Organizations of all sizes are increasingly turning to managed security solution providers (MSSPs) to meet all or some of their cybersecurity needs.
These MSSPs offer a wide array of benefits, making them an attractive option for businesses seeking to enhance their security posture while optimizing costs and resources.
Here are some of the benefits that MSSPs can offer:
Lower costs, greater economies of scale.
Purchasing power for endpoint detection response, security information event management, application whitelisting, protective domain name system, multifactor authentication, phishing automation, backup patch automation and other security tools will exceed the financial capacity for all but the largest of organizations. An experienced in-house cybersecurity specialist in the Greater Houston area has an annual salary of over $100,000. With an MSSP, an organization can afford an entire team of people who will supply the tools for less money than one security specialist — for most businesses with less than a few hundred employees.
Fixed or nearly fixed costs. Capital expenditure costs, like security software licensing, can be moved to operational expenditures and based upon actual usage versus guessing on the total usage over a year, thereby wasting unused licenses.
24/7 year-round coverage. Most organizations, particularly those in the small to midsize category, can’t afford to create and maintain a security operations center. However, because of their larger size, MSSPs can attract and afford the talent needed for nonstop operations.
Reliability and sustainability. Due to their larger size and specializations, MSSPs also typically handle turnover more easily, whereas an organization with only an in-house security team might be hindered if one person leaves.
Quicker path to maturity. Leapfrog your capabilities by using a firm that has already matured those security processes your company requires.
Threat detection and response. Better and faster insights into existing and emerging threats and how to detect and defend against them.
More experience than a typical in-house team. An external organization deals with more alerts and breaches than a usual in-house team, so they tend to have better skills and more in-depth knowledge.
Broader experience. MSSPs work in different vertical industries and with companies of varying sizes, giving them a wide breadth of experience they can use to advise clients.
Continuity. Entering a long-term contract with MSSPs provides consistent services and ongoing operations, even in the event of senior team members departing. Moreover, MSSPs typically invest in continuous education for their team, offering more consistent and comprehensive training than most individual IT professionals would pursue.
Early warnings of emerging threats.
MSSPs most likely see emerging threats earlier than in-house staff. They also have tools to parse new incoming threat notifications from vendors and the federal government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Documented compliance with security standards. Cyber insurance, vendors and customers are interested in seeing evidence that a firm has met certain compliance rules and set up cybersecurity standards.
In-depth knowledge of regulatory requirements. MSSPs have a better understanding of the cybersecurity requirements for specific industries, and they understand a multitude of cybersecurity frameworks.
More cybersecurity specialists. MSSPs can also employ highly specialized talent to serve multiple clients, even if each client’s workload alone wouldn’t justify the cost within a single firm.
As the cyber-threat landscape evolves, MSSPs will likely have more resources and talent to adapt than an in-house team. Cybersecurity must be a proactive endeavor for all organizations. Given that the average cost of an attack now surpasses $500,000, the expense of having an inadequate security team may prove too costly to justify pursuing an in-house strategy.
For more information, visit omnipotech.com or call Robert Kyslinger at (281) 768-4308.
