A Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) is an IT service provider specializing in security services for both small businesses and large enterprises. The primary function of an MSSP is to safeguard an organization’s network and assets against cybersecurity threats and attacks.
The increasing complexity and frequency of cyber threats, along with a persistent shortage of cybersecurity skills, have made MSSPs crucial for organizations seeking to enhance and sustain the security of their IT environments.
In this blog, we explore the services MSSPs offer, how they help organizations bolster their security posture, and how they differ from other IT service providers.
What Are MSSPs Used for?
Organizations of all sizes utilize MSSPs to enhance their internal security operations. MSSPs can handle a variety of security tasks, including antivirus management, firewall administration, and intrusion prevention and detection. Typically, the MSSP manages these systems, ensures their optimal performance, and delivers security insights back to the organization. Additionally, they may offer security recommendations and assist in developing policies to strengthen the company’s network infrastructure.
MSSPs provide a cost-effective and efficient solution for businesses aiming to improve and maintain their security posture. They help resource-limited security teams by extending their capabilities, thus reducing the need for the business to hire and train additional security personnel. By leveraging the MSSP’s expertise and resources, businesses can manage the complexities of network protection at a manageable cost.
What Services do MSSPs Provide?
MSSPs are utilized to continuously monitor and manage a business’s IT environment, ensuring that security devices and systems operate optimally and are free from existing or potential cyber threats. Their tasks include configuring and monitoring various security technologies, analyzing and reporting security events, and more. Although specific services can differ between MSSPs, common offerings typically include:
Managed firewall
A managed firewall like Fortra Managed WAF is a service in which a team of security experts oversees the administration, monitoring, and management of the company firewall. Typically, the service includes firewall installation, setting up application control and web content filtering, and managing updates and patching. Managed firewall services improve threat management by establishing security parameters according to the company’s network traffic patterns. When an event outside these parameters is detected, it triggers an alert so the security team can investigate and respond to potential threats.
Intrusion detection
The aggressiveness of today’s threat landscape necessitates networks be continuously monitored for possible cyberattacks. MSSPs use intrusion detection and intrusion prevention systems to identify and block anomalous network traffic that may represent a threat. MSSPs bring expertise in configuring intrusion detection systems to recognize the difference between normal network traffic and traffic that signals malicious activity.
Patch management
Patching plays a crucial role in minimizing the attack surface vulnerable to exploitation by cybercriminals. Key areas requiring patches typically encompass operating systems, applications, and network equipment. MSSPs collaborate with businesses to establish patching schedules that aim to minimize operational disruptions.
Pen-testing
Penetration testing (also known as pen-testing) entails simulating a cyberattack against the organization’s prevention and detection controls. This is a form of ethical hacking which is effective in surfacing coverage gaps that may be used by bad actors.
Compliance monitoring & management
MSSPs support organizations in highly regulated industries by ensuring compliance with government and industry regulations. They monitor updates to regulatory requirements such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). MSSPs assess, monitor, and document the organization’s security posture to demonstrate ongoing compliance.
What’s the Difference between an MSP and an MSSP?
MSSPs are easily confused with managed service providers (MSP). Though both provide IT services, they have different focuses.
MSPs are external firms specializing in IT services for small and medium-sized businesses. Their core responsibilities include managing daily IT operations such as infrastructure maintenance, end-user support, hardware repairs, data backup, and help desk services. While they offer basic cybersecurity measures, MSPs primarily focus on ensuring smooth and accessible information system operations.
MSSPs’ specialize in cybersecurity, offering expert security services and functionalities. While enhancing IT efficiencies incidentally, MSSPs primarily aim to deliver robust security, proactively identifying and mitigating security risks to safeguard organizations from potential impacts.
MSPs and MSSPs differ in their operational roles within organizations. MSPs usually set up a network operations center (NOC) within the client’s premises to manage the company’s IT operations. In contrast, MSSPs establish a security operations center (SOC) dedicated to monitoring, detecting, and responding to threats to the company’s IT infrastructure round-the-clock.
It’s not uncommon for organizations to rely on both an MSP and MSSP to ensure the overall efficiency and security of their IT infrastructure.
What are the Benefits of Using an MSSP?
Partnering with an MSSP brings several benefits, including:
An expanded security team
While the skills gap in the cybersecurity industry isn’t a new problem, it continues to be a significant one. Globally, there are 4 million unfilled cybersecurity positions because there are not enough skilled applicants to fill them. As organizations struggle to attract and retain the security talent they need to protect their IT environments, IT departments feel mounting pressure to get more done with fewer personnel.
Partnering with an MSSP enables an organization’s understaffed IT departments to expand its security team. The company gets access to a bigger pool of skilled security talent at a lower cost than hiring and training them in-house.
Access to greater security expertise
MSSPs offer organizations access to diverse specialized knowledge and experience. They equip resource-constrained companies with the necessary tools and training to detect and mitigate critical security vulnerabilities. This proactive approach shields sensitive systems and data from potential breaches, safeguarding both customers and the organization’s reputation.
More time for core business priorities
Organizations’ in-house IT teams are responsible for ensuring the integrity and availability of business-critical data and applications. Managing security devices, maintaining security policies, and other security duties strains teams’ resources and distracts them from their core responsibilities. This extra burden is a common driver of disengagement and high turnover of IT staff.
Partnering with an MSSP can help companies alleviate the pressure on their IT teams. As the MSSP takes over routine but necessary security tasks, the in-house team gains more time to allocate to core goals like maintaining uptime and providing IT support, while being relieved of the stresses that contribute to high attrition.
Faster incident response
Rapid response to cybersecurity incidents is critical for minimizing the impact on the organization and its customers. The more time an attacker spends inside the company’s network, the more opportunity they have to inflict significant and lasting damage. Unfortunately, most organizations lack the necessary expertise and resources to respond quickly and effectively to security incidents.
MSSPs provide an organization with access to dedicated incident response teams. Through their large client bases, MSSPs deal with many more incidents than any individual organization, giving them deep expertise and experience in-house IT teams can’t match. MSSPs employ professionals with specialized skill sets such as digital forensics, malware analysis, and threat hunting who are uniquely suited to determining the scope of an attack and the most effective way to remediate it.
Cost savings
Perhaps the biggest benefit of working with an MSSP is the cost savings. Once you factor in the salary, overtime, and employee benefits involved in hiring a single security analyst, plus the software and hardware they need to do their job, the costs of maintaining a 3-5 person cybersecurity team quickly becomes prohibitive for many organizations. Partnering with an MSSP, on the other hand, is a more predictable expense and one that is usually just a fraction of what it would cost to maintain an internal cybersecurity team.
MSSPs: A Crucial Partner in Combatting Cyberthreats
As cyber threats continue to increase in both frequency and sophistication, security teams are facing greater demands to safeguard a constantly expanding attack surface. Simultaneously, they’re grappling with increasingly complex defense tools. Many organizations simply lack the resources and specialized security skills needed to effectively manage this complexity, making the protection of their IT environments a significant challenge.
MSSPs like Fortra’s Alert Logic play a crucial role as allies in the ongoing fight against malicious actors seeking to compromise sensitive data or undermine an organization’s reputation. Whether your company chooses Fortra XDR, Fortra’s Alert Logic MDR, or Fortra Managed WAF, you’ll be collaborating with a managed security services provider providing unrivaled security for any environment that leads to a stronger security posture.
Additional Resources:
How Managed Security Services Keep Your Business Safe | Blog
