It’s no secret that the modern MSP helps strengthen both enterprise security and value, as covered in our previous blog. Moving forward, let’s take a more granular look at the specific ways a modern MSP can help on the cybersecurity front. In particular, we can focus on three key benefits that a qualified MSP brings to clients – and how these serve as the foundation for a proactive and comprehensive cybersecurity program across the enterprise.
Delivering the Right Tools, Expertise and Strategy
Cybersecurity is a daunting mandate for any financial organization. That’s because it requires protecting the entire IT ecosystem and ensuring no security gaps remain – all while facing strict compliance rules from the SEC, FINRA and other financial regulatory agencies operating in the US and internationally.
The right MSP can help clients cover all these bases by delivering three foundational benefits:
- The right tools – A modern MSP can make available a range of cybersecurity tools for dynamic vulnerability scanning, zero trust authentication, automated response and other functions that clients could never afford to build and run on their own. The MSP also delivers another kind of tool – information – in the form of FS-ISAC and other advanced financial-sector threat feeds whose subscription rates are prohibitively expensive for most organizations to obtain on their own.
- The right expertise – Especially as more advanced IT tools and automation get applied, the MSP can provide the essential human component and professional expertise that should not get lost in the mix as the organization automates and scales more operations and business processes. If anything, the right expertise is even more crucial to help manage the complexity and risks that are amplified as IT systems grow and the business expands.
- The right “defense in-depth” strategy – Defense in depth has been a hallmark of the physical world for centuries, and a modern MSP can apply this timeless model for protection to the realm of cybersecurity. The key is a layered strategy that, like a medieval castle, protects simultaneously at many levels: The moat is the firewall; the turrets are the antivirus; the drawbridge is the web access firewall; and the knights are the last line security experts.
Building Blocks for Comprehensive Cybersecurity
Once in place, the MSP’s delivery to clients of the right tools, expertise and strategy lay the groundwork for a strong, well-coordinated cybersecurity posture across the enterprise. Think of them as the building blocks for a larger set of capabilities that include better visibility and stronger inventory, credential and vulnerability management across the enterprise.
Because they’re built on a common foundation of defense in-depth strategy backed by the right tools and expertise, all these functions operate in a more coordinated and effective manner – enabling a holistic approach to protection that goes beyond just detection to also include prevention, risk mitigation, incident response and resilience.
Financial sector clients today should expect no less than this, and it’s certainly the high bar we set for ourselves at ECI as an MSP. We combine best-in-class security technology with professional expertise to protect your business against cyber-attacks with services that can be managed 20-40% cheaper than in-house. And our unrivaled financial industry qualifications include deep, domain-specific experience with security regulations and vendor due diligence. Learn more about how ECI can strengthen your overall cybersecurity operation here
