A recent white paper published by Gordon Benoit, President of D3 Security Management Systems, gave the top ten factors take into account while selecting an incident management solution.
Modern incident management software comes with a broad range of features, often making it difficult for customers to choose the right solution. Some of such features are essential, others are optional, but understanding the differences would prove crucial to successful implementation.
A recent white paper published by Gordon Benoit, President of D3 Security Management Systems, gave the top ten factors to be taken into account while selecting an incident management solution.
1. Flexibility
A company’s business process is unique to itself. An ideal incident management system should be customizable to your company’s requirements and be able to adapt to any shift in threats and risks. A clear understanding of the solution’s ability to evolve is required before purchase.
2. Web access
For ease of use, security management software should provide browser-based access. Downloads should be disabled on the client side as this will reduce maintenance requirements, costs and improve security.
3. Server storage
The collected data should be accessible from the client browser, but it should never be stored on client computers. All information should be saved on the server.
4. Minimum hassles
A vendor that makes the whole solution in-house would be easier to deal with, compared to companies that try to integrate several third party units. Lesser the number of parties involved, lesser the hassle.
5. No extra staff needed
If your incident reporting software can be handled only by specialized professionals, it would add to your expenses. Ideally, solution provider should be able to train your current workforce at a reasonable cost and timeframe
6. Reasonable customization
Although ease of customization can seem an advantage, too much of it can be a headache for most organizations. Select a solution that can meet your requirements as much as possible.
7. Minimum cost and time requirements
A simple solution that can be configured using a GUI tool should be your priority.
“While having on-site consultation may give you peace of mind, it usually means that your system is too complex to maintain using your existing infrastructure,” Benoit said. “Some software company’s conduct consulting as a major revenue generator, and in many cases your consulting costs may be more than the licensing costs over a three-year period.”
8. Reliable partner
A partner with a strong track record is essential for implementing the right solutions. The software field is highly competitive, and constantly evolving. It is important you understand how effective your partner is before making the final decision.
9. Data capturing and presentation.
It is important that your solution can provide you the data in the format that you require, according to Benoit. The vendor should be able to give you a demonstration of this and help you ensure the solution is what you need.
10. Full disclosure
When working with consultants on selecting the right solution, bear in mind that they might offer services in one or more incident reporting packages. “While it is possible that the package they know and provide services in implementing is the best choice for you, you deserve to have full knowledge about potential conflicts of interest,” Benoit said.