More and more businesses are allocating security expenditures to managed security services. A dynamic threat landscape necessitates trained security talent and knowledge, but there is a significant disparity in locating such talent, as well as the need to monitor and manage security events all year round. Here, we’ll explain how managed security services work, as well as the benefits of using managed security service providers.
What are Managed Security Services?
Managed Security Services (MSS) is a Technology Services program offering that provides robust and consistent management of state data security. IT security is becoming an increasingly important responsibility for state and municipal governments, necessitating more awareness of malicious threats and a greater emphasis on the technology that safeguards sensitive information. Government entities are under constant pressure to satisfy expanding constituent needs, achieve more with less, and boost the value they provide to the public, in addition to ensuring secure computer environments. Whether you are a state, local, municipal, higher education, or another DIR-eligible customer, MSS can help you consolidate security services, meet legislative security requirements, mitigate security risks, and fill skill gaps to provide a secure computing environment for your business and more effective services to your constituents.
The Benefits of Managed Security Services
Managed security services, often known as outsourced security services, are quickly becoming a reality for companies of all kinds. Hiring an MSSP provides numerous benefits to an organization’s security personnel. Your team can begin to focus on strategic security projects while the MSSP manages your security environment on a daily basis. Here are some of the benefits of managed security services.
#1. Cut costs while increasing efficiency.
An MSSP provides you with a team of seasoned security specialists that will work for you for a fraction of the expense of developing your own security staff. Acquiring a complete set of security technologies and solutions could be an expensive task. However, MSSPs and security outsourcing become far more appealing options.
#2. Increase the Size of Your Team
A global MSSP will provide your team with a distinct advantage. Through an MSSP’s global 24x7x365 Security Operation Centers (SOCs), you will be better positioned for sustained operations wherever or whenever you need it. These SOCs can provide your company with the most recent threat intelligence and visibility into sophisticated threats that a smaller or regional vendor cannot. Consider expanding your security team to provide global security coverage this holiday season.
#3. Establish a Threat Hunting Organization
An MSSP will provide you with advanced monitoring, analysis, and investigation of malicious code and callbacks in order to discover attempted or successful security breaches. The Security Operations Centers operate around the clock to provide best-in-class defense, real-time incident response, and operational optimization. An MSSP use threat monitoring to reach beyond the network and become a threat-hunting organization, preventing threats from entering the network.
#4. Event Investigation and Rapid Incident Response
An MSSP that can provide Incident Response and Event Investigation services would have unparalleled knowledge in dealing with business security events. This protects the organization from future harm, ranging from single-system hacks to enterprise-wide invasions by advanced assault organizations. An MSSP’s Incident Response team will immediately examine the difficulties you have and offer specific steps based on digital forensics and their experience dealing with literally hundreds of crises.
#5. Insights into SIEM and log management
Across several sites, a company collects very relevant data regarding its security posture. You can analyze all of the data from a single point of view when you utilize an MSSP. This makes it easy to spot out-of-the-ordinary trends and patterns. A Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system is responsible for this. An MSSP will use the SIEM system to collect logs and other security-related documentation on a single platform for analysis. They can utilize this information to compare your data to a database of threat intelligence feeds and detect malicious behavior in real-time.
#6. Relief from Security Asset Management
Organizations frequently purchase new IT security solutions just to let them sit on the shelf, unable to realize their full potential. Another advantage of using an MSSP is that they will provide your team with the necessary expertise and technical resources to manage and administer these new security assets.
An exceptional MSSP will also take a comprehensive perspective of your security system and understand the unique requirements for integrating new security assets with the most recent patches, configuration updates, and security policy modifications.
#7. Keep a close eye on advanced threats.
Cyber risks such as Advanced Persistent risks, advanced malware (Trojans, viruses, and worms), and other harmful attacks are becoming more complicated and sophisticated for small and mid-size enterprise organizations. An advantage of hiring an MSSP is that they can give sophisticated security technology and the most recent threat intelligence to monitor and detect these significant, rising risks. An MSSP that provides Advanced Threat Prevention (ATP) will enable you to quickly implement an active threat prevention program while lowering expenses and maximizing security.
#8. Make Vulnerability Management More Automated
Continuous vulnerability scanning of your environment is an essential component of a successful security posture. Working with an MSSP has the advantage of providing accurate internal and external scans of your IT network assets, hosts, online applications, and databases. An MSSP’s automated vulnerability scans will reduce resource requirements through a controlled dispersed deployment, lowering IT operations costs.
Furthermore, the MSSP can provide configuration changes, patches, vulnerabilities, hardening, and policy compliance of IT assets, devices, and applications, as well as interactive dashboards and informative reports, as well as the deployment of these automated vulnerability scans by certified experts to ensure your results are truly actionable and free of false positives.
Managed Security Services Providers
Managed security services providers (MSSPs) are IT service companies that specialize in giving security-as-a-service to their clients. While MSPs (managed service providers) have been operating for over 20 years, MSSP practices have just recently begun to emerge and acquire traction.
What Is the Difference Between MSSPs and MSPs?
MSSPs (Managed Security Services Providers) operate similarly to MSPs (Managed Service Providers), but are primarily focused on security, whereas MSPs provide a broader range of IT services and are generally less focused and specialized in cybersecurity. Furthermore, whereas MSPs frequently establish their own network operation center (NOC) from which they monitor and manage customer operations, MSSPs typically establish a security operations center (SOC), which is in charge of protecting the infrastructure (networks, applications, databases, servers, and so on). Some MSSPs may be in charge of many SOCs.
Reasons You Might Want to Use an MSSP
Here are some ways a managed security service provider can help its customers :
- Where there is an internal IT skills gap, scale up the security layer on essential competence.
- Learn about the greatest market solutions.
- Apply their experience with similar difficulties to a variety of customer situations.
- Improve threat visibility while speeding up security response (by having visibility into threats across several clients, an assault on one customer can allow MSSP to adjust protection to better defend its other customers).
- An MSSP can take over security, fill expertise and resource gaps in-house, or offer backup as needed.
What Security Technologies Do MSSPs Typically Manage and Deploy?
Typical MSSP technology offerings may comprise the following technologies:
- Deploying, configuring, and/or managing
- Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IPS)
- Filtering of web content
- Identity access management (IAM)
- Privileged access management (PAM)
- Scan for vulnerabilities
- Patch administration
- Anti-virus (AV) software
- Anti-spam
- Firewalls (UTMs, NGFWs, and so on)
- VPN
- Data loss prevention (DLP) is the prevention of data loss.
What Services Do MSSPs Provide?
An MSSP may provide a broad, generalist array of security capabilities and services, or it may specialize in one or two primary focus areas, such as identity and access management (IAM) or privilege management. MSSP services may include the following:
- Risk evaluations and gap analyses
- Policy formulation and risk management
- Solution elaboration
- Research and acquisition of solutions/tools
- Implementation of the solution
- Security system management
- Configuration administration
- Security patches
- Compliance, auditing, and reporting
- Education and training
Top Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) in 2023
#1. Cipher
Cipher is a worldwide MSSP that provides bespoke white-glove service to the global clientele. It is ideal for Small, Medium, and Large Businesses.
Cybersecurity Monitoring, Incident Management & Cyber Defense, Security Asset Management, Vulnerability & Compliance Management, and Managed Application Security are some of the services offered.
#2. ScienceSoft
ScienceSoft is a cloud-focused MSSP that promotes the Prevent – Manage – Detect – Respond approach. It offers a field-tested and systematic approach to managing its clients’ security demands, with 19 years in cybersecurity and 14 years in ITSM.
Customers can expect exceptional service and data security thanks to ScienceSoft’s mature quality and information security processes, which are supported by ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications.
Security and compliance consultants, cloud security specialists, Certified Ethical Hackers, and SIEM/SOAR experts make up ScienceSoft’s capable staff. ScienceSoft offers the following services:
- Setting up, configuring and upgrading security solutions: firewalls, antiviruses, IDS/IPS, SWG, SIEM, DLP, email security systems, etc.
- Regular vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, code review, and social engineering to detect and eliminate security weaknesses.
- Monitoring and maintaining the compliance of policies, procedures, software, and IT infrastructures with HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, NYDFS, and other security standards and regulations.
- Security monitoring of IT infrastructures 365 days a year, early threat detection, and prompt incident response.
#3. SecurityHQ
SecurityHQ is a global managed service provider that monitors networks around the clock to ensure complete visibility and protection against cyber attacks.
It is best for its customized approach to client demands. Their professional engineers know exactly what is required for each and every event because they were built from the ground up.
#4. Security Joes
Security Joes is a multi-layered incident response and crisis management firm with worldwide access in 7 time zones and a sun-following approach. It is best for small, medium, and large businesses that have purchased or are considering purchasing an EDR solution.
Core Services Offered:
- 24/7 Incident Response, Crisis Management & Follow-The-Sun MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
- Compromise Assessment
- External Attack Surface
- Red Team
- Phishing Simulations
- Malware Analysis
- Threat Hunting
- Threat Intelligence
- Vulnerability Management
#5. SecureWorks
SecureWorks is a renowned cybersecurity-focused MSSP vendor. They have a Counter Threat Platform (CTP) that provides superior data analytics as well as security insights. They provide network perimeter security services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
SecureWorks offers the following services:
- Enterprise network monitoring: Comprised of Advanced Malware Detection & protection (AMDP), Managed Firewall, Managed IDS/IPS, iSensor, etc.
- Endpoint Security: Encompassed of Advanced Endpoint Threat Detection (AETD), Enhanced Endpoint Threat Prevention (AETP), Supervised Server Protection, etc.
- Vulnerability Management: Advanced Vulnerability Scanning, Managed Web application scanning, Managed policy compliance, PCI Scanning, Vulnerability threat prioritization.
- Security Monitoring: Comprised of Log management.
- Combined Solutions: Comprised of managed detection and response.
#6. IBM
According to the 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Worldwide Managed Security Services, IBM is a leader.
IBM Managed Services include the following:
- Firewall management
- Vulnerability scanning from IBM Security.
- Information event management
- Intelligent log management on cloud.
- Intrusion detection and prevention system management.
- Managed data protection services for Guardium.
- Endpoint security services
- IBM X-Force cloud security service
- Amazon GuardDuty services
- Security SD-WAN
- Unified Threat Management
- Technology Bundle
- Security intelligence analyst
- Security-rich web gateway management
What Are the Three Types of Security?
Technical, administrative, and physical security controls are the three basic forms of security controls.
What Are Some Examples of Managed Security?
Managed firewalls, intrusion detection, virtual private network, vulnerability assessment, and anti-viral services are common examples.
In Conclusion
Anyone who uses the internet is vulnerable to attack. The attack could be of any form, such as malware or hacking, spam emails or DDoS attacks, and so on. When these types of attacks occur on your website, they have a significant impact on your organization. To avoid this, a company’s network security services that it outsources to a service provider are known as Managed security services (MSS).
Related Articles
- Managed Service: All You Need To Know
- CYBER THREAT INTELLIGENCE: Meaning, Tools, Analyst & Salary
- Four Beneficial Uses For Managed IT Services in Small Business
- INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: All You Need To Know
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