Cyber security has evolved into a board-level issue, a defining factor in business resilience, continuity, and reputation. Yet too often, it remains an IT sub-category rather than a strategic risk discipline. Many organisations still rely solely on their Managed Service Provider (MSP) to handle security, but the truth is, MSPs weren’t built for today’s threat landscape.
To protect your organisation effectively, you need a specialist Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) working in tandem with your MSP. One that brings the depth, visibility, and threat expertise your IT partner can’t reasonably maintain alone.
The Modern Reality: MSPs Keep You Running – MSSPs Keep You Safe
In most small and mid-sized organisations, the same team responsible for patching servers and resetting passwords is also expected to manage firewalls, monitor alerts, and handle incident response. They’re dedicated professionals, but they’re not security analysts.
That’s where gaps emerge. Activity gets mistaken for assurance: antivirus is installed, firewalls are ticked off, backups exist somewhere, yet crucial elements like threat intelligence, 24/7 monitoring, and incident containment are missing.
An MSP’s mission is uptime, availability, and efficiency. An MSSP’s mission is resilience, detection, and response. You need both to operate safely.
The Cost of Relying on “IT Security”
Recent high-profile breaches tell the same story, again and again.
When responsibility for cyber risk is dispersed or delegated to people without specialist training blind spots multiply silently.
- Third-party risks go unchecked
- Incident responses are improvised
- Data governance is inconsistent
Traditional MSPs are invaluable for keeping systems working; but without an MSSP watching the threat landscape, vulnerabilities fester unseen until they become headlines.
Cyber Is a Business Risk – Not a Technical One
Modern resilience isn’t about who patches the server; it’s about who owns the risk. Cyber events today carry legal, financial, and reputational consequences. They demand not just technology, but governance, reporting, and continuous assurance.
MSSPs specialise in that domain. They complement MSPs by providing:
• Proactive threat monitoring and response
• Advanced detection capabilities (EDR/XDR/SIEM)
• Compliance support aligned to frameworks like ISO 27001 and NIS2
• Executive-level risk reporting that boards can actually act on
In short: your MSP keeps the lights on; your MSSP makes sure no one’s breaking in while they’re on.
Evolving the Partnership: MSP + MSSP = Resilience
The relationship between your MSP, MSSP, and internal leadership should form a three-way partnership.
- The MSP manages infrastructure, availability, and productivity
- The MSSP manages threat posture, monitoring, and incident readiness
- The business owns governance and decision-making
This collaboration creates shared visibility and clear accountability. It prevents the common scenario where everyone assumes “someone else” is watching for threats, until it’s too late.
Building Competence Without Building a Department
You don’t need an in-house security team to operate securely. You need the right structure:
- An internal Cyber Owner who bridges leadership and suppliers
- A trusted MSP maintaining day-to-day IT operations
- A specialist MSSP delivering dedicated detection, response, and governance
This model lets organisations achieve enterprise-grade protection without enterprise-level overheads.
Culture Over Checklists
Technology is only half the story. Resilient organisations invest in cyber culture – awareness, curiosity, and accountability across every level. An MSSP can help embed this mindset, turning security from a compliance burden into a competitive advantage.
Final Thoughts
Running cyber security without a specialist MSSP is like running finance without an accountant, the basics may get done, but exposure builds quietly until something breaks.
Your MSP keeps your business operational.
Your MSSP keeps it secure and resilient.
Together, they create the visibility, assurance, and confidence that define a modern, trusted organisation.
For more information about Cyberfort cyber security services and how we work with organisations to help them become secure, resilient and compliant email us at [email protected] and one of our experts will be in touch.
