The best MSSPs offer significant benefits that are difficult to achieve any other way. Here are the main drivers for choosing cyber security managed services.
A. You get proactive threat detection
Does your IT team have the tools to spot threats proactively? Even if they do, can they respond proactively? Or are they busy putting out fires with wireless access, crashing desktops, and server patches?
Cyber security really requires dedicated professionals. But those people don’t come cheap—and they’re difficult to keep on staff. Which leads us to another benefit of managed services.
B. You get affordable access to experts
It’s no secret that cybersecurity experts are expensive to hire in-house, earning an average of $120,000 per year.
Consider the fact that one expert isn’t enough. You’ll need a team of professionals to provide full coverage. CSO reports that “at the $100 million mark, most companies have between one and nine full-time security workers.”
Here’s a list of common cybersecurity titles and specializations. Note that a robust cybersecurity practice requires many of these roles—and this list isn’t exhaustive.
- Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
- Cloud Security Architect
- Network Security Analyst
- Information Security Analyst
- Penetration Testing Specialist
- Intrusion Detection Analyst
- Threat Intelligence Analyst
- Cyber Insurance Policy Specialist
- Digital Forensics Analyst
- Government Compliance and Risk (GRC) Manager
- Cyber Incident Responder
For most organizations, it’s simply too expensive to hire (and keep) these experts on staff. They can earn a top salary anywhere they go. They tend to churn frequently due to stress and the abundance of opportunities available to them.
In contrast, managed services provide access to the right cyber security professionals at a highly affordable rate. Since cyber security becomes a line item with an SLA, rather than an in-house team, you get the certainty you need without the burden of internal management.
C. You get scalability and flexibility
Your network and IT needs are always changing. Your team may grow or shrink, which means a change in the number of end user devices connected to the network. You may enable remote workers—or bring people back to the office. New projects, lines of business, or partnerships may introduce changes in your IT needs.
Every time your IT needs change, your cyber security needs change. Change management for both IT and cybersecurity can be challenging to handle in-house. Software licenses, patches, hardware upgrades, regulatory compliance—this is one big, complex beast.
Managed cyber security services offer an advantage here too. You get an expert partner who handles your change management in regards to cyber security. Everything goes under one line item, and you know who to call when you have questions.
D. You get expert guidance on regulatory IT compliance
Do you know what regulations your organization must comply with? Do you know how they impact cybersecurity?
This is an area where managed cyber security services really stand out. A provider who works with many companies and industries maintains expert knowledge of all relevant regulations. Whether it’s HIPAA, CMMC, or an obscure regulation applying to your industry, an expert provider can explain what you need to do to achieve (or maintain) compliance. They can also implement the necessary cyber security controls.
E. You get a trusted partner handling your evolving complexity
Do you have the resources to stay on top of evolving cybersecurity trends? Most companies don’t unless they’re a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. For the rest of us, outsourcing to a trusted partner gives you a single line item, SLAs, and the knowledge that your MSSP has it covered.
F. You can move fast as threats evolve rapidly
The more resources you can put behind cyber security, the better. New threats are emerging all the time, and the pace of change has only increased since the pandemic. Managed cybersecurity services allow you to respond much faster than you could with limited in-house resources. You get access to an entire team of cyber experts who keep up with the latest threats as well as best practices.
G. You get a SOC (security operations center) without building it yourself
A SOC (security operations center) is the heart of any cyber security practice. It’s a team of experts who continuously monitor the organization’s networks, devices, and general IT infrastructure for cyber threats. When they detect a threat, they investigate and respond, minimizing damage.
A SOC is challenging to assemble (and maintain) in-house. Cybersecurity professionals are in high demand. When you outsource this function through SOC as a service, you take a significant headache off the table.
H. Your IT team can focus on supporting the business
Let’s be honest, most IT teams have no time to work on cybersecurity. There’s simply too much going on. They spend all their time on reactive responses rather than proactive monitoring and mitigation.
Janet’s laptop just broke again, and she’s giving a big presentation today.
Wifi is down at the satellite office.
You’re behind on patches… again.
When you outsource cyber security, you get time back to focus on your core mission—supporting the business from a technology perspective. That’s a huge advantage, and a huge headache removed.
I. Protect revenue, customer relationships, and reputation… for less
Cybersecurity is essential to preventing downtime, data breaches, and damaged customer relationships. A cyber breach can tarnish your reputation and relationships, ultimately impacting revenue. While we hear about devastating cyber breaches in the news, we never hear about companies that prevented an attack.
Disaster avoided doesn’t always seem noteworthy, but consider the opposite. Bad press can spin out of control. Once your reputation is damaged, it’s almost impossible to recover it.
Outsourcing to an MSSP allows you to protect your assets without the cost and operational challenges of an in-house team. It’s a seamless way to get where you need to go in cybersecurity.
What types of companies typically use these services?
Multibillion-dollar global enterprises may have the resources to add top-tier professionals to their staff—and to manage these professionals as a cohesive team.
For the rest of us, in-house cybersecurity is often out of reach.
That said, even large enterprises get significant cost savings and reduction of headaches from outsourcing.
At the end of the day, organizations of all sizes, in all industries, gain cost savings and better security when they choose an expert service provider for cyber security. Here are some scenarios that we see most frequently.
- No IT or cybersecurity in house. These companies simply don’t have the resources to handle their technology needs. From managed network services to cyber security, they engage a trusted partner who covers both IT and cybersecurity.
- Some IT, but no cybersecurity in house. These organizations may have a small IT team, or even a single IT resource, who supports day-to-day operations. IT staff has no capacity to handle cybersecurity because they’re busy troubleshooting laptops or trying to fix the wireless network.
- Robust IT, limited cybersecurity in house. These companies are doing great things with their IT staff. They may have a team member or two with cybersecurity experience, but they don’t have the bandwidth to take a comprehensive approach.
