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Can the real MSSP please stand up?

By Stephen Osler

Johannesburg, 10 Mar 2021

What does the managed cyber security services provider (MSSP) really do? Are they a reactive machine that steps in when systems alert? Or are they a proactive resource that can translate investment into value? The answer is – both.

Over the past 10 years the role of the MSSP should have evolved alongside the capabilities of cyber crime. These criminal networks and methodologies have become increasingly sophisticated and complex, putting organisations under pressure to invest into ever more robust and agile security solutions. Security stacks have piled ever upwards, technologies have been wedged into gaps, and platforms have bowed under the weight of alerts, restrictions and rules.

Companies have relied on MSSPs to help them juggle the balls in the cyber air, but many have been defined by reactive responses, reactive solutions and reactive results. This approach had its place when cyber crime was still finding its way, but today, managed cyber security services have to be proactive, fast and relevant to deliver any kind of value.

The real cyber security services provider

No organisation can afford to sit back and wait for something to happen. Not only is this security approach risky from an incident standpoint, but it can miss the fact that the company has already been breached. Often, the hack has taken place months before the results are felt. Ransomware installed and circulated for months, ensuring it is sitting on the backups and the live systems, before it is activated. Vulnerabilities and holes already used to gain access to confidential and critical business information.

Modern managed cyber security services providers need intuitive approaches to stand up to the modern cybercrime threat actors, unfortunately this has meant that many companies have felt that their MSSPs are not delivering to their expectations. In fact, it has led to many organisations not quite understanding the value or relevance of any kind of MSSP. Why pay for a service that only kicks in when it’s too late?

Because you need the right kind of MSSP.

The kind of cyber security services provider that’s proactively engaging with business infrastructure to ensure that day-to-day health is monitored, that vulnerabilities are caught, and that software investments are maximised. The kind of MSSP that ensures that the organisation is getting the full value from its software investment, squeezing out every functionality and feature to deliver a security system that’s both capable and agile.

The right kind of managed cyber security services provider is the one that ensures value is embedded into every part of the security conversation.

Finding the MSSP that fits

To ensure that your organisation is capable of withstanding the cyber onslaught and getting the full value from its security investment, collaborate with a managed cyber security services partner that wants to get your systems into a healthy space. You want a partner that can help you get maximum value from your investments and proactively mitigate potential risks such as downtime or outage. With a responsive service, your company is placed firmly on the right footing, ready to rumble at the first sign of risk.

You need a partner that has the ability to close the loop, that can handle detection, response and remediation, and that can combine the entire security stack to create a full chain of responsibility. This is the future of security, and this is what a real managed cyber security services provider should provide your organisation. Tick the boxes of proactive, preventative and responsive, by work with a MSSP that understands the difference that these approaches make to any security posture.

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Stephen Osler
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stephen@nclose.com