Although most organisations manage IT in-house, outsourcing your IT security needs has become more common in the last few years. 82% of IT professionals say they are working with or plan to work with a managed security service provider (MSSP). So, what is a managed security service provider, and what can it do for your business?

As IT becomes more complex , MSSPs have stepped in to fill the gaps in traditional IT departments. If you’re looking to grow your business, build resilience to thrive in challenging times, and secure your data, then read on to learn more.

What Is a Managed Security Service Provider?

An MSSP is a provider of security services that are managed by the same provider. In other words, an MSSP is a third-party solution for IT security. Instead of hiring your own IT professionals to do the job, you can put your trust in another company that specialises in protecting your network.

There are many benefits of using an managed security service provider over traditional in-house IT.

Why Choose a Third-Party Solution?

On the surface, you might think that adding another company to the mix would complicate matters. But in reality,
building your own competent IT department can be quite difficult. You can simplify your business considerably. By leveraging the native security features within your existing technology stack – for example MS365 E3 or E5 offer core and advanced sets of security and compliance templates.

Microsoft 365 and the intelligent cloud can help you protect, detect and respond to today’s modern security landscape. As a fully integrated, end-to-end solution, Microsoft 365 helps you address new risks and opportunities and drive digital transformation to empower everyone from the executive office to first-line workers.

We have built a security practise around these platforms, and know the ins and outs of how to make the most of them. However, even with these, we know that there is more than finding a solution to plug a gap.

Hiring an MSSP like Atech means you get an entire team’s worth of support. The combined knowledge of everyone at an MSSP ensures that regardless of your circumstances, we can take care of it. Members of your own department may not be familiar with certain aspects of IT security, best practice, new and evolving threats, or have first-hand experience in identifying or responding to an attack. A good MSSP has seen them all.

IT skills in the security field are highly desirable and few but the largest enterprises have the resources to hire these skills. Besides, they often have little to do when the system is running smoothly. Does it make sense to pay full-time workers for part-time work? An MSSP can save your business money in the long run, and offer a simple, scalable price point to the type of monitoring, training, and certification you need.

What Does a Managed Security Service Provider Do?

What exactly can you expect from a managed security service provides? What services do they provide? What follows are the main offerings of an MSSP, but we can also tailor our services to suit your needs.

Atech’s Security services enable assurance of security and compliance across the technology platform based on a mature security strategy, governance, process, and tools will allow you to focus on scaling the business.

From the initial consultation and design, we procure and implement the solutions to meet your security objectives. We then commission and document throughout, and extend our services with ongoing management of your security. All this is delivered at a simple cost per head.

All our security services integrate into third party SOC and SIEM solutions allowing a seamless experience, we currently work with a few different security specialists’ companies and would gladly introduce you when there is the budget to be able to invest further in cyber/security. We start at the point which suits your business best, making recommendations that empower you.

Security Assessment

After hiring an MSSP, the first step is to determine how secure your existing systems are. Our experts review your local network with remote access, which allows us to see inside your business’s systems to determine how secure they are. From there, we proceed to examine your website and external networks.

It’s at this phase where we gather more information about your business to get an idea of what potential threats it may face as it grows. Your security services provider wants to see your business flourish, so we always look down the road to see where problems could arise.

In addition to baseline assessments such as this, we can help your organisation gain the security certifications you need win the confidence of your clients. Cyber Essentials, for instance, is a UK government-backed programme under the cyber security scheme of The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). While not expensive, the credential carries significant credibility, so achieving this should be top of your list.

Website, Email, and Network Security

These are the three most vulnerable areas of any company, so we aim to shore up the defences as soon as possible. Your website can be subjected to a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, which can make the site completely inaccessible. Even an hour of downtime could cost your business thousands. We make sure that doesn’t happen.

Phishing attacks through email and malware distribution through attachments are also common attacks. We review your email settings and WebHost configuration to make sure that your employees won’t receive suspicious emails. Training for employees is also an option, just in case a malicious email does slip through the cracks. With simulated phishing attacks, you will be exposed to what an attempted attack really looks like, so your team will know how to respond. What’s more, there are no expensive mistakes, only lessons learned.

Network security recommendations will make sure that no unauthorized users can have access to your files. In addition, we review permissions for existing users to limit access to valuable data.

Monitoring and Reporting

Once we have deployed the right solutions for your security posture, we keep an auditable track of activity and performance, across your environment. We also keep an eye out for any potential attacks and report on successful defences. If new vulnerabilities appear, whether due to changes in your systems or due to new methods of attack, we make sure you stay safe.

Here is where an MSSP really shines. We keep up with the latest developments in IT security so that you don’t have to. In fact, we have built significant IP around monitoring and automation, and use enterprise grade tools for analysis to ensure a proactive approach at all times. By staying one step ahead, we keep you from falling down. Furthermore, the reporting that we have built into our customer portal puts all this information at your fingertips – we are transparent about the state of your environment, and put you in control with access to all this information in an easy to use interface. Just ask one of our team for a walkthrough and demonstration!

Testing and Probing

Of course, to truly know if your systems are secure, we need to continually assess and test. Atech performs simulated breaches to see what the worst-case scenarios could be and we work to prevent those.

We also provide simulated phishing attacks to employees to see who takes the bait. This is the only way to identify a weak link in the security chain. With results in hand, you can schedule training for specific employees and help them understand cybersecurity better.

Should you wish to dive deeper into being proactive about threats and get visibility of why email remains the most common attack vector, it may be worth asking for a dark web report on breached credentials. We can run these reports across your whole domain and find the credentials which have been compromised. The findings may indeed surprise you.

Upgrades and Support

The IT landscape is constantly changing. Modern technology evolves at an unrelenting pace. As a result, you need a service provider that stays on top of emerging technologies and new protocols; new threats and new best practices.

Periodically we make recommendations for future upgrades and provide implementation support if you choose to do so. Keep your company’s IT security on the cutting edge with intelligent and proactive support from Atech.

The Power of Automation

The most powerful aspect of deploying an innovative cloud environment is the ability to automate the deployment along with the security and management.  With advanced automation, operations are run without getting in the way of rapid deployment to reach your end user with optimal speed , your business is able to release new products and services in an agile manner and realise the business value of innovations faster. In other words, by deploying automation in your security operations as well as elsewhere in the business, you add agility and resilience to operations.

Our Recommendations

Don’t let your business fall victim to cyber-attacks and security breaches. Not only can these cripple your company’s operations, but they can also cost millions in fines and settlements.

We take a phased approach to implementing security best practice to ensure that the impact on BAU is minimal. Get in touch to find out how we can defend your business and help it grow safely.