In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses of all sizes find themselves at a crossroads, navigating complex information technology and cybersecurity challenges. With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated and frequent, understanding the nuances of IT management and security services is crucial for protecting valuable data and ensuring operational continuity. This is particularly important when considering the strategic implementation of managed services and deciding between a Managed Service Provider (MSP), Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), or a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Provider. In this article I’m going to discuss the definitions, key differences, and individual benefits of MSP vs MSSP vs MDR Providers, offering insights to help you or your business chose the best managed services provider.
MSP vs MSSP vs MDR Defined
Understanding the roles of Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Providers within the IT and cybersecurity frameworks is crucial before deciding which managed service provider best aligns with your business needs.
What is a Managed Service Provider (MSP)?
An MSP is a company that remotely manages a customer’s IT infrastructure and/or end-user systems, typically on a proactive basis under a subscription model. The primary role of an MSP is to ensure the operational efficiency of a company’s technology systems and infrastructure, allowing businesses to focus more on their core operations without the burdens of IT management, while protecting against cyber threats.
Operational Base: Network Operations Center (NOC)
MSPs operate out of Network Operations Centers (NOCs), where IT technicians and administrators monitor, supervise, and maintain client networks and systems around the clock, ensuring continuous management of infrastructure.
What is a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP)?
MSSPs focus on providing outsourced monitoring and management of security devices and systems for their clients, offering services such as security event monitoring, network monitoring, security configuration management, and identity management. Unlike MSPs, who provide basic security, MSSPs provide more advanced and comprehensive security services, such as threat detection and alerting.
What is a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Provider?
An MDR provider, or Managed Detection and Response provider, is a specialized cybersecurity service provider that offers security monitoring, detection, investigation, and response to security threats and incidents across the entire IT infrastructure. Unlike traditional managed security service providers (MSSPs) that primarily focus on monitoring and alerting, MDR providers actively hunt for and respond to threats in real-time. They leverage advanced technologies, machine learning, business context-modeling, threat intelligence, and human expertise to detect, investigate and remediate sophisticated cyber threats across the entire IT infrastructure with XDR capabilities, helping organizations enhance their overall security posture and resilience.
Operational Base: Security Operations Center (SOC)
Both Managed Detection and Response (MDR) providers and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) utilize Security Operations Centers (SOCs) to enhance cybersecurity. However, their methodologies and priorities within the SOC diverge. MSSPs focus on managing security devices and systems for multiple clients to ensure overall security posture and compliance requirements are met. MDR providers establish SOCs with a proactive stance on threat detection and response. Equipped with advanced technologies like machine learning and behavioral analytics, MDR provider SOCs excel at identifying emerging threats. Prioritizing continuous monitoring, threat hunting, and swift incident response, MDR providers focus on mitigating security incidents effectively. Their core objective is to detect, investigate, and respond to sophisticated threats that may circumvent traditional security measures while MSSPs don’t go beyond alerting client’s of security incidents.
NOC vs. SOC: Operational Differences
- NOCs focus on managing and ensuring the availability and efficiency of a business’s IT infrastructure.
- SOCs focus on cybersecurity operations to bolster cybersecurity and protect business’s sensitive data, systems, and assets against cyber threats.
Key Differences: MSP vs MSSP vs MDR Providers
Though both MSPs and MSSPs are integral to IT and cybersecurity frameworks, their key differences are crucial for determining which service aligns best with an organization’s needs.
| Feature | MSP | MSSP | MDR Provider |
| Area of Focus | General IT management and infrastructure support | Network security monitoring and management | 24×7 security monitoring, investigation, response, and proactive threat mitigation |
| Goals | Enhance operational efficiency | Minimize the need for extensive security personnel management while ensuring robust security posture | Proactively mitigate breaches and respond to incidents |
| Cybersecurity Offerings | Basic security such as email security, antivirus scanning, intrusion detection systems | Network monitoring and continuous security services, including vulnerability risk management, identity management, security device management | MDR, XDR |
| Common Functions | Network management, IT support, software updates, backup and recovery | Security event monitoring, alerting, exposure assessments, security configurations, vulnerability scanning, asset management | Advanced threat detection, investigation, and response, false positive reduction, threat hunting |
Exploring the Differences in Depth
Area of Focus
- MSPs: Maintain and optimize IT infrastructure, including networks, cloud services, data management, and helpdesk services.
- MSSPs: Provide a variety of management and operational services specific to security technologies and business outcomes for security.
- MDR Providers: Focused on 24×7 security monitoring, investigation, response, and proactive threat mitigation.
Goals
- MSPs: Stabilize and optimize IT operations, often through proactive management to prevent disruptions.
- MSSPs: Reduce the burden on organizations by minimizing the need for extensive recruitment, training, and retention of security personnel while ensuring a strong security posture.
- MDR Providers: Primarily focused on proactively mitigating breaches and responding to incidents.
Cybersecurity Offerings
- MSPs: Offer foundational security measures such as firewalls and antivirus software as part of broader IT services.
- MSSPs: Comprehensive security services including network monitoring, threat detection, exposure assessment, and management.
- MDR Providers: Advanced threat detection and response capabilities, including MDR and XDR solutions.
Common Functions
- MSPs: Include managed network and support services, system management, and cloud infrastructure management.
- MSSPs: Security monitoring, threat detection and alerts, exposure assessment and management.
- MDR Providers: Advanced threat detection, investigation, and response, false positive reduction, and proactive threat hunting.
Conclusion of Differences
As businesses navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape, understanding the distinctions between Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Providers is crucial for making informed decisions regarding cybersecurity needs.
MSPs primarily focus on maintaining and optimizing IT infrastructure to ensure smooth operations, while MSSPs specialize in providing outsourced monitoring and management of security devices and systems, offering a broader range of security services compared to MSPs. Unlike MSSPs, which may detect and alert clients to anomalies, MDR providers take a proactive approach by investigating and validating threats, as well as actively responding to security incidents to block and contain attacks across various IT environments.
