Numerous factors are important in selecting a DDoS protection service. As we covered in the first post, three of the most important areas to look at are infrastructure, methodology and deployment. Two further categories to consider include the level of support provided and management options available.
If an attack takes place, your providers will likely be the ones to notify you rather than vice versa; however, if you opt for on-demand protection rather than always on, you will still need to call the service provider when there is a traffic spike to confirm if you are indeed under attack. If you are delayed in responding to an online security threat and realize too late that you’re already experiencing a DDoS attack, you risk losing money and business uptime, which can threaten your reputation exponentially as time goes on. Therefore, it’s critical to have 24/7 customer support from your service provider that can swing into action when needed.
Management options are also worth considering. By and large, DDoS protection services will manage the software for you as DDoS is such a complicated topic. You will be able to view important reports and network activity, however, you will not be able to configure your security settings. If you want hands-on management, then you will need to choose a provider that offers a management dashboard, allowing you to log in via a web portal and see what is going on in real time. www.
If you select on-site deployment, it is worth remembering that you will need to provide the hardware, network bandwidth and IT support to configure and maintain your cybersecurity defenses.
A further two important elements to consider when selecting your service provider are customization and scalability. If your business is small but looking to grow, your resources will need to grow accordingly as will your security protection service; so it’s important to go for a service that offers different scalability payment models so you can upgrade when needed.
Finally, do regulations in your industry or organization necessitate a certain DDoS mitigation strategy? The financial sector, for instance, has established formal requirements for DDoS mitigation. The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) Information Technology (IT) Handbook on Business Continuity Planning numbers six steps they expect member institutions to adopt in order to proactively address DDoS risks.