Chances are your IT provider is NOT telling you exactly if or how they can reduce your business’ cyber risk. And they’re definitely not telling you that even top-tier IT Support services won’t do zip to actively stop an attack on your IT Security defences. Let’s clarify why and who will…
Top Take-Aways
There comes a point in every organisation’s growth journey where their IT needs outgrow their ability to manage them. That’s usually a leaders cue to engage a Managed Services Provider (MSP) or get their current MSP to do more to keep your systems running smoothly and efficiently so you can focus on what you really need to do.
But how can you be sure that your current MSP, or any technology services provider for that matter, really has all your bases covered? Are there risks that you’re not aware of? Is there devil in the detail of your service agreement that you’re not aware of? Have you assumed that Managed Services covers anything and everything IT related?
Even the savviest of decision makers may not realise that their current IT provider could actually be leaving their business exposed to substantial cyber risk. How? Because when MSPs and IT service providers talk about “Managed Services”, they are almost certainly talking about IT Support…and IT Support alone. Small distinction, big risk!
The Basics: Managed IT Support vs. Managed IT Security
First things first. Managed IT Support and Managed IT Security are NOT the same thing.
Managed IT Support focuses on the overall maintenance and management of your IT systems and infrastructure. IT Support takes care of your devices, services, and software day to day to keep them up and running and optimised for your use. In technical speak, this involves IT management tasks like:
- Monitoring and Maintenance: Ensuring that your systems are running smoothly and efficiently.
- Help Desk Support: Providing assistance to employees experiencing technical issues.
- Software Updates and Patching: Keeping your software up-to-date to avoid compatibility issues.
- Network and Cloud Services Management: Overseeing the performance and reliability of your network, cloud services and connections.
These Managed Services are essential for the day-to-day functioning of your business – they make sure you can access your work and resources whenever you need them and that there is help on hand for when things get tricky.
What IT Support does not do, however, is deal with the urgent and evolving threats in the cybersecurity landscape.
Managed IT Security, on the other hand, is a specialised security service that focuses on protecting and defending your business against cyber threats, as well as internal and external malicious users. Your IT Support team or Help desk are not looking for and defending your environment against cyber threats day to day. That work requires a seperate, highly skilled team of security experts poised to take immediate action on your behalf if needed. You will know you’re taking Managed Security on top of Support if your provider is telling you their service also offers things like:
- Threat Detection and Response: Proactively hunting for live cyber threats, identifying them and blocking and containing security incidents in real-time.
- Vulnerability Management: Regularly scanning for new “gaps” that open up in your systems, and closing them off.
- Security Incident Coordination: Providing an expert response lead in a time of crisis to coordinate the response and recovery effort.
- Compliance Management: Ensuring that your business can actually meet industry-specific insurance or regulatory requirements around service continuity, data privacy or incident response planning.
Typically all of these things fall well outside the scope of the typical Managed IT Services = IT Support status quo.
Better Together: Why you need Managed IT Support + Security in your corner
Without Managed IT Security services running 24/7/365 alongside and insync with IT Support , your organisation is exposed to the following cyber risks.
- You are more vulnerable to cyber attacks
Without Managed IT Security service capabilities in the mix, your business is more susceptible to cyber attacks. Cybercriminals are constantly developing new methods to exploit vulnerabilities in IT systems. It’s your Managed IT Security team that will be continuously monitoring for threats and taking steps to protect your business – not your IT support team.
- You are less likely to detect a data breach or loss of sensitive information before it’s too late
Data breaches can have devastating consequences, including financial loss, reputational damage, and legal repercussions. IT Support is all about managing your data and making sure you have the right access to it. It’s IT security that manages the robust security measures to safeguard sensitive information, prevent and detect unauthorised access.
- You will not be able to meet regulatory, insurance or compliance requirements
Many industries have strict regulatory requirements regarding data protection and cybersecurity. Failing to comply with these regulations can result in significant fines and legal action. Managed IT Security providers ensure that your business remains compliant with relevant laws and standards. In the current climate, IT Support services alone are not enough to meet thdese requirements.
- You are still at risk of downtime and loss of productivity caused by a cyber incident
Cyber attacks can lead to significant downtime, disrupting business operations and resulting in lost productivity. Whilst your IT Support team will be looking for signs of system downtime or disruption, by then it may be too late. It’s the IT Security team that’s on the look out for potential threats and contains them before it’s a cyber incident that results in downtime and business disruption.
The Right Provider: Here’s how to tell if your MSP has your Security risk covered
- They will offer you a comprehensive Managed IT Security service offering, alongside Managed IT Support
Your provider will offer you detailed IT support service options and IT security service options, and the security options must include automated threat detection and response, threat hunting services and regular vulnerabliyt scanning services at a mimium.
- They will have a proven track record of achieving leading Security Certifications
Look for a provider with a proven track record of successfully managing cybersecurity for businesses similar to yours. Verify that the provider’s team has the necessary expertise and certifications to advise you on cybersecurity, like ISO27001 Certification.
- They partner with a leading global cyber security vendor
To ensure you’re have access to the benefits of security automation and human analyst expertise, your provider’s Managed IT Security service should be powered by a global cybersecurity vendor that manages multiple Security Operations Centres and billions of data points around the clock.
- They include value added extras that help you translate telemetry into business talking points
Choose a provider that offers value adds to their security solutions that can be tailored to your business’s specific needs and reporting requirements. These might including advisory services, compliance and consulting resources, security awareness training for your staff, and of course regular executive briefings on your organisation’s cyber health.
Don’t wait until it’s too late—evaluate your current IT provider now and explore getting your cyber risk under control by partnering with a Managed IT Support + Security provider today.
Your business’s security and future depend on it.
