In-house cybersecurity operations don’t scale as readily as IT leaders need them to. Building and staffing your own Security Operations Center (SOC) is a complex, expensive, and time-consuming project. For small businesses, such a major investment is out of the question—but even the largest enterprises also find value in delegating security operations to managed service providers.

Security leaders have a wide range of options. Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Managed Security Services Providers (MSSPs) are two of the most popular ones. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, they are actually two different things.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) focuses on incident response operations

MDR vendors are a specific kind of MSSP. They offer security services as a third-party partner to their customers. However, these services are highly specific. They include 24x7 monitoring and alarming to detect threat activity as well as incident response actions to address those threats.

The incident response service is an important distinction. There is considerable variation between the services different MDR vendors can offer. Some offer full, autonomous response from their own SOC, while others offer guidance that helps their customers manage in-house response.

Many MDR vendors also perform proactive threat hunting. This is the process of actively searching for undetected threats on the network. It involves investigating behaviors linked to emerging threat intelligence trends or known indicators of compromise. This offers a valuable contrast to reactive monitoring and incident response operations.

The benefits of MDR:

MDR enables organizations to scale cybersecurity and incident response operations according to their needs. Alongside 24x7 monitoring and incident response, the MDR also provides in-depth technological expertise and ongoing support for security operations. This helps MDR customers achieve important goals:

• Increased incident response performance. Delegating detection and response to a single vendor can streamline incident response workflows. This improves key performance metrics like Mean Time-to-Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time-to-Respond (MTTR).
• Round the clock protection. MDR vendors offer 24x7 protection against sophisticated threats at a fraction of the cost of building your own SOC. Continuous coverage dramatically improves your organization’s security posture.
• Cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Partnering with an MDR vendor means your organization does not have to hire its own incident response team. These in-demand professionals can be very difficult to find and retain, especially for organizations that aren’t well-established tech enterprises.
• Proactive maintenance and fine-tuning. Your MDR vendor is responsible for operating and maintaining its technologies. That means your team does not have to dedicate resources to keep its security tools up-to-date with the latest tools and workflows.
• Workforce optimization. You don’t have to dedicate in-house resources to detect, investigate, and respond to cyber threats. That leaves your in-house team free to work on higher-impact strategic initiatives.

Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) support in-house security teams

Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) offer a broader range of services than MDR vendors. These services can include end-to-end security management, vulnerability scanning, security assessments, and more. Since MDR vendors are a type of MSSP, they may combine these services with managed detection and response as well.

The main difference between MSSPs and MDR vendors is the scope of the service offered. MSSPs offer a range of services that may include MDR. MDR vendors focus specifically on detection and response.

Both provide in-depth technological expertise and specialist talent to their customers. If your organization wants to implement a specific security technology, either service provider can provide that support. However, MSSPs will generally stop short of conducting incident response operations on your behalf.

Instead, MSSPs may monitor your network through their own SOC and send alerts to your security team. They can provide guidance on what you should do about those alerts, but the responsibility for execution typically rests on your team.

Why partner with an MSSP?

MSSPs can be a good choice for organizations that need help managing complex security infrastructure. A reputable MSSP can provide valuable assistance managing firewalls, scanning for vulnerabilities, and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Organizations that already have security infrastructure in place can unlock significant value with an MSSP:

• More robust preventative defenses. Many MSSPs focus on prevention-based tools and technologies. They can help you implement policies that keep most threat actors out of your network, reducing the amount of work your detection and response team needs to do.
• Improved workforce optimization. Working with an MSSP lets you concentrate internal security resources on the tasks it is best-suited for. This means you can make the best use of your team’s skill set.
• Lower cost. Since MSSPs generally focus on preventative measures, they tend to cost less than fully managed MDR solutions that come with 24x7 monitoring and response.
• More efficient in-house workflows. You can hire an MSSP to conduct maintenance, patching, and system upgrades to your SOC. This helps you keep valuable in-house talent focused on the tasks only they can perform.

MDR vs. MSSP: Which is right for your organization?

Both MDR vendors and MSSPs have much to offer modern security teams. IT leaders must carefully assess their security capabilities, tech stack, and environment before choosing one over the other.

To find out which of these options is the best one for you, ask yourself these questions:

• How scalable are your in-house security capabilities? Both MDR and MSSP solutions are viable for organizations with in-house security teams. Between the two, MDR scales better with organizations that grow over time.
• Are you prepared to onboard and train cybersecurity staff? MDR vendors provide comprehensive services that eliminate the need to onboard new security hires. Working with an MSSP might mean adding to your team over time.
• What kind of security tasks do you want to outsource? If your security team needs help with basic tasks like security patching and system upgrades, MSSPs can help. If you want to reduce false positives while scaling incident response, MDR may be the better choice.
• How much can you benefit from customized incident response playbooks? The right MDR vendor can craft custom detection rules and deploy complex, high-performance response playbooks for you. This can boost security in ways that aren’t possible with default configurations.

Make Lumifi your trusted security advisor

Lumifi is a managed detection and response vendor that specializes in crafting custom detection rules and providing unlimited visibility into security operations. Our team can help you make the most of your security tech stack and integrate cutting-edge technologies to optimize incident response outcomes. Speak to an expert to learn more about our capabilities.