Using automation to deliver reliable managed security services
As a Cloud Service Provider (CSP), Managed Service Provider (MSP), or Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) you are instrumental in delivering effective and reliable managed security services to your clients.
With cybercriminals taking advantage of less secure environments and becoming more advanced with their security breaches, this is becoming increasingly complex. This is making
security a hot topic in the media, but the benefit here is that it’s helping potential customers understand the importance of protecting their data. As a result, we are seeing security services turn from a ‘nice to have’, to an essential service for our partners.
Getting on top of your security game
If you’re not already on top of your security offering, there is a big opportunity to level up your service. There are five steps you should consider to start this process:
- Define a comprehensive security offering
- Provide ongoing work to maintain compliance
- Gain more customers and increase revenue
- Become the ‘go-to’ CSP/MSP/MSSP for security
- Support your long-term success
Security without automation is challenging
Keeping organizations ‘threat free’ is impossible to do without the right security solutions.
Today, security management is still largely manual: teams invest hours configuring security policies and applying sufficient protection to users and groups. In our fast-moving world, this isn’t sustainable and will lead to service providers failing to stop cyberattacks.
Why? Because cyberattacks are too sophisticated, meaning that criminals can easily identify the weak links in an organization’s network and gain access. On top of this, new threats are emerging constantly, and attack timings are unpredictable so they can hit any network at any time. This makes it almost impossible for service providers to keep up without the help of the right tools and software.
Cloud User Hub helps CSPs improve their security processes. Allowing them to manage all their customers and users from one platform, and service multiple tenants with one user account. Teams no longer need to use complex PowerShell scripts, but can easily build Command Blocks and Sets into security processes and use triggers to help manage clients’ security needs. CSPs can have confidence that their customers are better protected and more secure when they use Cloud User Hub.
The benefits of automated security
For efficient results, CSPS, MSPs, and MSSPs should depend less on their security teams and analysts, and instead lean on security software solutions to accomplish the following:
1. Fully automate the tenant security setup
You need to keep tight control of your customers’ workspace environments. Sophisticated solutions allow you to assign any security policy to tenant setups using pre-defined commands and triggers. These rules and workflows can be deployed widely across multiple or specific users and groups.
2. Control user access and roles
There could be hundreds of users connected to an organization’s OneDrive. The likelihood is that sensitive information should only be accessed by certain groups or users. Automation lets you easily set up and manage specific Role Based Access Control (RBAC) to help with this.
Service Providers can build RBAC Commands into workflows and deploy as widely or selectively as needs be. This effective method is more reliable than PowerShell scripts, which can contain errors and need frequent updates. These workflows can be triggered each time a user is added to a particular security group, without the need for manual configuration.
This process is an efficient and more accurate way to manage and deploy permissions, protections, and passwords.
3. Respond to breaches faster
The need for human intervention can be heavily reduced when you automate your security operations. You can prioritize threats and handle certain attacks automatically with instructions created by Command Blocks and Sets. This can reduce response times and address security issues without the need for manual effort. Most importantly, automation will allow you to respond to breaches much more quickly.
4. Be the ‘eyes and ears’ of your team
The amount of security notifications that come through to response teams is vast. When controlled manually, this can cause more harm than good. Imagine constantly looking at a screen to prioritize each alert—you’d never have a day off!
Cloud User Hub allows you to easily automate the management of all of your Microsoft tenants, users, and licenses from a single hub. Helping you to lower response times, and increase the quality and speed of investigation.
In short, security automation maximizes the efficiencies of your security team and helps take the pressure of their workloads by letting technicians focus on the work that requires judgement, planning, and other skills.
5. Improved costs
It’s been well documented over the past couple of years that service providers are finding it hard to hire technicians. The IT talent shortage doesn’t just make it hard to employ the right people, it also means you’re paying top dollar for talent. Security automation covers the low-skill and repetitive tasks, meaning leaders can reallocate people to complete more challenging projects.
6. Improved efficiencies
The sheer amount of security threats each day means help desk teams can easily become inundated with ticket requests. Teams can use their solutions alongside automated commands to handle the most basic troubleshooting tickets, without needing to lift a finger.
Tickets that contain real security issues can then be flagged and put it in front of the eyes of a skilled worker to investigate further. Automated solutions can send pre-arranged messaging to companies that explain their security has been compromised, and containing clear instructions on next steps.
Ready to automate your security processes?
To stay secure, service providers need to automate their security processes. Automation solutions enable stronger, more reliable security controls than manual management. Even the most cyber resilient companies should assess their automation tools to see if it covers their every need.
Cloud User Hub brings in a new era of control for Microsoft CSPs. Click here to try it for free
Laura Moise is Sr. Product Marketing Manager at N‑able
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