MSSP: definition
A Managed Security Service Provider is a third-party vendor that manages an organization’s day-to-day security operations. A MSSP is specialized in cybersecurity, helping protect the organization’s infrastructure and data.
They can also help draw up a roadmap with CISOs, covering best practices, compliance with regulations, implementation of solutions, and more.
The organizations partner directly with MSSPs that provide and manage cybersecurity solutions on their behalf (EDR, SOC…).
What services do MSSPs provide?
Gartner’s strategic planning assumption expects that “by 2029, 50% of organizations will evaluate endpoint protection platforms as part of a comprehensive workspace security strategy, up from approximately 20% in 2024”.
At the same time, a survey of 500 French SMBs conducted in 2024 by Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr revealed that while most of the companies interviewed have antivirus (87%) or firewall (66%) protection, only a handful (11%) have their information systems supervised by a security operations center (SOC). Managing a SOC, or any other cybersecurity solution such as an EDR, requires expertise and resources, and MSSPs help ensuring optimal security starting day 1. This is particularly relevant for organizations that don’t have the resources or in-house expertise to meet the legal requirements introduced by NIS2, DORA, and other regulations.
MSSPs provide a large range of services, from consulting to solutions deployment (whether in the Cloud or On-Premises).
They bring flexibility and scalability to adapt to the organization’s changing needs.
Working closely with Cyber Threat Intelligence and Cyber Threat Research teams of cybersecurity solutions vendors, MSSPs ensure that the deployed tools continuously meet detection and protection needs by regularly reviewing and optimizing configuration.
Here’s an overview of a MSSP’s scope.
Security analysis and expert guidance
MSSPs not only contribute their expertise in choosing the security solution best suited to their customers’ needs but also help them to develop their knowledge in cybersecurity.
Their in-depth knowledge of the threat landscape specific to their customer’s sector enables them to provide personalized advice to improve awareness and to harden protection in the face of emerging threats.
Threat detection, monitoring and alert management, and analysis
As MSSPs ensure that their customers’ information systems are protected against both basic, advanced, known, and unknown threats, they continuously monitor their customers’ cybersecurity tools. They also analyze alerts and notify their customers in the event of an incident so they can take appropriate action. MSSPs represent a first-level alert filter to save their clients from alert fatigue.
Their expertise and in-depth knowledge of the operated solutions, as well as the customer context, enable them to relevantly analyze the alerts raised by EDR, NDR, SOC, and so on. They can also carry out threat hunting to identify threats to their customers’ network and endpoints in order to further elevate protection.
Incident response and remediation
In the event of a security incident or crisis, MSSPs provide response capabilities.
They work closely with their clients’ IT and Security teams to investigate, remediate incidents, and harden protection.
They can also help set up crisis exercices to ensure that all the customers’ teams are ready to react rapidly and efficiently in the event of an attack.
Support and reporting
The support level and services scope can be defined contractually and evolve over time according to customer needs – regarding choice of tools, support time range, and more… up to 24/7 or “follow the sun” support if required.
Moreover, MSSPs provide regular reports that give customers visibility on their security posture. These reports can be used to assess the relevance and performance of the cybersecurity stack, and to improve it if necessary. This data can also be distributed internally to report on actions taken to enhance security, so that actions are tangible even for teams whose job is not related to IT security.
Maintenance and updates
As MSSPs manage the deployed solutions, there is no need for clients to worry about maintaining or upgrading them. The MSSP takes care of this in conjunction with the vendors of the solutions they manage, and the client.
In a nutshell, MSSPs provide expert advice and support, both strategic and operational, to help organizations efficiently secure their IT infrastructure, whatever the size or resources available in-house.
By leveraging their expertise, organizations can strengthen their security capabilities and fully meet protection needs and requirements while keeping their budget under control.
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