For CISOs, the goal of cyber resilience—the ability to prepare for, withstand, and rapidly recover from a cyberattack—means shifting how you engage with Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs). It's no longer about buying a static service. It requires building a collaborative partnership.
In recent articles, we provided context across the ideas shared by security leaders in a series of conversations we had with them. Taking their ideas collectively, we found that achieving a mutually-beneficial partnership requires a delicate and essential balance with flexibility on the part of the MSSP and control on the part of the CISO.
This dynamic relationship moves beyond a simple transactional exchange to a true collaboration. Without a partner's flexibility, the service is rigid and results in a false sense of security. Without the CISO in control, your organization risks security gaps, operational chaos, and a loss of strategic direction.
Below, we explore how the two dynamics work together to create a partnership customized to your specific environment, team, business and industry context, and cyber resilience roadmap. And we look at what could go wrong if the balance is off.
An MSSP's flexibility is the engine of a resilient partnership. It's based on the vendor's willingness to adapt their service to your unique environment, not the other way around.
Done well, flexibility is a strategic imperative. This can include:
The ability to adjust services delivered as the business grows or as internal teams mature. Offering a wide range of services in flexible bundles, such as a retainer you can use for different services, shows a commitment to the client's success. Environments shift, along with business objectives and threats. Rigidity is an unnecessary constraint that challenges your resilience and ability to ensure security operations enable growth and innovation.
Without this flexibility, you could experience:
Working in a shared services model with clearly defined responsibilities enables seamless collaboration with your internal team. Your MSSP’s security experts must be willing to transfer knowledge and help build the client's internal capabilities over time. A strong MSSP partner complements the existing team, rather than operating in a black box.
Without this model, you could experience:
The ability to connect with and use a client's existing SIEM, ticketing system, and diverse technology stack. Establishing a new MSSP partnership shouldn't require investment in a whole new set of tools. Rather, it should strengthen the investments already made in your security tooling and systems, as well as upgrading processes, runbooks, and documentation.
Without this level of integration, you could experience:
The ability to offer specific, on-demand services like threat hunting or IT/OT expertise, depending on your unique risk appetite, critical assets, internal team capabilities, and security maturity.
Without services matched to your needs, you could experience:
While flexibility is critical for a service to be effective, control is what ensures the partnership remains aligned with the CISO's strategic vision for cyber resilience. This isn’t about micromanaging, but about maintaining authority over key areas to protect the organization's assets and ensure business continuity.
CISOs who establish control in these critical areas create the right balance in their MSSP partnerships:
Ambiguity in roles can lead to dangerous gaps in vulnerability management and incident response. A well-defined Statement of Work (SOW) with explicit handoffs and communication flows is vital for seamless operations, team collaboration, and swift recovery.
Without a defined scope, you could experience:
The CISO must have full access to the platform and maintain ownership of all intellectual property, including custom rules and configurations. CISOs must also define data residency preferences and the log sources ingested and actively worked.
Without platform and data control, you could experience:
Without clear KPIs and SLAs, the CISO can't measure the MSSP's value. Robust metrics on true positives/false positives and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) are essential for holding the partner accountable and driving continuous improvement.
Without clear KPIs, you could experience:
While the MSSP should be capable of rapid containment, the CISO must retain the option for a "human-in-the-loop" for critical actions to prevent unintended consequences and ensure alignment with the organization's risk appetite.
Without defining response protocols, you could experience:
The CISOs and security leaders we spoke with agreed that achieving cyber resilience is not a single event. It's a continuous journey. A customizable MSSP partnership—one built on the foundational principles of flexibility and control—is the most effective way to navigate this journey. A partnership built on transparency, trust, and mutual respect empowers your organization to adapt to evolving threats while maintaining strategic oversight of its security posture.
Demand a partner who is both flexible enough to meet your unique needs and transparent enough to give you the level of control you require. This is the best way to build a security program that is truly resilient. The alternative is a vendor who may just compromise the long-term effectiveness of your security program.