As more service providers explore offering a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solution, they may face indecision or inertia during startup and optimization. Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) know that speed matters in cybersecurity as it improves attack surface coverage, team productivity, and even customer satisfaction. With costs of a U.S. cybersecurity incident now reaching $4.35 Million, it’s crucial that defenders in service provider and customer organizations move fast and with confidence in battling advanced threats.

The Downside of Procrastination

Cyber criminals continue to exploit organizations that they believe to be less prepared or lacking defense-in-depth protection to slow them down. The average time to identify a global data breach is 207 days with an average time to contain of 70 days. Service providers and their end-customers who are slow to implement sufficient cybersecurity and remediate threats face decreased revenue, wounded brand reputation, and dissatisfied or lost customers. Compliance fines may also be a consideration for some industries like financial services firms and healthcare entities. 

Here are some practical recommendations to accelerate incident response and cybersecurity effectiveness.

1. Time Benefit of a Platform Approach

A cybersecurity platform overcomes the disadvantages of siloed point products and tools that add complexity and create blind spots. A unified platform integrates disparate security events to create end-to-end visibility and rapid incident response. An agile, cloud-based platform provides the benefit of sharing insights from one threat with other partners and customers. Watch for security vendors that have grown by acquisition and offer a patchwork of disjointed point products that don’t have a single console. If you are looking for Managed Detection and Response (MDR) insights, view Netsurion’s MDR Buyers Guide covering technology and human-led approaches, managed security options, and advanced threat best practices.

2. Speed of Onboarding and Start Up

Point products and tools can lead to IT complexity and resultant security gaps. The idea of rip-and-replace is a non-starter as it takes too long and adds undesirable risk to the implementation. The average SecOps team manage 40+ cybersecurity products, and consolidating providers means fewer vendors to manage and tools to learn and maintain. It’s painless to adopt Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions that don’t require hardware, capital, or professional services. Rapid ramp-up helps MSPs and end-customers alike as quick onboarding means better protection and faster time to value.

3. Rapid Automation and Proactive Planning   

A 2:00 a.m. phone call is not the time to start thinking about incident response strategies and tactics. Proactive planning is key to finding the proverbial “needle in a haystack” with confidence and the proper people, process, and technology. Automation and machine learning (ML) can streamline response to more well-known threats in advance with defined workflows that document steps as well as roles and responsibilities. As a managed XDR provider, Netsurion increases your efficiency and effectiveness by enabling you to:

• Terminate unknown processes immediately
• Monitor propagation of suspected malware
• Suspend accounts that violate policies or established normal behavior
• Generate an incident report in an enterprise’s IT management platform

Benefits to you include reduced response times, improved remediation consistency, and increased productivity.

4. Accelerate Detection and Incident Response   

Cyber criminals often perform reconnaissance, looking for infrastructure to exploit. Attackers also plan ways to pivot laterally within an organization from innocuous access to sensitive and privileged information. Automated response and guided remediation accelerate threat detection and reduce recovery time when minutes matter. A timid or delayed response by a service provider or end-customer increases the risk of data theft, the likelihood of intruders getting “the keys to the kingdom,” and time for attackers to cover their tracks to evade detection. Security Operations Center (SOC) experts like those at Netsurion augment your staff and can prevent subsequent cyber attacks to avoid re-compromise. Pending U.S. regulations are also likely to reduce the time available for organizations to publicly disclose security incidents.

Benefits of Faster Cybersecurity   

Competing successfully and profitably in today’s fast-paced environment requires a blend of quick onboarding, cybersecurity preparedness, and rapid incident response. Cybersecurity speed is key in the race to detect and respond to dangerous adversaries with agility and confidence. Netsurion’s managed open XDR solution unifies your security telemetry to deliver wider attack surface coverage and deeper threat analytics, resulting in greater threat and risk visibility. We tailor onboarding and management to partner and customer requirements – we go as fast as you need.