By Martin Luphai – The global managed security services provider (MSSP) market was valued at more than $31 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to reach an impressive high of $64.73 million by 2026.
However, despite its solid performance and proven capabilities, the MSSP model can fail. It can become the victim of its own hype when it has the potential to revolutionise how an organisation approaches, manages and spends on security. The solution is to ensure that an MSSP is the best fit for the company, not just a solution slotted into a problem.
The answer is to ensure that the scope of service fits the MSSP bill. If an organisation already has an existing IT workforce and resources within the company, a MSSP approach may not be the ideal fit unless the goal is to bolster existing security services and visibility. However, if an organisation doesn’t have a cybersecurity programme or enough IT staff to ensure robust security, then a MSSP is the right step forward.
Deciding the fit lies in the hands of the organisation. If you’re confident your staff can handle the work, then a MSSP can play a role in guiding the direction of your investments and security management, helping you to refine your approaches. If not, a MSSP can guide you in the right direction and take on the overall refinement and configuration of the business security ecosystem to ensure it is aligned with best practice and the highest possible standards.
Of course, determining whether or not a MSSP is the right route also comes down to capabilities. Will managing the volume of products be possible for the existing IT workforce? Are they on top of their attack surface area? What are the current security outcomes? If these remain uncertain or the business is falling behind, then finding a MSSP will fit the business and its needs.
That said, once the business has engaged a MSSP, the real journey begins. The scope of responsibilities is twofold – how the organisation approaches and manages security from within, and the deliverables promised by the MSSP itself. If there isn’t a trusted partnership, there is a very real risk of failure. The reality is that security is a shared responsibility. The organisation has to manage its data, the platform, the applications, the identities and access management while the MSSP is responsible for encryption, network and traffic protection, operating systems, networking and firewalls. These responsibilities can shift from one side to the other dependent on what resources the organisation has. For example, identity and access management can move from a business responsibility to that of the MSSP.
Taking this relationship further, it’s also important to measure the effectiveness of your MSSP consistently. There are benchmarking tools you can use to assess the performance of your MSSP that include competencies, credentials, service offering, and demonstratable inheritable controls. The latter are key as they demonstrate how competent or safe you are when engaging with your MSSP, and the level of control your provider will have over your production environment. You need to avoid being locked in with a proprietary MSSP and ensure they have the relevant experience for your particular niche, sector and business. For example, if you’re looking at endpoint protection, then you want a MSSP that has many years of experience in this space and the relevance of the experience.
Finally, it is important to ensure that your MSSP prioritises compliance. Where are they storing the data? What are the controls when accessing the data? It is absolutely essential your MSSP aligns with regulations such as GDPR and POPIA so you’re not held liable for compliance complexities. In the partnership between yourself and your MSSP, you need to both traverse the regulatory landscape with complete visibility and a shared focus on remaining compliant across all touchpoints.
These are just some of the key steps to ensuring that your move towards a MSSP is one guided by shared goals, visibility, proven expertise, relevant capabilities and a realistic view of service delivery. They also ensure that if you opt into a MSSP relationship, it delivers success not disappointment.
Martin Luphai is the technical engagement lead: security at Altron Karabina