Managed security services

In today’s post, we will be talking about a concept that is being highly discussed recently, which is the Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP).

To explain the meaning of Managed Security Service Providers, let’s stop, think, and remember what the business world was like 10 years ago. The incorporation of the Internet, electronic devices, and digital-tech gadgets were already paving their way to make room for a change in the cybersecurity paradigm. What organisations didn’t anticipate was the great evolution that expanded later on.

As well as the needs of the consumers, the way IT infrastructures are designed changed, along with the demand and the treatment of sensitive information… there were many transformations that were happening throughout these years, which all resulted in a digital transformation.

Today, almost every company in existence has an assortment of websites, manages tablets, mobiles, and computers. As companies become and remain more connected to the Internet than ever before, employees are now able to work remotely by connecting to a VPN…What conclusion could we reach here?

Corporations are definitely trying to take advantage of digitalisation. When using technological tools, cybersecurity becomes an essential task. It is an imperative to adapt some security measures, otherwise, it will leave an open door for numerous risks and threats to walk through.

After becoming aware about the matter at hand, digitally adapted organisations have relied on their internal protection and security measures for years, as well as their internal staff. And in some cases, they are still their only barriers that protect them against security breaches, while the world continues to technologically and cybernetically expand.

Limitations of cybersecurity organisations

Organisations rely on their internal departments for cybersecurity management. However, their capacity has been proven time and time again that it is not sufficient enough to properly protect them against cybersecurity threats.

In turn, the rapid technological evolution requires to be constantly updated on security technologies and methods. Through negligence, lack of training, time, and technological resources comes into play as time lengthens and economic costs grow.

The lack of trust has stopped many companies from launching to outsource their cybersecurity services, which in turn, has stalled their management.

What is a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP)?

Managed Security Service Providers are born to meet the needs of organisations regarding their integral cybersecurity. They provide security services and solutions, as well as protecting the technological and corporate assets of an organisation. Additionally, most MSSPs provide 24/7 security monitoring.

Its offer and, therefore, differentiation are based on the cybersecurity model as a service.

Why use this model cybersecurity as a service?

Proper cybersecurity management encompasses numerous activities that have to be carried out. Legal, operational, organisational, and technological aspects have to be covered. However, both technical and economic barriers have made this process complex for many corporations.

Therefore, Managed Security Providers (MSSP) try to provide companies with everything that’s necessary for proper security management, with flexibility and economic profitability. When dealing with security as a service, that is, a managed security offer, an organisation can transfer the cybersecurity management to an MSSP. Thus, they can focus on the core of its business. In addition to that, the lack of cybersecurity talent ceases to be a problem, as the MSSPs provide different profiles of cybersecurity professionals with high expertise, and without any hiring commitment.

Cybersecurity as a service, is at an increasing demand because of its given flexibility and economic efficiency, it allows corporate entities to secure their perimeters, adapt their security policies and procedures, increase legal compliance, and monitor their infrastructure. This would all be without the need for hiring specialised personnel, create large economic investments, or extend to large time periods.

What do the MSSPs provide?

The MSSPs offer a wide range of protective measures, starting from the most basic as an antivirus could be, to the complex, with this being the case of SOC.

MSSPs may include the implementation, configuration, and administration of the following technological assets:

Antivirus
Anti-spam
VPN
Firewall
Intrusion prevention systems (IPS)
Threat Intelligence
Access management
Prevention of loss of information

They also include:

Vulnerability and risk analysis
Policy development and risk management
Implementation of technological security solutions
Security systems management
Configuration Management
Reports, audits and compliance
Cybersecurity training
Professional profiles in cybersecurity

Furthermore, it should be noted that MSSPs to monitor infrastructure security use an SOC (Security Operations Center). This allows them to obtain absolute 24/7 supervision on the systems and devices of an organization.

The flexibility that MSSPs provide is that the client is able to select, combine, and decide what services they want to incorporate to increase their security levels.

MSSPs are the key for those companies that seek preventive and proactive protection

The MSSPs comprehensively cover the cybersecurity of an organisation, because in addition to protecting the IT infrastructure, they also help to discover threats and vulnerabilities, cover security policies in accordance with applicable regulations, and promote good security practices among other services.

To better understand the capabilities of the MSSPs, we have divided their services into three operating environments:

Managed Security for corporate environment

In this environment, MSSPs act as a cybersecurity consultancy. They help companies adapt their security practices and align them with the corporate strategy.

The organisation may also obtain an analysis of vulnerabilities, threats and risks that affect it. In order to classify these risks and establish a solid cybersecurity policy, following methodologies such as those of ISO27001, OSSTM, OWASP standards, etc. This encourages the creation of the Master Plan, a progressive necessary variable in which the scope and all security actions are defined, in the short, medium, and long term.

Managed security for technological infrastructure

In general, the MSSPs provide IT infrastructure security management solutions. In detail, MSSP offers basic protection such as antivirus and anti-spam, as well as more advanced protection through intrusion prevention systems (IPS) and the SOC (Security Operations Center). In finer detail, they also offer Pentesting services, thanks to which vulnerabilities can be discovered in order to establish a security incident response plan.

Managed security for legal compliance

The legal requirements made during the recent years have made complliance a must-have. Regulations such as PCI DSS, GDPR, ISO27001, SGSI, etc. require measures and establishment of strong cybersecurity policies. MSSPs help companies adapt to the legal regulations applicable to each industry. They also provide the knowledge and tools that are necessary for proper compliance with legal requirements.

What are the benefits of using MSSP services?

MSSPs provide the following benefits:

Increased efficiency in protection, thanks to knowledge and experience in cybersecurity techniques and tools by MSSP
Cost reduction and increased operability, as it is a cybersecurity offer supplementary to a service; payment for use can be adapted
Guaranteed correct operation of technological resources through advanced management tools such as SOC
Flexibility in selecting and combining solutions and services according to needs
Highly qualified cybersecurity professionals at your disposal for periods of time that require it, without hiring

In Open Data Security, we are Managed Service Providers through our CyberSaaS and Cybersecurity as part of our Service portfolio. Next, you can see the wider index of what we cover in this modality: