In the current digital landscape, cyber threats have become quite pervasive and sophisticated, putting businesses of all sizes at risk. While cybersecurity services are designed to protect an organization’s digital assets using a variety of technologies and strategies, managing cyber threats and risks internally can be quite costly and complex. Plus, it requires constant vigilance and specialized skills.
This is where managed cybersecurity services come in. These services offer a more cost-effective and proactive approach to protecting a company’s digital assets by outsourcing critical security operations to experts. With features like rapid incident response, proactive threat detection, and continuous monitoring, managed cybersecurity services offer a more efficient way for businesses to protect their data without building an in-house cybersecurity team.
In this post, you’ll learn what Managed Cybersecurity Services are and their key features, types, and benefits. You’ll also learn how to choose the right provider to keep your business safe and secure.
What Are Managed Cybersecurity Services?
Managed cybersecurity services refer to outsourcing your cybersecurity needs to a specialized provider. These services encompass various activities, including threat detection, incident response, security assessments, compliance management, and monitoring. By leveraging the technology and expertise of these external firms, companies can protect their digital assets more effectively.
This is particularly beneficial for organizations that don’t have the expertise or resources to manage their own cybersecurity needs effectively.
Why Does Your Business Need Managed Cybersecurity Services?
Considering today’s threat landscape, there are a number of reasons why businesses need managed cybersecurity services. As mentioned above, thanks to features like advanced threat intelligence, rapid incident response, and real-time monitoring, they help businesses stay ahead of threats. A typical in-house cybersecurity team might not be equipped to handle these sophisticated attacks.
Managed cybersecurity service providers have a multilayered approach and protect the company and its assets from various angles. In addition to keeping them safe from external threats like malware and network intrusions, they also protect them from security breaches caused by employees, whether accidental or intentional.
Plus, by letting someone else handle cybersecurity, companies can focus on their core business activities instead of the complexities that come with managing cybersecurity, knowing that their systems and data are safe from evolving threats.
Key Features of Managed Cybersecurity Services
According to a cyberattack trends report, there has been a 30% year-over-year increase in cyberattacks, with most threats targeting small and midsized businesses. As a result, companies are now looking for more advanced security measures. Key elements that make up a comprehensive cybersecurity offering include the following.
1. Advanced Threat Intelligence
Advanced threat intelligence involves leveraging data and analytics to identify potential security threats before they impact your business. Security providers use advanced techniques and tools to monitor data, networks, and systems for suspicious activity and prepare for a potential cyberattack.
2. Incident Response Planning
A quick and effective response is essential in case of a security breach, making incident response planning crucial. Managed cybersecurity services include comprehensive response strategies to quickly address security breaches, minimize and contain damage, and restore business operations to normal quickly.
3. Compliance Management
Most industries, especially the financial and healthcare industries, have strong privacy and data protection regulations in place. Managed cybersecurity services include compliance management, which ensures that your organization adheres to the relevant regulatory requirements and industry standards. In addition to offering guidance, they also outline the steps you should take to comply with the applicable laws. This reduces the risk of costly penalties and damage to reputation.
4. Regular Security Assessments and Audits
Frequently conducting detailed reviews and audits of a company’s cybersecurity posture and its compliance with industry standards is also essential. It helps identify all the gaps in security and areas that need improvement, making sure that the company meets all necessary security standards.
5. Real-Time Analytics and Reporting
Another key feature of managed cybersecurity services is real-time analytics and reporting, which provides insights into potential vulnerabilities, attempted breaches, and overall system health. With real-time analytics, companies can detect threats faster, prove compliance with industry regulations, and provide evidence during audits or incident investigations.
Types of Managed Cybersecurity Services
There are many types of managed cybersecurity services. These include the following.
1. Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
MDR combines human expertise with technology to proactively hunt, detect, and respond to threats. It helps identify and limit the impact of cyber threats by continuously monitoring a company’s networks, cloud environments, and endpoints and responding to cyber threats.
2. Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
SIEM focuses on collecting, monitoring, analyzing, and reporting security events from various sources. By continuously monitoring system activity, network traffic, and user behavior, SIEM serves as the first line of defense. It helps identify signs of a compromise or breach that might go undetected otherwise.
3. Managed Firewall Services
Management firewall services involve continuous monitoring of your network traffic to respond to threats in real time. They monitor and analyze network traffic to track behavioral patterns and establish security parameters. Any network activity that deviates from the established parameters triggers an alert, allowing experts to promptly take action.
4. Endpoint Protection
As the name suggests, endpoint protection involves securing devices like laptops, desktops, and mobile devices from cyber threats. This is especially useful in today’s remote-first and distributed environments and protects endpoints with measures like encryption, data loss prevention, and antivirus. This ensures comprehensive security across all endpoints of an organization.
5. Vulnerability Management
Cybercriminals tend to target vulnerabilities in the network. Vulnerability management involves identifying, classifying, and addressing vulnerabilities within your IT environment to reduce security risks. It also includes patch management, which ensures that all systems are up-to-date and have the latest security patches to reduce the risk of exploitation.
6. Identity and Access Management (IAM)
IAM essentially controls user access to critical information and systems to prevent unauthorized access. It helps to manage identities effectively and ensures that network access is correctly authenticated. As a result, it provides an added layer of security and prevents unwanted actors from getting access to your network without your permission.
How Managed Cybersecurity Services Work?
Think of managed cybersecurity services as an extension of your IT team, which offers round-the-clock monitoring and security management. Managed cybersecurity providers use advanced technologies like machine learning and AI to detect potential threats in real-time and quickly respond to threats to mitigate risks.
There are two approaches to managed cybersecurity services: co-managed and fully managed. Both offer the security expertise that companies need to protect their digital assets.
Co-managed Cybersecurity Services
These services support your organization’s existing security capabilities. With co-managed cybersecurity services, you get access to an external team of experts who can provide assistance when needed. These are a great option for organizations that want to close the skill gap or are looking for consistent, 24/7 coverage.
Fully Managed Cybersecurity Services
As the name suggests, managed security service providers operate the cybersecurity tech stack. They proactively respond to cyber threats and report to their clients as needed. These are a great option for businesses that don’t have the internal resources and capabilities essential for effective security.
Benefits of Managed Cybersecurity Services
As mentioned above, managed cybersecurity services allow companies to focus on their core business activities. Other benefits include the following.
1. Advanced Technologies and Expertise
Managed cybersecurity services invest in the latest technologies and provide access to specialized skills and knowledge that might be too expensive or difficult to develop in-house. When you choose managed cybersecurity services, you get access to a team of experts who are up-to-date with the latest regulatory requirements security tactics, and trends.
In addition to that, you can benefit from advanced security tools and analytics without directly purchasing or installing them. You also don’t need to worry about maintaining or updating tools or conducting employee training as threats grow more persistent. The managed cybersecurity provider will handle all that for you.
2. Cost-Effective
Outsourcing your cybersecurity to an external provider can be more cost-effective than building, training, and maintaining your own in-house team, especially if you’re a small to mid-sized business. Managed cybersecurity services typically operate on a subscription mode, which spreads out the cost. Plus, you don’t need to invest a large capital in building your cybersecurity infrastructure.
3. Round-the-Clock Monitoring
Cyberattacks can occur at any time, and it’s essential that you respond to it quickly to minimize damage. Managed cybersecurity services typically monitor your networks and systems round the clock, ensuring immediate detection and response in case of attacks.
4. Scalable and Flexible
As businesses evolve and grow, their cybersecurity needs tend to change. The good thing about managed cybersecurity services is that you can scale them up or down based on your needs. This provides flexibility that is often difficult to get with an in-house team since scaling up would involve months of interviewing and training employees.
5. Helps Manage Risks
Managed cybersecurity services help to identify and address risks before they can escalate and impact your business operations. This not only saves resources and prevents a disaster but also protects the company’s reputation and customer trust.
6. Stay on Top of Threats
Cybersecurity requires continuous learning and adaptation, especially since cyber threats continue to evolve and become more sophisticated. With managed cybersecurity services, you can get peace of mind knowing that security policies and measures are regularly updated to counter threats.
Common Challenges Solved by Managed Cybersecurity Services
Managed cybersecurity services help businesses address challenges such as a lack of internal expertise, limited resources for 24/7 monitoring, staying up-to-date with evolving threats, and maintaining compliance with industry standards.
They provide small to midsized businesses the protection they need without having to pay for enterprise-grade tools. As a result, they get to protect their data and assets at a more affordable price.
They also help companies comply with government-mandated regulations, which can be difficult to manage for an internal team. And failure to comply can lead to costly penalties. This is particularly true for companies in the educational, legal, financial, and healthcare industries since they involve highly regulated customer data.
Moreover, they help companies avoid the cost of system downtime and recovery.
Best Practices for Choosing the Right Managed Cybersecurity Provider
When it comes to choosing the right managed cybersecurity provider, make sure you keep the following best practices in mind.
- Make sure you understand your current security posture, including your strengths and vulnerabilities. Also, identify the specific industry regulations you should comply with.
- Look for providers with a good reputation in your industry and check for relevant certifications like SOC2, ISO, etc.
- Look at the provider’s service offerings to determine if they provide the services you need. This can include services like compliance management, risk assessment, incident response, and round-the-clock monitoring. Also, make sure you check how scalable and customizable their services are.
- Understand their pricing model and do a cost-benefit analysis to ensure you make the right choice.
- Know the provider’s average response times to security incidents, how they handle potential threats, and the protocols they have in place in case of a security breach.
- Request a demo to better understand how their solution works and how it can integrate with your current system.
- Review SLAs to make sure you understand the performance metrics they promise. Also, make sure they comply with all the necessary regulations.
Managed Cybersecurity Services Provided by SentinelOne
SentinelOne can help augment your security operations with their managed cybersecurity services. These include the following.
- WatchTower: Personalized real-time threat hunting and analytics services that help identify attacks and maximize threat visibility.
- Vigilance MDR: 24/7 MDR service that delegates threat monitoring to a team of in-house experts, allowing security professionals to focus on strategic initiatives.
- Singularity MDR: Uses the AI-powered Singularity Platform to provide broader threat detection and response coverage.
Stay Protected with the Right Managed Cybersecurity Partner
Choosing a managed cybersecurity service provider is a crucial decision for keeping your business safe in today’s digital age. You now know the key features of managed cybersecurity services and how to choose the right managed cybersecurity provider. By selecting a partner that understands your unique security needs, you can mitigate risks and protect your organization from evolving cyber threats.
SentinelOne provides various managed cybersecurity services that use AI and machine learning to keep your businesses safe from threats.
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Managed security services involve outsourcing the monitoring and management of an organization’s security infrastructure to an external provider. Meanwhile, cybersecurity services focus on protecting systems, networks, and data specifically from cyber threats.
A managed security service monitors and manages an organization’s devices, networks, and systems for them. It serves as an extension of the company’s IT team and provides round-the-clock threat detection, monitoring, and incident response.
Security Operations Center (SOC) focuses more on providing real-time threat detection and proactive defense. Meanwhile, managed security services allow businesses to outsource security management and focus more on the organization’s entire security infrastructure.
