“Good security is too expensive.” The benefit of a good MSSP.

We’ve mentioned in numerous blogs that you need to stick with what you are good at and I cannot stress how important this is when it comes to secure network security services. We have seen numerous companies try to handle their own security and they either do it inefficiently or just plain wrong. Using a managed security service provider (MSSP), like an IT managed service provider (MSP), will provide you better results at cheaper costs.

Benefits of a MSSP

1. Cheaper cost.  A huge benefit that may not be immediately evident to management is how much cheaper it is to go with a MSSP than it is to set up your own security team. You may wonder, “How could it be cheaper to do contract work than to hire a full-time employee?” First, a good MSSP will have much better pricing on software and appliances from security vendors because of their knowledge and professional relationships. Second, personnel costs are cheaper because you are sharing that cost with other companies using that MSSP. When you staff your own security team you need to make sure you have security projects that they can work on for 40-hours a week in order to justify the expense of their employment.
2. Technological expertise.  It is the job of the managed security company to keep up on the latest trends and technologies within the security landscape. Instead of trying to figure this out on your own, a good MSSP will approach you with the best-in-breed technologies that will fit your company and network. Additionally, a good MSSP will have a team of security practitioners working on various projects, who can bounce ideas and configurations off one another. You’re not just getting a single person – you’re getting a team.
3. Coverage.  The fact that you’re getting a team means that they can be watching your network all the time – weekends and holidays included. Hiring an on-premise team to do that will be wildly expensive!
4. Shared Experience.  With a team of security professionals supporting numerous customers, the chance is higher that your MSSP will see the newest attack vectors on one of their customers’ networks and can apply countermeasures to your network before you’re even hit. This is a huge benefit, as the best attack remediation is the one that happens before the bad guy even gets in!
5. Frees the customer to focus on their product.  As I said above, if security isn’t your specialty, doing it is a distraction and a potentially huge waste of money. Allow the MSSP to focus on protection of your network and you can focus on making money doing whatever it is that you do.

Get to it

So what are you waiting for? With SMB’s increasingly becoming the target for advanced attacks, security should be a top concern. Even if you have a security team in place it may be worth talking with an MSSP about improvements or augmentations to your team to make them more effective. Security should never be set-it-and-forget-it. Let a good security management company take care of you so you can sleep better at night.