Cybersecurity incidents are a reality for all businesses and size does not matter. The pandemic has led to a rise in cyber threats and their complexities. In 2020, there were 155.8 million records exposed in data breaches across the U.S. According to Gartner, global spending on IT security and risk management technology and services was $133.8 billion in 2020 and is expected to rise to $150.4 billion in 2021.
You made significant technological investments in business, and you need to safeguard these investments. However, you may not have sufficient IT staffing to perform effective threat detection and incident response. A Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) is the strategic partner who can implement a cybersecurity program that aligns with your business operations and detects security threats.
A Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) offers outsourced monitoring and management of your company’s IT security devices and systems. Your MSSP will also manage all upgrades, changes, or modifications to your systems with the goal of protecting your people, assets, and data. With an MSSP, you get comprehensive cybersecurity coverage. Let’s consider the core elements of a mature and effective managed security service:
Standard Components to Managed Security Services
At a minimum, an effective MSSP should provide the following cybersecurity services:
Managed Detection & Response (MDR)
Threat detection and incident response are critical for the security of your IT network. MDR offers rapid threat detection, which means faster incident response to deploy appropriate actions for remediation to eliminate these threats. Your MSSP will ensure that your MDR solution includes a robust combination of the best security analysts and the latest tools working in tandem to keep your operations safe.
Vulnerability Scans for Network Security
One of the first steps to protecting your business is to unearth your IT security vulnerabilities. Your MSSP will perform several vulnerability assessments and scans on your networks, apps, and systems using innovative automated tools to detect weaknesses for correction.
Antivirus & Anti-Malware Support
Novel viruses and other malware are released nearly everyday. An MSSP will help you keep your network, apps, and other digital assets secure against these threats. Your Managed Security Service Provider should be able to deploy the best-in-class antivirus and anti-malware to protect your business from data breaches.
Managed Firewall
A managed firewall is like a medieval castle’s barrier walls as it controls what comes into and goes out of a network connected to the internet. Your MSSP will ensure that your firewall is sufficiently robust and updated to safeguard against the latest cybersecurity threats.
Virtual Private Network (VPN)
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a greater reliance on remote work. Unfortunately, there’s a greater possibility of an unprotected device on your network unwittingly giving cybercriminals a loophole and creating security threats. An MSSP will help you establish and maintain a VPN through which all your staff members can safely access sensitive data and work within your network from any device, anywhere.
Security Information & Event Management (SIEM)
Data collection and analysis are essential in protecting your business. SIEM software collects and compiles log data generated from your company’s IT infrastructure, host systems and apps, network, and security measures (such as firewalls and antivirus programs). This data is analyzed in real-time for effective threat monitoring, insightful event correlation, and rigorous incident response. Your MSSP will help you explore your options for implementing a SIEM solution.
Security Operation Center (SOC)
A mature security services provider should have an internal SOC on-call 24/7/366 to offer immediate threat detection and incident response. This degree of IT security protection significantly shortens the length of time that hackers have access to your network and minimizes the damage they may cause.
An MSSP with an in-house SOC can quickly distinguish between actual threats and regular virtual traffic. At Net Friends, we use cutting-edge tools alongside our SOC team’s expertise and analytical skills to immediately identify malicious activity and take immediate action to protect your network and assets.
Pro-Tip: We also recommend that your MSSP doesn't saturate your entire cybersecurity budget, because you will want to reserve some funds to perform a 3rd party independent review of the MSSP on a regular basis. This could be through a formal audit process, like a SOC 2 Type II audit, or through a point-in-time assessment like a Penetration Test.
How We Improve Your Cybersecurity
Net Friends is your ultimate combination of Managed Services Provider (MSP) and Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP). We not only provide a suite of managed IT services, but we also offer a robust cybersecurity program. When you choose Net Friends as your MSSP, you can expect us to:
- Fulfill your vacant IT roles: When you partner with us, we help you fill IT gaps within your organization with our elite team of cybersecurity experts.
- Provide top-quality specialist security analysts: You may also need specialized cybersecurity analysts who are certified and equipped with expertise garnered from deep study and real experience. At Net Friends, we have a deep bench of top-trained cybersecurity specialists to help you scale as needed.
- Deliver 24/7/366 protection: A cyberattack can happen at any time - not just during your business hours. When you choose us as your MSSP, we ensure that our internal Security Operation Center (SOC) is available round-the-clock, providing continual threat detection and rapid incident response to potential cyberattacks.
- Help you increase your cybersecurity maturity: Many SMBs don’t possess the requisite IT maturity to create and sustain a strong cybersecurity culture. With Net Friends as your MSSP, your business will quickly deploy a robust and mature cybersecurity program that empowers your team to improve their risk awareness.
- Configure and manage of your cybersecurity solution: As your security provider, we will leverage our years of expertise to configure and manage your customized cybersecurity solutions.
- Offer a predictable MSSP fee: Our innovative, in-house SOC team helps us offer a comprehensive cybersecurity service to our many valued clients at scale. We pass these cost savings to your business by providing our managed security service at an affordable, fixed monthly fee.
- Provide compliance support: You need to keep up with increasingly complex data protection regulations. With Net Friends as your MSSP, we will help you collect data and generate the requisite reports to demonstrate your business’ compliance during audits (or in the wake of a potential incident).
Contact us today so that we can become your trusted MSSP to develop and deploy your cybersecurity solution. Let’s work together to keep your operations secure and profitable.
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At Net Friends, we believe in the power of human expertise. While we leverage AI to enhance our content and processes, all blog posts are written and edited by our knowledgeable staff. You can trust you are getting insights directly from our team.