Managed security services enables iYogi to deliver better services

For a company, whose business model relies heavily on the Internet, iYogi was facing a challenging time in ensuring security for processing thousands of daily electronic payments. The firm, which provides subscription-based tech support for PCs, connected devices and peripherals, is the largest subscription remote help service in the U.S.

As the firm grew, it realized the importance of building and demonstrating anti-fraud processes and compliance with the international Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This was critical as the only mode of payment for each support transaction was via a credit card/debit card using a third-party payment clearance house.

iYogi decided to partner with Verizon for enhancing protection of its network and online payment system. Today, Verizon is involved in providing iYogi with a range of managed security services such as compliance to PCI DSS and ISO/IEC 27002, vulnerability assessment and investigative response services. Verizon’s integrated IP networking and applications management solution also connects iYogi’s global operations with its core business application servers, co-located in Verizon’s Los Angeles data center.

“Our business has grown to hundreds of thousands of subscribers and a large volume of electronic payment transactions are managed every day. The managed security services agreement with Verizon helps us in continuously testing the system for vulnerabilities or threats to protect our customers from any data theft,” says Vishal Dhar, Co-founder, iYogi. Dhar informs that the engagement with Verizon Business has also helped in enhancing the security of iYogi’s delivery platform, iMantra, which connects over 5,500 global tech experts across multiple service centers.

Improved capability to handle threats

To keep up with its growing subscriber base and service offerings, iYogi has expanded to seven delivery centers across India, which increases the chances of security being compromised. With the help of Verizon, the firm has addressed this threat. Through the managed security framework, iYogi has implemented a set of tools and a 24/7 monitoring system that is available anytime through a dashboard. As a result of this proactive monitoring, Verizon has reduced the number of threat incidents by a significant percentage. “As we scale to manage tens of thousands of incidents on a daily basis, we continuously improve both the efficiency of managing these incidents and the precision of how they are resolved. A managed secure infrastructure benefits us by restricting any potential downtime caused by security incidents,” states Dhar.

The improvement in processes to meet PCI DSS requirements has helped iYogi to put in appropriate business controls in place. The certification has also resulted in improved customer confidence. “With our current pool of 6,000 technology experts to support our various campaigns and geographies, we have come a long way from being a start-up team of 32 people five years ago. At this scale of operations, uptime and efficiency provided by managed security becomes critical for growth,” explains Dhar.

iYogi’s experience proves that managed security services can not only lower down the costs of maintaining security, but also provide companies the capability to have better insights into evolving security threats.