How to Maximise a CISO/MSP Cybersecurity Partnership

Over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed the growing trend of internal IT teams collaborating with MSPs for Co-Managed IT support.

In fact, the Co-Managed IT Model may be the opportunity your MSP has been looking for to engage with larger businesses that have previously preferred to keep their IT in-house.

But in addition to Co-Managed IT, I’m also seeing a growing trend for the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) within larger organisations to now seek out MSPs, too.

So, why are CISOs looking to work with MSPs and MSSPs?

The Relationship Between CISOs and MSPs

Being a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) has undergone significant changes since its inception.

CISOs currently handle much more than their traditional security monitoring responsibilities. CISOs manage compliance requirements while handling third-party risk assessments and supply chain audits.

They also manage business continuity needs and present to boards of directors while defending systems from escalating security threats.

From what I’m seeing, organisations are demanding security leadership from CISOs even though their teams maintain insufficient staff levels and inadequate skill sets.

As a result, CISOs now increasingly choose to partner with Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) because they need help to fill security gaps.

The Lack of Cybersecurity Skills

For CISOs, the lack of cybersecurity skills represents an insurmountable challenge instead of a minor nuisance.

Organisations face two major challenges when trying to hire cybersecurity specialists: the scarcity of qualified professionals combined with high recruitment expenses.

The process of employee retention stands as a major challenge after organisations successfully hire new personnel. The continuous evolution of security creates a never-ending cycle of burnout while requiring organisations to adapt at a rapid pace.

MSPs and MSSPs deliver an invaluable benefit through their immediate access to experienced professionals along with specialised tools and established processes that internal teams typically cannot match. Many CISOs view this strategic move as their primary solution to fill their security needs.

What Services Are Ripe for Outsourcing?

If you’re a CISO, then you should consider outsourcing operations which have repetitive tasks that need specialised tools and continuous monitoring.

Here are a few examples of tasks that MSPs and MSSPs can readily take on:

• SIEM and log monitoring
• Threat intelligence feeds and analysis
• Vulnerability scanning and patch management
• Endpoint detection and response (EDR)
• Firewall and network security management
• Compliance tracking and audit support

The infrastructure of an MSP, along with their skilled teams, enables efficient delivery of these services across large scales. The advantage for CISOs is rapid results without needing to establish everything from beginning to end.

What Should Stay In-House?

However, there are aspects of cybersecurity that, in my opinion, the CISO together with their internal team must maintain overall direction control of.

For instance, security governance and strategy is one area that CISOs may prefer to keep in-house. MSPs can provide execution along with insight but internal teams possess the complete business understanding that MSPs do not have.

It’s also important that working with MSPs or MSSPs isn’t seen as an opportunity for CISOs to abdicate responsibility for risk ownership and accountability. The job of executive reporting and board engagement should remain with the CISO, as well as any business-aligned decision making.

Conclusion

The partnership model between CISO and MSP/MSSP represents a strong approach for security needs.

But organisations must strike the right balance between outsourcing and in-house security capabilities.

The most successful CISOs develop security models that blend internal strategic leadership with external operational outsourcing to MSP or MSSP partners who offer extensive capabilities and quick results. This new sustainable security model will become prevalent in upcoming years.

For MSPs, do not overlook the opportunity to offer services that assist CISOs in filling their security skill deficiencies.

And for CISOs, rather than carrying the weight of all modern cybersecurity challenges yourself, instead look to benefit from MSP or MSSPs collaborations.

I’m intrigued to hear your thoughts, whether you’re an MSP, MSSP or CISO. Leave a comment below or get in touch.

Do you want to dive deeper into why more CISOs are turning to MSPs and MSSPs? Check out this excellent piece by John Leyden on CSO Online: Skills Gaps Send CISOs in Search of Managed Security Providers — it explores how growing workloads, talent shortages, and compliance pressure are driving the rise of co-managed security models.

A must-read for both MSPs and CISOs looking to collaborate smarter.

You Might Also be Interested in

• Podcast: Co-Managed IT, Cybersecurity and Imposter Syndrome: Top Tips for MSPs
• The Easy Way to Transition Your MSP to an MSSP
• The MSP’s Survival Guide to Co-Managed IT Services

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