Enterprises are struggling to keep up with the pace necessary for a modern security strategy that allows for essential changes to technology and governance. Security strategies require specialized skills to protect against the volume and range of threats, causing many to outsource to a managed security services provider.

While effective managed security can help enterprises stay on top of a fast-changing threat landscape, all providers are not created equal. Here is a list of five requirements you should insist on finding in your managed security services provider:

Prioritizes Speed: Cyber attacks are developing and changing over a short period of time, requiring a managed security services provider that proactively monitors security as well as manages the benefits of new tools. For instance, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) receive a lot of hype, but when combined with human skills, tend to speed the process of detection and response. When you consider that hackers are using AI and ML, managed security must use them in their defense, as well.

Global, Yet Local: Cyber security is a global issue, and you want a managed security provider that understands the scale and impact of the risks, but you also want one that understands the context of the local impact as well. In addition, a global and local provider often will have several levels of service models that include dedicated on-site delivery as well as co-sourced team management and fully outsourced options.

Demonstrates Effectiveness: If a managed security provider shows you a list of metrics that aren’t meaningful to your organization, insist they demonstrate those that do matter to you. There should be a full set of operational, tactical, and strategic metrics that have an impact on your cyber security. Your key metrics may include time between compromise to detection, operational coverage of risks, and the frequency of system updates and upgrades. It should be relatively easy to see how your security functions would improve through the services of a managed security provider.

Demonstrates Security as an Organization-Wide Concern: In any organization, it’s easy for security to become siloed in its own department, but it truly is one that affects every aspect of the business. A good security strategy matches business objectives to the potential risks and manages them while meeting compliance regulations. It should be an organization-wide focus on risk management with a proactive approach.

Offers Trustworthy Advice: Your managed security services provider should be one that offers insights, advice, and recommendations based on their work with similar enterprises. They help you take advantage of the best practices in your industry and related to your technology. A good managed security services provider will help you identify vulnerabilities and threats based on experience with other clients.Contact us at eXemplify to begin the process of choosing a managed security services provider. You need a partner who can help you identify risk, proactively address potential vulnerabilities, and learn from their previous work about cyber security threats and opportunities.