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Does Your MSSP Add Value?

by Effi Lipsman on September 19, 2019

Mid-sized organizations often consider Managed Security Service Providers (MSSP) for their security. There are a few reasons; the shortage of available cybersecurity talent, or the (seemingly) compelling business case presented by MSSPs. Yet, if organizations were to analyze what outcomes they’re attempting to achieve, many (most?) would realize that there are comparable alternatives that are more closely aligned, that also save money and reduce risk in the long run. In this post, I discuss how MSSPs work, the business reasons behind the functions they offer, and the main reasons why an MSSP won’t necessarily help you in achieving your own business goals… and certainly will not make significant improvements to your security posture.

Low Barrier of Entry

The concept behind an MSSP is that they have the skill and personnel to manage your tools on your behalf. In the mid-market space (organizations between 250 and 5,000 endpoints), there are hundreds of MSPs and dozens of MSSP vendors vying for your attention. It’s easy to start up; all that’s needed is a small team of junior technical analysts (as few as two or three), familiar with tools that most midmarket organizations have, such as firewall and AV. Assign them a handful of environments to manage (likely not on a 24/7 basis), and voila!

The business becomes more compelling as analysts further divide their time. The value proposition to clients seems attractive; they don’t need to hire/train/retain their internal resources. However, this (lower) barrier of entry means that there are numerous small MSSPs, running on minimal staff, with semi-mature processes, who can create compelling business cases to their clients… and yet, deliver no real tangible results.