How to Implement Managed Security Services for Small Businesses?

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If you are a small business owner, it is important to know that your business is highly vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, as ransomware, phishing, and other attacks become increasingly sophisticated. Email attacks have increased almost three-fold compared to last year. Small businesses are especially at greater risk because they tend to use outdated or free applications. This is where the need for a managed security service provider (MSSP) arises. An MSSP can conduct a range of scheduled and incident-based tasks so that your business, applications, and processes remain safer. Besides helping ensure data protection, managed security services can also assist your company in complying with increasingly stringent regulations such as GDPR.

Common Cybersecurity Challenges

Small, service-based businesses are easier targets for cyberattacks due to various vulnerabilities associated with this segment of business. Some of the most common threats include:

  • Limited Resources: Small businesses tend to have limited budgets and resources, which limits their investment in cyber security measures. Interestingly, many service-based small businesses don’t even have dedicated cybersecurity teams. 
  • Complexity of Cybersecurity Threats: The scope of malware types and cyber threats has evolved dramatically over the years. Small businesses, given the lack of resources, cannot keep up with this ever-evolving landscape.
  • Stringent Data-Security Regulations: Data security regulations have become increasingly stringent across different jurisdictions. As small businesses increasingly rely on the Cloud and work-from-home culture involving personal computers, the lack of proper security measures and systems can expose user data to new vulnerabilities.

If you manage a small service-based business, there are many reasons for implementing managed security services. 

Importance of Managed Security Services

According to research, 70% of businesses consider the benefits of outsourcing to managed security service providers. If you have a small business, you should also be taking advantage of such services instead of putting your business systems and customer data at risk.

24/7 Cyberthreat Monitoring

When you have managed security services in place, you can rest assured that your network and endpoints are monitored constantly for any signs of suspicious activity. MSSPs use advanced security tools and services to monitor your network around the clock.

MSSPs follow a proactive approach to incident response and remediation. When you respond immediately to security incidents, you can expect lesser damage to occur. With your MSSPs constantly monitoring your systems, you can run your business without worrying about losing:

  • Customer data
  • Sensitive business data
  • Access to your network
  • Revenue through lost business hours or ransomware

It is worth noting that the average cost of security breaches is more than $9 million.

Scalability

When you want to scale up your in-house cybersecurity team, it means hiring more specialists, implementing the latest security systems, and investing more money and time in training. When you hire an MSSP, you will have ready access to a team that can readily scale up or down based on your company’s security needs. 

Access Specialized Expertise

When you hire the services of an MSSP, you can access specialized cybersecurity expertise, skill sets, and years of experience. On the other hand, building an in-house team requires hiring, training, and paying salaries to employees. With an MSSP, you will be saving both time and money while getting instant access to their expertise. Besides, MSSPs keep up-to-date with the latest cybersecurity threats.

Choosing managed security services can be a highly cost-efficient solution. You will not have to purchase and maintain the required software, hardware systems, and licensing. Such a service can also help you meet regulatory compliance requirements.

How to Choose the Right Managed Security Service Provider?

Now that you know about the benefits of implementing managed security services, it is important to choose the right MSSP. The following tips should help you:

i. Find the Right MSSP for Your Business

  • Search online for top-rated MSSPs and schedule a meeting with them
  • Consider what you want out of the business relationship
  • Ask them how they can help you resolve security challenges and issues
  • Learn about the abilities and personality and whether they can be a match for your business

Finding a managed security service provider that offers the perfect mix of expertise and services can be difficult. 

ii. Check their Expertise

You should consider the following factors when evaluating their expertise:

  • Training & Certifications: Check whether their employees have undergone training and completed cybersecurity certifications. This can ensure that they stay up-to-date with the latest security threats. 
  • Proven 24/7 Cyberthreat Monitoring: The security provider must offer 24/7 threat monitoring and support services. 
  • Specialized Industry Experience: Look for an MSSP with experience in your industry. It is important to know about the types of threats your business is vulnerable to. Specialized experience also means they know how to protect your business.

iii. Follow a Proactive & Strategic Approach

A successful MSSP follows a proactive approach to cybersecurity. This is crucial in a security environment where businesses increasingly rely on data and cyber threats are evolving at a very fast rate. You should look for a forward-thinking MSSP that is always prepared to deal with new vulnerabilities and threats.

The provider must create a comprehensive plan for your company and deploy the essential controls to keep your business and customer data safe. An MSSP that follows a strategic approach to cybersecurity can help keep your company a step ahead of the evolving security landscape.

iv. Staying Up-to-date

An important reason many small businesses turn to managed security services is that it is nearly impossible to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in the IT field. You should choose an MSSP that keeps up-to-date in the following important areas:

  • Cyberattacks
  • IT trends
  • Best practices and processes
  • IT and security tools and technologies
  • IT and security regulations

v. Communicating Properly

When assessing different MSSPs, pay attention to:

  • Frequency of communication
  • Communication style and modes
  • Communication clarity

In terms of communication style, you should expect a proactive approach and a quick response to your messages.

How to Implement Managed Security Services?

Before you implement managed security services, you will need a solid plan to make the most of a managed security program. 

When creating a plan, you should take the following factors into account:

  • Training
  • Compliance challenges
  • Integration with your existing systems
  • Cost factors
  • Sensitive data protection

Any one of these factors can complicate or delay implementation. An elaborate plan will be required between your company and the MSSP to run the system seamlessly. 

As an example, proper planning can help avoid situations where new security tools are implemented without considering how familiar employees are. This can cause confusion and frustration among employees once the system is implemented. Proper planning requires outlining the essential steps needed to address each challenge. 

Setting Up Success Benchmarks

Next, you must create and set up the benchmarks with your MSSP. While the service provider spearheads the implementation process, you will be collaborating with them because they will need help in understanding your existing security setup. When setting up the benchmarks, you should clearly define what success means to you. This will be required by the MSSP when placing your company’s cybersecurity into place.

Maintain Open Communications

As mentioned above, managed security services implementation is a team effort. It is important to maintain open and proper communication between your company and the provider. This can help streamline all the processes, ensuring quality services over the long term.

Proper communication is required, not only initially, but over the lifespan of the service. It is a must for ongoing collaboration. This is important to address security issues that can arise over time, including:

  • Business expansion or contraction
  • Opening new offices
  • IT or security infrastructure changes

Regular communication and collaboration can help maintain a positive relationship. Regardless of the changes that arise over time, this can help you accurately implement new security measures.

Conclusion

Implementing managed security services involves scanning and identifying risks, responding to security events, and ensuring compliance requirements are met. Both your employees and customers look up to your company to protect their privacy and data. With the right managed security service, it can become much simpler for you to take on this challenge. When you have such cybersecurity experts supporting your business, you will not have to face the threats alone.If you need more information on the topic, it is recommended to get in touch with the team at Clear Imaging, Inc. You can reach us at (800) 380-6942 or send us a message and we will get back to you at the earliest.

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