Managed security services providers (MSSPs) use high-availability security operation centers to provide 24/7 services designed to extend the capacity and expertise of your security personnel to provide full coverage and protect your critical data and assets.
Need for an MSSP may arise under specific circumstances, such as enabling 24/7/365 coverage or responding quickly and effectively to mitigate a security risk. For example, the discovery of the Log4j vulnerability prompted organizations to work with their security teams around the clock to patch critical systems. Many needed extra personnel to test systems and install patches promptly to minimize the risk of an attack on their organization.
As cybersecurity risks and challenges continue to grow in complexity and impact, the cost of investing in full scope, layered cybersecurity programs has become prohibitively expensive. MSSPs can provide the most advanced solutions tailored to each business and industry-specific context without significant upfront capital expenses.
Superior protection, cost savings, business focus, security experts, and leading-edge technology are reasons why more security executives choose managed security services to empower their security teams and enable their IT organizations to focus on strategic business needs.
A 24/7 SOC is essential for cybersecurity and risk management. Cyberattacks can occur at any time, and the longer an attacker has access to an organization’s systems, the greater the cost and potential damage. Immediate incident response is critical in preventing data breaches and protecting sensitive information. Partner with an MSSP to take advantage of a mature, effective SOC at a fraction of the cost of funding and maintaining it internally.
The cybersecurity industry is experiencing a significant skills gap. Currently, millions of cybersecurity positions remain vacant worldwide due to the lack of skilled applicants to fill them. As a result, organizations need help attracting and retaining the cybersecurity talent needed to protect themselves against cyber threats. An MSSP brings a wealth of security expertise on demand at a much lower price point than retaining them in-house.
Beyond the general cybersecurity skills shortage, organizations commonly need help attracting and retaining cybersecurity professionals with specialized skill sets. For example, cloud security is of vital importance to many organizations. However, not all cybersecurity professionals understand the shared responsibility model, a fundamental cloud security concept. An MSSP has experts with specialized skill sets on staff.
A rapid response to cybersecurity incidents is essential to minimizing the damage and expense caused to the organization. The longer an attacker has access to an organization’s network, the more opportunity available to steal sensitive information, embed persistence mechanisms, or trigger an attack that causes irreversible damage (like ransomware or wiper malware). Partnering with an MSSP can provide an organization with access to its dedicated incident response teams.
Deploying an effective cybersecurity stack can be complex. Protecting against all the cyber threats an organization may face requires an array of security solutions, and the investment in purchasing, configuring, and maintaining them can be significant. An organization can take advantage of the MSSP’s existing security investment to implement a mature security stack quickly and remove the need to maintain and update it in-house.
Cyber defense is expensive. In addition to the need to attract and retain a security team made up of skilled cybersecurity professionals, an organization also needs to acquire the necessary cybersecurity solutions, licenses, etc. Add to that the cost of getting the return on investment promised by the solution vendor, an MSSP has the experience and knowledge to reap more value from your investment.
Purchasing and deploying a cybersecurity tool is only the first step in using it. An expert must configure, patch, and maintain these tools or risk introducing new cybersecurity risks to the organization. An MSSP will configure and support cybersecurity solutions in customer environments, ensuring optimal protection.
The cyber threat landscape is evolving rapidly, and organizations need access to the latest information to protect against new threats. Organizations may subscribe to threat intelligence feeds that provide this data. However, the organization must also have data analytics capabilities and cybersecurity expertise to maximize its use of threat data.
An MSSP will have these tools and expertise and can optimally integrate their threat intelligence feeds into their cybersecurity infrastructure. This ensures that they can defend their customers against the latest cyber threats.
Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, and cybercriminals are designing their attacks to evade the detection capabilities of many traditional cybersecurity solutions. This means an organization may have cybersecurity infections that are present but undetected within their networks.
Partnering with an MSSP gives an organization access to an experienced threat-hunting team. This enables the organization to identify and remediate threats lurking undetected in their network, even if they lack the experience and tools necessary to do so internally.
As the regulatory landscape grows more complex, organizations need help to meet their compliance requirements. An MSSP will provide support to an organization’s compliance management program. This can include implementing required security controls, automating the collection of data required for compliance reporting, and assisting with audits and reports to regulatory authorities.
Maintaining an effective cybersecurity program takes time and effort. Partnering with an MSSP enables an organization to take advantage of a variety of benefits that provide robust, simplified security with a lower total cost of ownership.
SecureOps is the leading provider of world-class information security solutions. Our team of experienced analysts and technology experts deliver 24X7 protection and support for your most critical data. With over two decades of combined experience, our professional services team can help you close potential security gaps, remediate risks, and protect your mission-critical data.
An in-house security program is often more complicated, insecure, and expensive than an outsourced one. Our experience has been that partnering with an MSSP provides an organization with an optimized SOC with additional skills and round-the-clock support, periodic services like penetration tests and vulnerability assessments, and a blueprint to improve an organization’s security posture while managing risk and cost effectively.