Surging levels of cybercrime cost the global economy more than $8 trillion in 2022 — and most experts think the worst is yet to come.
Ninety-three percent of cybersecurity leaders and 86 percent of business leaders believe that a “far-reaching, catastrophic cyber event” is likely to occur within the next two years, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Global Cybersecurity Outlook. Global economic, social and geopolitical volatility, rapidly expanding attack surfaces and a widening cybersecurity talent gap all create opportunities for malicious actors.
These conditions create cybersecurity demands that few companies can handle on their own. As attacks become more frequent, sophisticated and damaging, more organizations are enlisting managed service providers (MSPs) to help strengthen their defenses, reduce their risk and protect their valuable data and systems.
Outsourcing some security tasks to a qualified provider can improve your security posture and boost regulatory compliance while reducing the burden on in-house IT teams. Many MSPs commonly offer essential security services such as managed firewalls, antivirus and spam blocking, as well as the application of patches and security updates to servers and desktop systems. Remote monitoring and management services will also help you detect security breaches and take action to mitigate threats.
Call on the Experts
However, the real value of MSPs lies in the expertise they bring to the table. Leading providers employ dedicated cybersecurity professionals who possess extensive knowledge about emerging threats and the techniques for mitigating them. They are certified in a broad range of security products from a variety of vendors, which gives them access to advanced security tools, technologies and resources that may not be readily available to all organizations.
Providers can deliver a range of solutions that dramatically improve your ability to ward off threats. Some of the more important tools MSPs employ include intrusion detection and prevention, content filtering, email security, encryption, data loss prevention, secure remote access and advanced endpoint protection.
Other key MSP capabilities include:
- Security assessments. Providers can conduct an initial risk assessment to establish a baseline evaluation of your current security posture, followed by periodic follow-up assessments and audits. Regular assessments and network scans help identify security vulnerabilities and the modifications necessary to close those gaps before an incident occurs.
- Response protocols. Working with a provider removes much of the guesswork about how to deal with a breach or attack. Structured and predefined procedures for responding to an incident ensure that the MSP can minimize the impact of an incident, restore operations and implement measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
- Compliance assistance. Leading providers understand compliance frameworks and regulatory standards such as PCI DSS, HIPAA and GDPR, and they can assist in implementing the security controls required to demonstrate adherence to those standards. They will also generate detailed reports on how the security infrastructure is performing, which can improve compliance.
- Dark Web monitoring. Leading MSPs continuously monitor and analyze millions of chat rooms, peer-to-peer networks, malicious websites, bulletin boards and illegal black-market sites. If your sensitive information is ever listed on an illicit website, the MSP can alert you before it is used for criminal activities.
- Executive guidance. A virtual chief information security officer (vCISO) provides the same level of expertise and guidance as an in-house CISO but typically on a remote, on-demand basis. In addition to identifying network vulnerabilities and developing security guidelines and standards, the virtual CISO can also help craft security policies related to the use of mobile devices and social media.
Few companies can meet the cybersecurity demands created by the relentless growth of cybercrime. Working with an experienced provider such as Verteks can relieve some of the burden. Give us a call to learn more about using our services to enhance your security posture.
