Managed security services (or MSS for short) are independent plans provided by third-party security contractors. Basically, it’s a way to outsource your cybersecurity needs to a company that is more qualified to handle them. While there are many types of third-party security services, MSS is easily one of the most comprehensive and thorough. Here are a few of the benefits that can be obtained through managed security services.
A Higher Grade Of Tech
When it comes to cybersecurity experts, the demand greatly exceeds the supply. Because every company has a great need for cybersecurity staff, and because these skills are so complex and specialized, it can be very hard to find the right caliber of people. For small businesses, this is especially hard because, even if you find the right people, you probably won’t be able to afford them.
This is why it makes sense to outsource your security to a specialized company. It just isn’t realistic to think that every company can have its own in-house cybersecurity team. Since you won’t be scraping the bottom of the barrel, you are generally going to have better, more experienced people on your side.
A High Degree Of Flexibility
When you are setting up your MSS plan, you can choose to go with a fully managed plan, and that means the MSS provider will cover everything: Monitoring, threat hunting, alert response, and all other aspects of your cybersecurity. If this isn’t what you want, you can set up a custom plan (usually called a “co-managed” plan).
When you go with this option, you can then sit down with your provider and decide how the responsibilities will be divided. This really does give organizations and people a greater degree of flexibility because there are a huge amount of possibilities here. If your company offers very specialized goods or services, this can be very beneficial. When your needs are a bit more unique, it helps a lot to have custom-tailored services.
Most companies find that the use of a co-managed plan helps their in-house team to concentrate on more important tasks since the routine monitoring and response stuff will be handled by an outside group.
Quicker Response Times
If a cybersecurity incident (i.e., an attack) does occur, a prompt response is essential. If the attack is caught in progress, every second will count. Even if it’s just a simple DDOS take-down, that can cost a company millions of dollars in lost revenue if the problem is not corrected quickly. When your in-house IT team is already busy, it can be very easy for response times to be slow.
The use of an MSS service can greatly reduce this problem because the MSS team has no other responsibilities apart from your cybersecurity. Thus, because someone will always be watching, an attack will be far more likely to be detected. With quicker response times, it becomes a lot more likely that any attack will be prevented (or at least minimized).
The Best Tools For The Job
A company that offers managed security services is taking a lot of risk upon itself. They have to be capable of guaranteeing your security against all attacks, and that is a big task. For larger companies that stand to lose a lot more money in the event of a breach, there can literally be millions of dollars on the line. When you consider the stakes, you can see the advantages of being well-equipped.\
Whether it’s software or hardware, an MSS provider will likely have the best on the market. It is worthwhile for them to invest in these technologies because cybersecurity is the core of their business. Think about it this way: Imagine that two sides go to war. One side has sticks and clubs while the other has modern weapons like firearms, tanks, and aircraft. It doesn’t take a genius to see how that fight will end.
In all likelihood, it isn’t practical for your company to spend that kind of money on a cybersecurity budget, so you aren’t going to be working with the best tech. An MSS provider certainly will. If not, you should consider finding a better one.
Cost-Efficiency
This is perhaps the greatest benefit of managed security services, which is why we have saved it for last. The cost-efficiency factor ties in with most of the others, making it the most important overall. When you choose to outsource your cybersecurity (whether in part or in full), you can save a lot of money. This might not be true for all companies, but it is definitely true for many. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so much demand for managed security services and similar plans.
Due to the relatively low number of top-tier cybersecurity experts in the world, there are only so many of them to go around. Therefore, it makes no sense to think that every company needs to hire a dedicated in-house cybersecurity team. When people try to do it this way, they end up either overpaying for the services of a true expert or underpaying for the services of a glorified amateur.
That being said, we should mention that huge companies might find it more practical to keep things in-house. They can definitely afford to hire the best people and invest in the latest technology, so it can work for them. However, unless your company is on the Fortune 500 list, you wouldn’t fall into this category. Instead of constantly paying for new technology and the most qualified people, you can bundle everything into one monthly sum. This usually involves significant cost savings.
Conclusion
After reading all of the above, you might be asking yourself: “how can I find the best managed IT services near me?” Or, perhaps you might find yourself asking: “where can I find the best managed IT support near me?” To answer that question and more, give PCH Technologies a call at (856) 754-7500. They offer MSS plans, the best Philadelphia IT support, and many other valuable services.