Specifically, a capable MSSP must employ advanced data mining and security event correlation capabilities to enable it to accurately correlate, analyze, and interpret large volumes of network security data in real time. In general, an MSSP’s services include timely phone and email access to security monitoring staff and Web access to reports on such things as device status, change requests, and service level performance. Perhaps most importantly, these services enable enterprises to focus resources on their core, everyday business issues.

The stakes are certainly rising. In its recently issued predictions for 2004, Gartner said enterprises will choose service providers based not on the provider's ability to recognize intrusions and alert the enterprise, but rather on its ability to recognize critical vulnerabilities and to block attempts to exploit these vulnerabilities. Gartner expects demand for managed security services to increase at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 31 percent through 2005, and predicts that all major managed security service providers must offer external and internal vulnerability scanning and threat assessment as integral components of their device management services if they are to be serious contenders in the MSSP market. (That will be particularly relevant given enterprises’ efforts to comply with auditor requirements stemming from legislation such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.)

The conclusion is unavoidable: any notion that security is a matter of simply protecting the network perimeter is hopelessly out of date. Why? Because increasingly, enterprises are recognizing the importance of “defense in depth.” This involves a comprehensive approach to securing critical assets, networks, and information systems while implementing robust defenses against hackers, viruses, and other online threats. Defense in depth recognizes that today’s environment is one increasingly beset by so-called blended threats that dynamically target the vulnerabilities of isolated security products. As a result, companies must adopt a deep, integrated strategy that addresses security at all tiers: gateway, server, and client. It is precisely this kind of strategy that an MSSP can help enterprises execute.


So how should an enterprise go about choosing an MSSP? The following criteria should be considered:

Longevity. Entrusting sensitive corporate data to a third party is not a decision to be taken lightly. When partnering with an MSSP, invest the time and resources to ensure that the service is addressing your organization’s most critical needs. As a result, special emphasis must be placed on choosing a partner that has a proven track record of delivering quality security services to a broad range of industry sectors over a long period of time.

Real-time analysis and response. An MSSP must have the ability to accurately correlate, analyze, and interpret large volumes of network security in real time. It must be able to separate real security threats from a welter of “false positives.”