As more and more companies make their digital transformations, businesses' security needs continue to evolve. Managed Security Services Providers make powerful partners and offer holistic security solutions for shifting business needs. Explore the service differences between managed services providers and Managed Security Services Providers so you can understand which essential services you need and the biggest factors you should consider when selecting a provider to manage your security.
A Managed Security Services Provider (or MSSP) is a company that oversees proactive threat prevention and ongoing protection for your IT department, including monitoring of systems and services within a client’s online ecosystem to ensure cybersecurity best practices.
Managed Security Services Providers have been rising in popularity due to the increase of online threats and the ever-growing complexity of tech environments and their relationship with the global information storage ecosystem. Rather than hire an in-house employee to cover IT security, many businesses choose to bring on a whole team of experts dedicated to monitoring their systems, offering solutions, and providing strategic recommendations.
Simply put, the responsibilities of Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are far more diverse than that of Managed Security Services Providers. Managed Services Providers are technical guides to many of your technology solutions. MSPs offer general IT services and can help you scale your businesses. MSPs will help you manage your network of devices, sorting through customization, wrinkles due to hybrid work, and any other complexities present in a growing business. Some MSPs like Coretek offer specific cloud services like cloud migration to help you transition much of your assets to the cloud. They are also focused on creating a more efficient business model with reduced costs.
Managed Security Services Providers, on the other hand, focus solely on the security of your network and assets. The focused nature of an MSSP allows them to hone in on risks and threats that could harm your business.
Some MSPs also function as MSSPs. Coretek, for example, has the ability to integrate all the services an MSP offers, with the advantage of being able to build your environment in a secure way, so best practices are baked into your business from the ground level. For example, if an MSP is responsible for consolidating and organizing your assets and user profiles into their most efficient configuration, a Managed Security Service Provider will be the one ensuring that all users possess the proper security clearance and all devices are secured against cyber threats.
You may be thinking, “I have an adept IT services team with basic security qualifications in-house, why should I pay a managed security services provider?” There are several unique benefits that an MSSP can provide for your business that are likely out of your team’s expertise and also of great significance to your daily business operations. Here are four examples of where the right MSSP could offer more for your business.
With the ever-growing and changing nature of cloud storage, it helps to have experts in the field watch over your cloud assets. Many businesses are resistant to cloud transformations because they feel that their sensitive data is more secure in the physical servers they possess. The fact of the matter is that the cloud is as secure as you want it to be. Cloud storage can offer more protection from unauthorized users, easier access for your team, and a better backup for faster recovery if something disastrous happens on your end.
Securing your cloud is worth the investment, as the benefits of completing a cloud transformation far outweigh any discomfort with change. Qualified security services providers will often offer Cloud Security as a Service (also known as SECaaS) as part of their services.
The best method to avoid cyber threats is active prevention. No matter how experienced your team or MSP may be, the practical field expertise of an MSSP is unmatched. MSSPs offer security vigilance, and can proactively identify and address risks before they occur.
When you engage in risk mitigation, you’re not only giving yourself and your team peace of mind, but you are actually investing in your long-term financial health as well. Security incidents come at huge costs, both in terms of personnel hours needed to rectify the breach, as well as potential theft and fraud.
Your team is absolutely essential and the greatest strength of your business. That said, they are also the greatest risk to your data privacy.
MSSPs are trained to help your team protect mission-critical data. They also know how to store data in a secure way, while still leaving it easily accessible to those who need it but gated to those who do not.
While an MSSP will be responsible for understanding the intricacies of your environment and managing the daily prevention of threats, it is of equal importance for your team to have a concrete understanding of your stance.
Through processes like managed security services assessments, your team gains a drill-down perspective of your own environment, unique risk factors, and more, so you can make educated choices on what your priorities are, and what you need from your MSSP.
There is plenty to consider when selecting an MSSP for your business. Before looking into specific services or how well they fit your business, check the provider’s track record and qualifications. Your cybersecurity is of utmost importance, and you have to be sure that your prospective MSSP has achieved measurable results with other businesses. Skipping this step is not only a waste of time and resources but may put you in a vulnerable position if your MSSP does not provide adequate services.
Next, ensure that your prospective MSSP is capable of executing your unique initiatives. Say you want to transition to Azure, but you have specific restrictions due to working in a high-confidentiality industry like finance or healthcare. You will want to make sure that your prospective MSSP is an Azure expert but also has the capacity to understand and fulfill all the necessary privacy requirements involved with the financial or healthcare sector.
Lastly, you want to be positive that your prospective MSSP is attentive to your needs. This is harder to quantify than the previous two requirements, but it’s just as important. Security for your assets is of paramount importance, and you want a Managed Security Services Provider that is actively involved in managing your security posture at all times. One good way to check this is to work with an MSSP that explicitly provides 24/7 services with some sort of security operations center. You want to be sure that your partner is actively working to prevent any security breaches, but will also be available to rectify incidents at the drop of a hat.
Coretek is committed to providing efficient and effective support that fits your unique business needs. Want to learn more about Coretek’s MSSP capabilities? Speak with an expert team member to dive in.
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