As an MSP, your clients trust you to deliver the robust and reliable security services that protect them from today’s increasing online threats. But are you equipped with the right technology to meet both their needs and your own?

Make no mistake: The platform you select to deliver your security services will likely dictate how successful your clients will be at thwarting would-be attackers. Choose a platform that’s overly complex, and your team will have trouble managing and configuring it. Choose one that interferes with regular business processes, and your client’s end users will grow irritated. Worse yet, choose a platform that can’t keep up with new threats, and you put your clients at greater risk for an attack. Guess who gets the blame for all these outcomes? You do.

So if your managed security platform is this important, how do you know you’re selecting the right one?

Start by asking vendors these five critical questions:

1. What kind of dashboard does it offer?

If you’re going to protect your clients, you’ve got to be able to see their complete environments—and that means you need a centralized dashboard, particularly in a cloud environment. Talk to vendors about what their dashboard offers. Does it integrate easily with other remote management tools?  Is it easy to navigate?

Look for simplicity. You want the necessary overview to identify potential threats fast, as well as easy access to the corrective actions required—preferably from a single screen. Furthermore, you want intuitive and centralized functionality to make updates and set rules with just a few clicks.

2. How quickly can I respond to detected or potential threats?

Malware, viruses and other infections can have dire consequences within minutes–if not seconds—so be sure you look for a security platform that lets you catch, identify and act on possible attacks right away.

Make sure that the central dashboard is easy to log into online, and make sure the ability to start remediation is right there on the home screen. Remember, your response time can be the difference between a single infected computer and a totally infected network.

3. Is it built for today’s modern business needs?

Cloud-based flexibility is an obvious must these days. You need cloud-based dashboards and cloud-based deployment options. But just as important for modern businesses—both yours and those of your clients—is mobile access.

Some vendors just shrink their web interfaces for mobile display, but let’s be honest: That’s not a mobile UI. For true ease of use and accessibility, you need a native-designed mobile interface. More than that, you need that mobile interface to deliver complete security functionality—because if it doesn’t, what’s the point? No one opens the app simply to look at it and log in elsewhere to address situations. Look for a security platform with an interface that’s built for mobile, with total functionality, so you can perform any necessary task on any device at any time, from anywhere.  

4. Can it keep up with changing threats?

Hackers and attackers are wily; they’re constantly evolving their malware or dressing it up in new disguises to keep you guessing. Fortunately, with the right security technology—backed by advanced threat intelligence—no guessing is required.

Ask potential vendors how they approach a changing threat landscape. You’d be best served with a platform offering built-in threat intelligence collected from a wealth of sources, as well as endpoints across the network.

5. Will I be able to consistently enforce policies?

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link—which is why consistent enforcement should be a major priority for every MSP. If policies and rules are not processed and enforced across the entire client environment, then the entire network is at risk. On top of that, certain policies are required for compliance with company and even government regulations. In other words, consistency matters.

Most MSPs tend to have enforcement hiccups when their software platform makes the process too tedious or time-consuming. A cloud-based security platform eases the burden on security administrators because it can enable one-click policy deployment across the whole client environment. Talk to vendors about how they make policy enforcement more straightforward for IT teams, so consistency is never an issue.

Ready to find the right security platform and give your clients the services they deserve? Remember these five questions—and you’re on your way to building a modern, comprehensive managed security offering.

This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.