Improve Security Prevention, Detection And Response

Gartner believes midmarket companies should evaluate the use of cloud security access brokers, enterprise mobility management security, identity and access management services and unified threat management.

Mid-market companies need protection from advanced attacks but "can't manage complex solutions or a large number of alerts or events," according to part of Cisek's presentation that ITBestOfBreed received in advance. He advocates endpoint protection platforms to leverage advanced behavioral engines to protect against malware.

Mid-market firms also need better visibility and control of sensitive data in the public cloud.

And whatever those firms can't do within, they should supplement with managed security services, Gartner believes.

Security "should be number one on the list" for midmarket companies, says Brian Hanify, vice president of sales and marketing at Akuity Technologies, a solutions provider based in Auburn, Mass. "The good thing is that security is getting better, and it's getting less expensive," he added, making it more likely that a midmarket company can afford a high-end security solution.