MSSP vs. MDR

Deploying security solutions within your environment is not the only way to protect against threats and improve your cybersecurity posture. Third-party service providers can augment or replace in-house security tools, functions, and staffing. Two popular options are managed detection and response (MDR) services and managed security services providers (MSSPs).

This outsourced, third-party service combines technology and human expertise to continuously monitor, detect, and respond to a range of cyberthreats across on-premises and cloud environments, SaaS applications, networks, and endpoints. While MDR services vary, most offer turnkey solutions that include a technology stack hosted and operated by the MDR provider, round-the-clock monitoring for threats, proactive threat hunting, investigation and analysis of threats, incident triage and response, and remediation. The MDR provider’s technology tools can be integrated with the customer’s systems to exchange data.

MDR services help fill the gap between detection and response by investigating potential threats to improve understanding and guide actions.

There are several MDR approaches:

• The service provider fully manages threat monitoring, detection, and response on behalf of the customer.
• The service provider co-manages threat response with the customer’s staff.
• The MDR provider alerts the customer’s team and provides remediation guidance.

Several factors are encouraging enterprises to adopt MDR services: demands for proactive security measures to counter increasingly sophisticated threats; the increasing complexity and scope of IT environments; an ongoing, severe lack of skilled security analysts and other experts; and the move away from perimeter-based security defenses.

MDR services can deliver both security and business benefits to organizations.

From a security perspective, MDR services strengthen both defensive and proactive measures by conducting 24/7 monitoring and threat hunting. They investigate using AI and machine learning, advanced analytics, threat intelligence, and human expertise, helping to expand the organization’s understanding of the threat landscape. In the event of an incident, MDR services go beyond alerting or notification. They quickly provide an active response such as disruption, containment, isolation, or removal of malicious actors or software.

The business advantages of MDR services include:

• Greater efficiency of security teams: Using advanced technologies like automation, MDR services can help companies manage the huge volume of security alerts that must be evaluated, reducing alert fatigue. Offloading routine tasks to an MDR provider also frees up in-house staff to focus on strategic projects.
• Access to external security expertise: Many organizations cannot hire or retain enough cybersecurity staff to detect, investigate, and resolve security issues. A related challenge is the lack of skilled experts who are familiar with security best practices in cloud, GenAI, or zero trust architectures. MDR providers can help bridge these staffing and skills gaps with access to their team of experts.
• Access to threat intelligence about peer organizations: An MDR service can apply threat intelligence about a customer to others with the same target profile (industry, organization size, corporate structure), helping to prevent similar attacks.
• More-predictable security spending: Instead of investing in new staff, tools, threat intelligence feeds, and other security resources on an ad hoc basis, organizations can use an MDR service with predictable subscription fees. Besides simplifying budgeting, this approach avoids unexpected expenditures for emergency remediation of a breach or incident by a third party.
• Assistance with compliance: With MDR services, organizations can meet some of the control requirements for maintaining regulatory compliance.
• Scalability: An MDR provider can quickly scale up services as the organization grows. This flexibility helps the customer save time and money that would otherwise be needed to expand the security function.

If you were making the business case for engaging an MDR provider, one of the first objections you’d have to counter is cost. Implementing and maintaining MDR services can be expensive and resource intensive. Subscription fees, licensing costs, hardware and software investments, and ongoing operational support may be involved.

Complexity is another concern. Integrating the MDR provider’s tools and solutions into your IT infrastructure, including network monitoring, endpoint protection, identity and access management (IAM), and SIEM, can require planning, configuration, and testing. Compatibility issues and configuration errors can occur.

Access to your organization’s sensitive data by a third party could be a deal breaker, especially for a public company in an industry like government or financial services. However, most MDR providers put robust controls in place to protect client data.

Finally, it’s impractical to fully outsource threat detection and response. That means some in-house resources will need to remain engaged with the MDR provider and be trained on their processes.

A managed security service provider (MSSP) is a third party that provides monitoring and management of security devices and systems to augment an organization’s internal security team. An MSSP usually provides security event monitoring; firewall, antivirus, intrusion detection system, and VPN management; endpoint protection; and vulnerability scanning and remediation. MSSPs operate from high-availability, virtual security operation centers (SOCs) to deliver round-the-clock services.

MSSP is an umbrella term that includes different specialized, outsourced security services, such as vulnerability management and application security management.

This category emerged in the late 1990s when Internet service providers (ISPs) began offering customers firewall appliances. This offering evolved to include firewall management, which formed the basis for MSSP.

The benefits of engaging an MSSP are similar to those of using an MDR provider. An MSSP allows organizations to fill gaps in their security staffing, access specialized skills and expertise that they could not find or afford otherwise, and ensure continuous monitoring, detection, and alerting. Another value-add from these providers is optimizing the performance of security devices and systems by expertly configuring and managing them.

From a cost standpoint, MSSPs offer economies of scale and help customers avoid capital expenditures for equipment, tools, and staffing.

Like an MDR service, an MSSP adds costs to your security program. Because fees are usually charged on a per-user or per-device basis, they can increase as your organization changes. However, in the long term, an MSSP can save money otherwise required for staffing and technology acquisition.

Another concern shared with customers of an MDR provider is the risk of exposing sensitive data, particularly personally identifiable information (PII) and intellectual property.

Using an MSSP also has other potential drawbacks:

• Lack of customization: MSSPs typically use repeatable, standard services with limited depth to reduce costs and simplify delivery. However, a standard approach may fail to meet an organization’s specific needs, leaving gaps. It is important to identify a provider whose services match your requirements.
• Compliance issues: Companies in highly regulated industries must be sure that their MSSP adheres to compliance requirements for data privacy and other security factors, or risk legal and financial penalties.
• Communication challenges: Remote services delivery and geographical or cultural differences can interfere with clear, effective communication between the MSSP and the client.
• Lack of specialization: Because MSSPs offer a broad range of services, they often operate as jacks-of-all-trades — and a masters of none.

MDR services fall into the managed security services category but differ from MSSPs in specific ways. First, MDR providers are more proactive than MSSPs. They typically focus on threats through detection, response, and threat hunting, while MSSPs are generally reactive, concentrating on vulnerabilities and security alert monitoring.

Second, MSSPs provide a broader, higher-level and more automated security solution than MDR services, which take a deeper and more specialized approach that features skilled security experts and includes incident investigation, analysis, response, and remediation. MSSPs do not actively engage in incident response or remediation, which are usually handled by the customer.

From a functional standpoint, MSSPs rely on signatures and rules-based detection and may overlook advanced or emerging threats. Also, while they identify security issues, MSSPs do not investigate them or provide details, in contrast to MDR services. Further, MSSPs send notifications on every security event or anomaly, while MDR services filter them, helping the security team avoid dealing with false positives.

Another difference involves compliance. MSSPs assist customers with compliance reporting, while MDR services do not.

Which is the more appropriate solution for your needs – an MSSP or an MDR service? Your decision-making process should take these factors into consideration.

Security needs

If you need broad, full-stack security services with a focus on patching, monitoring, alerting, and escalation, an MSSP is the better option. If you need a targeted service that investigates and responds rapidly to advanced threats, including conducting threat analysis and threat hunting, you should look into MDR providers. However, it often makes sense to use both: an MSSP for broad-based security needs and an MDR specifically for detection and response needs.

Risk level and compliance requirements

Customers with a relatively low level of security risk may be comfortable with an MSSP, which focuses on prevention rather than threat detection and offers limited coverage hours. But an organization in an industry that is prone to cyberattacks may need the real-time threat detection and response services of MDR to protect sensitive data and meet stringent regulatory mandates.

Coverage

Basic MSSP contracts usually specify coverage during business hours only, with the option to add more hours for an extra fee. Thanks to their full-service SOC, MDR providers deliver 24/7 coverage, enabling them to respond to threats rapidly.

Human oversight

MSSPs rely heavily on security technology, including automation, for monitoring and alerting. Staff interaction with customers is limited and high level. In contrast, MDR services feature human experts who contribute insights and specialized skills and collaborate with the customer’s security staff.

Budget

In general, MSSPs are less costly than MDR services because they provide limited coverage and do not handle threat response or remediation. However, if you decide to add optional services to the basic MSSP offering, costs can escalate.