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How to offer Cybersecurity Solutions with a Small Staff
Technology is just the tip of the iceberg. Twenty percent of security operations consist of technology and tools, where 80 percent of security results are driven by the human element. Managed service providers (MSPs) are experiencing challenges offering complex cybersecurity tools to their end users due to staffing shortages, a trend we see continuing.
With the cybersecurity talent gap expanding to leave over 1 million unfilled jobs, MSPs are struggling to recruit qualified professionals to help deploy solutions. As the threatscape morphs and data breaches escalate, it is essential that MSPs offer the best security options to their end users. This article digs deeper into the potential complexity and cost of true protection, and how MSPs can still offer this level of coverage at a price that is affordable to small to midsize businesses (SMBs).
Cybersecurity tools such as security information and event management (SIEM) are powerful but traditionally difficult to deploy. SIEM can give MSPs insight into their end users’ systems, unlike traditional security solutions like firewalls and anti-virus. However, SIEM needs the support of a security operations center (SOC) to produce the most accurate results.
A SOC provides continuous monitoring and analysis. With the people, platform and process to continuously look across an entire organization’s networks, servers, endpoints, applications and databases, a SOC applies expert knowledge to detect and dig into potential threats. A SOC’s key benefit is preventing the devastating impact of a breach by reducing the amount of time it takes for organizations to detect a data breach.
What do we mean by people, platform and process–and why is it important?
People make up the SOC, an environment that is traditionally complex to build and expensive to maintain. It requires a lot of specialized hardware and software to generate events and alerts, which must be investigated by highly skilled security analysts who can determine what represents a real threat. People are perhaps the most expensive component. It’s difficult to hire a team of highly skilled security analysts with the bandwidth and expertise to perform continuous monitoring while we are experiencing a worldwide shortage of talent. It’s even harder to retain them in the face of stiff competition for these scarce resources.
The platform with a traditional SIEM can be costly. You need a well-tuned SIEM to provide the visibility foundation, along with firewalls, IPS/IDS, vulnerability assessment tools, endpoint monitoring solutions and more. All of this must be fed by threat intelligence that is specific to your organization’s goals and risk tolerance, and the results need to be augmented by machine learning and fine-tuned by human experts.
Processes are costly, as well. Detailed organization-specific playbooks need to be written, spelling out what should happen when ransomware, malware infections, distributed denial of service attacks or other threats occur. They specify how to investigate, what evidence to gather, and when and how to escalate.
Partnering with a Managed Security Service
If the people, platform, and processes are cost prohibitive for most MSPs, how can they offer SIEM to their customers without taking on all of the cost and management? MSPs should leverage a managed security service that includes a SOC. This allows MSPs to augment their internal team with seasoned security experts with mature processes driving a powerful SIEM platform, yet they remain in control of their end users’ systems. Partnering with a managed security services provider allows MSPs to provide a top-notch solution and service to end users, at a cost they can afford.
A managed security service with a SOC allows MSPs to enter a fast-growing marketplace with solutions that are needed by many different types of businesses. The goal is to get from your client’s current security and compliance posture to providing your clients with a stronger security posture, compliance confidence and incident readiness. The most cost-effective way to reach that goal for smaller businesses is via a managed security solution that includes a SOC.
You get the best of both worlds: the best people, platform and processes at the lowest cost. Not only do you avoid the people and process costs, but you also retain control over helping your clients by improving their security posture. Netsurion has the background to help MSPs enter new markets successfully and is the only managed security service provider that combines our own ISO-certified 24/7 SOC with our own award-winning SIEM platform for a truly integrated managed security service. Our partner program allows MSPs to focus on strategic areas like growing their business and enhancing client loyalty rather than getting bogged down by technology woes.
This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.
