So, you’ve got together a team of security experts. You have a business plan for your managed security service provider (MSSP) company. You’ve identified a target market, chosen a security framework – and maybe you even have potential customers lined up.
Now you need to choose the best MSSP software tools.
Finding the right MSSP software is a crucial building block for any business offering managed security services. Let’s learn about the key kinds of MSSP software. We also explore some of the most advanced offerings on the market today.
MSSP Software: Just One Building Block
Hardware and software doesn’t make you an MSSP.
Having access to powerful MSSP software is a crucial building block for any managed security service provider business. Without suitable software, you simply cannot offer customers the protection they need.
But as the comment on the Reddit MSP feed above highlights, launching an MSSP requires much more than just having access to software. To become a successful MSSP you will also need:
- Security frameworks and accreditations;
- Personnel with required skills;
- Target market and niche;
- Marketing methods;
- Unique selling points;
- Insurance and risk management.
These other factors are just as important as your MSSP software – so need to be considered from the start.
Related: Why is the MSSP market growing so fast?
Key Questions to Ask When Choosing MSSP Software
Throughout your career in cybersecurity, it’s highly likely you’ve utilized a wide variety of security tools and point solutions. While many of these tools are excellent at what they do, you need to consider the bigger picture when choosing software for your managed security services provider business. The following key questions can help:
- Scalability: Can the tool easily scale to monitor, manage or protect dozens of customers?
- Learning curve: Is the technology straightforward for MSSP analysts to pick up and use?
- Connection: Does the technology connect with other kinds of cybersecurity tools? Can it protect a wide variety of business IT?
- Reliability: Is the tool dependable? Is it robust, regularly updated and does it work efficiently?
- Affordability: Is the tool affordable? Can you add dozens of new seats each time you win a new customer, while staying in control of costs?
Read more: MSP or MSSP? Key differences
Essential Types of MSSP Software
The exact MSSP software you choose will, ultimately, depend on your target market and customer needs. If none of your clients need a firewall service, for instance, then you may not need to invest in MSSP software for this. But the following kinds of cybersecurity tools are used by most MSSPs.
Network Security
By rolling out network security to your customers’ systems (cloud and on-prem), you can get complete visibility over the network and support intrusion detection. This kind of data protection tech lets you monitor all devices on the network, monitor traffic, and hunt for threats.
Patch Management
Many MSSPs provide patch management as a service, so patch management software is an essential tool. With patch management software, you can track all apps on your customers’ systems, then get notified as soon as any new patches for those apps are released. You can then deploy them instantly.
Identity And Access Management
Many MSSP customers will be looking for support with MFA, Zero Trust and identity-based access. Privileged access management software allows you to set up controls as your customers need.
Endpoint Protection
Most customers will also be looking for protection of their endpoints, powerful firewalls for their networks, antivirus, monitoring services and mobile device management. Most MSSPs therefore offer some form of EDR or XDR to support threat detection.
Threat Hunting
Many MSSPs offer various kinds of pen test, intrusion detection and threat hunting services. You’ll therefore benefit from a threat hunting tool.
Email Security
Phishing remains one of the top ways that malicious actors enter company systems. Offering email security and data loss prevention is a standard service for many MSSPs.
Compliance Support
Many MSSPs help customers comply with various regulations to protect sensitive data, including GDPR, HIPAA, the NIS 2 Directive and so on. Providing technology that can audit customer systems and demonstrate compliance can be a great selling point for an MSSP.
Best MSSP Software on the Market
MSSPs use a wide variety of technologies to help keep their customers safe and protected against cyber threats. But the following solutions are especially effective.
Heimdal® Extended Detection & Response (XDR)
Heimdal® XDR is a complete cyber security platform that is designed to help MSSPs to manage multiple, complex environments.
From a single, centralized dashboard, you can monitor all of your customers’ networks, check their health and get alerted to any security incidents. Then, you can use a wide variety of security tools that are integrated into Heimdal® XDR to perform investigations, carry out regular monitoring activities, issue commands, deploy patches, or isolate threats.
By using our platform based approach, you can successfully scale your MSSP business. The same tools can be deployed to monitor multiple customers’ environments, which reduces MSSP software costs.
At the same time, your analysts are able to use the same tools over and again – eliminating the learning curve and boosting productivity.
Heimdal is the most essential component of the cyber-security stack that we deploy to protect our clients. The product’s enterprise-level capabilities and automated patching, of not only Microsoft applications but also over 100 third party software applications, is critical for the support services we offer. We previously used a lot of the RMMs in the market and, frankly, they all fell well short in terms of both reliability and speed to patch.
Cisco Security Services
Providing an extensive range of tools for your analysts, Cisco Security Services is a good option for MSSPs. The collection or security solutions includes a variety of Cisco’s own firewalls, privileged access management with Cisco Secure Access, an XDR solution, tools for MFA, identity services and multi-cloud defense.
Cisco’s ‘Umbrella for MSSPs’ offerings are particularly attractive. They allow you to build a package of services for your specific needs.
The effectiveness of the software has been incredible…. [But] the transition from a standalone product to a module within Cisco Secure Client has been difficult. It’s not for beginners.
Trend Micro Vision One
This extended detection and response solution from Trend Micro is a strong option for MSSPs. From a central dashboard, you have access to a wide range of tools to manage your customers’ security posture, including email security, endpoint security, cloud security, network security, data protection and identity security.
The company has an credit-based pricing model, where you pay different amounts for different apps that are being monitored.
Trend Vision One’s partner program for MSSPs is particularly helpful. Designed to boost margins and make onboarding easy, it’s set up to help MSSPs succeed.
Trend Vision One has an awesome arsenal of apps for preventing security threats. Deployment on Endpoints is simple and detection is near instant. The sprawling cloud console means you need to follow the mini tutorials and Resource Center to become fully comfortable but the interface is clear and largely intuitive. Just make sure to research how many Trend Micro credits it will cost to protect your organization.
IBM Managed Security Services
This popular MSSP software solution provides you with an extensive range of capabilities including:
- Threat Detection;
- Intrusion Detection;
- Managed Detection And Response;
- Managed Cloud Security;
- Managed Endpoint Security;
- Managed Identity;
- Security Command Center.
IBM’s suite of cybersecurity services are marketed as an MSSP in and of itself. It can be used by managed security service providers to carry out many of their essential tasks.
Well planned out implementation process and testing. The only issue we are finding is that some components needed further refinement after the implementation phase. The regularly scheduled post-implementation meetings are a good place to make these changes.
Okta Identity Management
Although Okta Identity and Access Management only provides one specific kind of cybersecurity software, it is highly regarded and a powerful tool – and can work as the core of an MSSP’s offering.
It provides a customizable and secure way to add authentication to all apps and services your customers use – which can make it especially helpful if they work with multiple cloud based apps.
Okta is the big kid on the playground in the identity management (IDM) space, and for good reason. From a feature standpoint, the market leader is competitive with any of the other vendors we’ve surveyed, and a head above most… While Okta remains somewhat pricey, its feature breadth and solid overall platform earn it our Editors’ Choice award.
Cybersecurity Platforms – a Future Trend in MSSP Software?
A lot of MSSPs still rely on RMM / PSA tools for much of the operation, but that puts a limit on their ability to grow rapidly, because RMM / PSA tools provide an extremely limited and IT management-centric feature set… So many are stuck, unwilling to explore the additional commercial opportunities in cybersecurity, or are afraid to.
Morten Kjaersgaard, Chairman & Founder, Heimdal
In recent years we have seen the emergence of a new way for MSSPs to monitor and protect their customers’ environments: cybersecurity platforms.
Unlike point solutions, which support MSSP analysts with one specific type of security task, platforms bring together multiple tools in a single suite. That can be especially helpful for MSSPs.
Let’s take for example our own Heimdal® Unified Security Platform. We offer the widest cybersecurity platform currently on the market, with over 10 solutions integrated into one single agent.
How can that help you as an MSSP? That makes monitoring your customers’ environments much easier:
- Allows you to scale services and grow business thanks to repeatability;
- Shorter learning curve for security teams;
- Less expensive than deploying dozens of different point solutions;
- Save time and effort logging into multiple environments;
- Having one cybersecurity platform reduces your attack surface compared to having multiple tools and logins.
Give Your MSSP the Best Tools for the Job
When you are setting up your MSSP, there are so many decisions to make, people to hire and plans to enact. Choosing the best MSSP software is another task to add to your list – and your decisions today can have long term impacts on your company’s productivity, ability to scale and secure customer data.
By taking the time to explore different kinds of MSSP software and platforms, you set yourself up for success.
FAQs About MSSP Software
What is the best MSSP software?
There are dozens of kinds of cybersecurity tools that an MSSP may wish to use, but a comprehensive platform like Heimdal XDR gives you the widest range of security solutions in one place. This makes it especially attractive to MSSPs.
How to decide which MSSP software to use?
When choosing MSSP software, it’s best to start by analyzing your current and future needs. What kinds of security services do you offer, and to which customers? Also, how might these services change as your business grows? By answering these questions, you can then figure out which MSSP software is best for you.
How is MSSP software changing?
The biggest trend in MSSP software is the shift to cybersecurity platforms. These centralized platforms give MSSP staff a complete suite of tools that are accessible from a single place. That makes managing and monitoring multiple customers’ environments efficient, easy and fast.
Cristian is a Content Editor & Creator at Heimdal®, where he developed a deep understanding of the digital threat landscape. His style resonates with both technical and non-technical readers, proof being in his skill of communicating cybersecurity norms effectively, in an easy-to-understand manner.
