FINAL WORD important activity and alerts – providing a cost-effective alternative to traditional in-house SIEM deployments . they are , as they are and evolve with them is key to helping them understand the value .
Flexible deployment
24 / 7 service
Jonathan Nguyen-Duy , Vice President , Global
Field CISO , Fortinet
Many organizations are implementing Digital Transformation and research consistently shows that security is the primary concern . Cloud adoption , distributed computing , remote working , complexity and increasing threats are key challenges driving customers to seek MSSPs with flexible solutions .
Most customers want their MSSP to be their ‘ onestop-shop ’ for managing cyber-risk and compliance . To differentiate themselves , MSSPs need to offer customizable solutions with flexible technology in the form of appliances , virtual machines or cloud-delivered services along with pay-as-you-go options that allow customers to onboard new solutions quickly and efficiently as their needs change .
To do this , MSSPs need to offer on-demand services with extensive self-service catalogues – especially incident response and reporting .
The business benefits of choosing and working with an MSSP
Threat actors can attack at any time of day , often outside of traditional work hours . Even companies with a SOC may not be able to have someone on-call every day , all day . MSSPs can provide that comanaged service for companies without a dedicated SOC or augment the current SOC to address these outside-of-business times .
Rapid response
Our networks and systems are more interconnected than ever before , so the sooner a company can respond to a threat , the less damage that threat can cause . With automated response capabilities , customers can reduce response time to ensure a reduction in potential damage . Manual processes are no longer adequate as they can take anywhere from four to 15 hours , but automated response technologies can reduce that to 20 minutes or less . Incident response is all about automation for speed and scale .
Lower total cost of ownership
Beyond providing the right services and technologies , MSSPs must also demonstrate their business value . Many customers recognize their security problems but cannot articulate where the MSSP fits into solving them .
Building a SOC , deploying SIEM , tools and hiring the staff can be cost-prohibitive . Accelerating business requirements and cost concerns mean companies are seeking alternatives to traditional build-andoperate approaches .
To demonstrate the vital role they can play in securing customer networks and enabling the business , MSSPs should consider offering the following :
Specialized skills and services
For most customers , gaining access to the skills and services that help them solve their unique security issues poses a significant challenge . While no two customer requirements are the same , all organizations are seeking cost-effective ways to access scarce security skills and services .
MSSPs should focus on platform scalability that allows efficient customer focus without the cost of dedicated staffing . MSSPs need flexible solutions that evolve with customer needs .
The shared services model offered by MSSPs is an increasingly attractive model that provides accelerated time-to-service along with better risk management and compliance than traditional in-house solutions . MSSPs offer a predictable , demonstrated cost model that provides better value for risk management and business outcomes . Aligning operational metrics to customer business outcomes is a key differentiator .
Final thoughts
Customization and scalability go hand-in-hand when building out solutions . Services are just as important as technologies ; part of providing a solution is delivering value through the right technologies that solve the right problems , at the right price .
In some cases , a customer may want a comprehensive technology and services package that gives them an entire team and all capabilities . In other cases , the customer may just be building out a SOC and looking to grow over time . Being able to meet customers where
Providing access to technology , expertise and services is the foundational value of MSSPs . They should focus on a platform approach that allows highly customizable , scalable solutions with a TCO that unlocks value and growth . p
84 INTELLIGENTCIO NORTH AMERICA www . intelligentcio . com