Ready to collect services that help or enhance your security team? You’re Not Alone: According to the Foundry 2021 Security Priority Study, 62% of companies say they plan to outsource some or all of their IT security functions in 2022.
Before embarking on that path, it is wise to gather your needs and think about the services you want from a managed security service provider (MSSP).
There are a few basic considerations when choosing your service provider, including: MSSP experience, the types of support and services they offer, and how their service level agreements are structured. You will also want to know the specific domains of MSSP skills and how they relate to your needs.
In addition, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs in particular) should consider a variety of factors when evaluating their potential partners. When you find a small IT worker, you need to believe that MSSP is able to address:
- Business Continuity: How much does the service provider protect you from different types of business barriers? Servers, software and cloud services are at stake, and people make mistakes Ask MSSP if they have a disaster recovery site and a strategy for failure or human error in their infrastructure. Also find out if they have insurance to cover potential liabilities.
- Self-protection: Security of third parties and vendors is important, especially in light of cyber attacks that affect an entire supply chain. How does MSSP protect itself and your data from compromise, theft or encryption? What best practices or solutions do they employ to protect their own infrastructure? Do they have storage-side and in-transfer data encryption mechanisms? How do they manage access control and multi-factor authentication?
- Data Accessibility: You must be able to get your data fast when you need it. Find out how access to your data is controlled and what level of control you will have over your data? Also ask if there are self-service capabilities that give you greater and faster control.
SMBs must take steps to prepare internally
Data is the lifeblood of your organization, so in addition to being accessible, make sure you – and your MSSP – plan well enough to protect your data.
“We recommend five vectors around data protection,” said Alex Rusliakov, head of Acronis Channel. “The first is that companies should always keep a copy of their data in case of a security incident.”
The other four:
- Data accessibility anywhere, anytime
- Data control with its location and visibility in use
- Accuracy of data: Proof that a copy is an exact replica of the original
- Multiple levels of security to protect air-tight data against bad actors
While no vendor or service provider can claim 100% protection from cyber attacks, the right MSSP has a plan for when an event will occur, Ruslakov said. Ask about their recovery strategies and how they make sure the recovered data is not compromised / transmitted.
Lastly, it’s important to have visibility into what you’re paying for. What level of detail can you expect in your invoice? Can MSSP verify the usage for which you are being charged?
A service provider’s proven track record and use of state-of-the-art technology go a long way in establishing the confidence that MSSP can meet your security needs. However, details should also be dug up to ensure that SMBs have their data and business secure.
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