What Are the Key Considerations in Implementing a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP)?

No matter your industry, the interconnectivity of your people, processes, and technology can make it increasingly difficult to keep your data and assets secure. 

But, swing too far toward locking down your systems and implementing security controls, and you can negatively affect your customer and employee experience.

That’s exactly why many organizations have decided the most efficient and effective way for them to find the right balance is with the help of an IT managed security services provider.

So, what can a managed IT service provider do for your organization, and how can the right partner positively impact your operations, customers, and even your bottom line?

Why should your organization partner with a managed security services provider?

As your business operations evolve and expand its diversity and complexity, handling security at an enterprise and end point level can quickly become too resource- and time-intensive. However, failing to keep up to date with patches, triaging alerts, and aligning with best practices can leave your brand open to risks that can be far more damaging.

These are just a few of the main drivers behind why many organizations choose to partner with a managed security services provider. Some of the other reasons include:

• Access to the latest security tools and support, enabled by industry partnerships, to help you better serve your customers and operate your enterprise more efficiently
• Support for the full lifecycle of security implementation, upgrades, migrations, and specialized feature integrations to keep your enterprise ready to face tomorrow’s threats
• Hands-on help to maintain compliance standards with access to audit readiness and remediation support
• Access to a bench of technology professionals with a depth and breadth of experience to support everything from product evaluations to incident remediation

What separates good from great when it comes to managed security services providers?

After deciding to partner with a managed security services provider, the next key step is finding a partner with the right mix of experience, industry knowledge, and customer service.

Whether you already have a must-have list in the works or are just starting from scratch, here are some of the key qualities to look for in a managed security services provider:

Deep Industry and Technical Knowledge

Just like your operating model, your security needs are unique to your organization, from evaluating new physical and network security technologies to proactively researching potential security threats. You need a managed security services provider that has seen it all. Look for a partner that understands the nuances of your business, which allows them to provide both proactive, reliable services and a strategic vision to maximize your security investments.

Access to Advanced Technology and Comprehensive Support

In today’s digital world, cybersecurity never sleeps. In addition to being able to provide 24/7/365 coverage, you need a partner that moves as fast and as nimbly as your employees, capable of protecting any work product on any network anywhere.

Ensure your partner has a 24/7 security operations center to identify, contain, and remediate incidents; provide the real-time support your team needs; and has the capacity to provide other key services, such as:

• Managed security incident and event management
• Enterprise disaster recovery
• Managed enterprise firewall 
• Secure SD-WAN 
• Enterprise email security 
• Continuous risk scanning and assessment

A Customer-First Approach

Cybersecurity is not a one-size-fits-all solution; look for a provider that strives to deeply understand your business needs and puts your requirements first instead of their bottom line.

A strong managed security services partner delivers vendor-neutral advice; has access to an extensive partner technology network; and has the economies of scale to find the software, hardware, and devices you need quicker, cheaper, and faster. The right partner can also deliver a predictable billing model, scalable services, and the agility to respond to changes in your business operations as they occur.

Find peace of mind with VectorUSA.

Today, more than ever, your employees and customers are looking to your organization to protect their data, privacy, and security. Taking on this challenge is no easy task.

Fortunately, with a managed security services partner such as VectorUSA, you don’t have to face tomorrow’s cyberthreats alone. For more than 30 years, VectorUSA has worked hard to deeply understand each customer’s needs and find the right balance between security and innovation. In fact, there’s nothing that the VectorUSA team does better than security and confidentiality. We have decades of cybersecurity experience, so your business can find the peace of mind that comes with knowing your employees and customers are protected from malicious cyberattacks. 

Ready to learn more about what the right managed security services provider can do for your business? Take a moment to download our e-book, Tips on How to Select the Right MSP for Your Organization.