Intelligent CISO Issue 12 | Page 67

decrypting myths Navigating the MSSP jungle Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) offer major benefits but choosing the right one for your business requires careful consideration. Marc Brungardt, President and co-founder, Foresite, talks us through some of the key considerations for organisations looking to utilise the benefits of an MSSP. A s companies struggle to keep up with evolving cybersecurity threats and rapidly changing industry compliance requirements, many businesses are turning to Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) to bolster their cybersecurity posture. Why? Building and maintaining an effective cybersecurity programme requires significant investment in personnel, technology and infrastructure. Technology can be acquired easily enough; however, staffing and operationalising these investments is when things can quickly become considerably challenging. The latest outlook on cybersecurity jobs indicates a worldwide shortage of nearly three million staff. This shortage has created a crisis as demand for security professionals continues to soar to unprecedented heights. www.intelligentciso.com | Issue 12 Recruiting, retaining and having enough of the right experience to cover all the varied needs for an effective cybersecurity programme in today’s market is a daunting task. For the average business it simply doesn’t make sense financially to go it alone. Enter the MSSPs. MSSPs specialise in delivering cybersecurity as a service. Mature MSSPs typically operate one or more security operation centres (SOCs) which operate around the clock and are staffed by experts in many areas of cybersecurity and compliance. In contrast, many in-house security programmes are only staffed during business hours and often lack the comprehensive skills to effectively deal with all the cybersecurity issues a business will likely face. MSSPs provide elevated vigilance around the clock because threats don’t take nights, weekends and holidays off. 67