Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) are IT service companies that specialize in providing security-as-a-service offerings to their customers. They provide outsourced management and monitoring of security systems and devices, as well as updates, system changes and modifications. MSSPs can ease pressure on IT teams, freeing up time for organizations to support and expand operations. The roots of MSSPs lie with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the mid-late 1990s.
Initially, ISPs sold customers a firewall appliance, such as customer premises equipment (CPE), and managed the customer-owned firewall through a dial-up connection. Today, service providers in this category tend to offer comprehensive IT security services delivered on remotely managed devices or devices that are easy to install and run mostly in the background. Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) address several critical business problems organizations face when it comes to cybersecurity. The use of managed services is growing as organizations struggle to monitor various sophisticated software systems and advanced corporate networks.
Organizations across industries are now shifting to managed security services from traditional in-house IT security practices. The functions of a managed security service include round-the-clock monitoring and management of intrusion detection systems and firewalls, overseeing patch management and updates, conducting security assessments and audits, and responding to emergencies. Services can be performed in-house or outsourced to a service provider who oversees the security of the network and information system of other companies. Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) offer security-as-a-service solutions to organizations and businesses of all types.
Managed Security Services (MSS) is a model or service capability provided by cybersecurity service providers to monitor and manage security devices, systems, and even software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. Of course, product resale is not a managed service in and of itself, but it is an important revenue generator for many MSS providers. Management includes monitoring, maintaining firewall traffic routing rules, and generating periodic traffic and management reports for the customer. Compliance with specific security requirements defined by the government can be achieved through the use of managed security services. To address the combined problems of lack of experience, lack of time and limited financial resources, an emerging category of managed security service provider for small and medium-sized businesses has emerged. According to recent industry research, most organizations (74%) manage IT security in-house, but 82% of IT professionals said they had already partnered with or planned to partner with a managed security service provider.
A Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) provides 24/7 information security monitoring and management.
