network if it's on 24/7.

'If you compare the cost of three full-time members of staff to the cost of using an external service, it soon becomes a bit of a no-brainer to go outside.

'Not only that, but they'll give you a far more complete level of protection. It's becoming ever less practical to expect in-house staff to be chasing their tails all the time, trawling the net to find out the latest threats and resolutions. For external providers, that's their whole raison d'etre."