Managed Services is the hot new trend in the world of IT and it’s the phrase you must have heard on and off for the past couple of years. But, what is managed services and how it is impacting businesses around the world? A managed service is a business model in which a company outsources its IT functions and operations to a third-party provider in order to increase operational efficiency and cut costs. At its core, managed services is all the bells and whistles of helping companies manage their IT infrastructure. And these companies or third-party providers that provide managed services to companies or businesses are called Managed Service Providers or MSPs. Sometimes, companies outsource only their network security services to other companies who are responsible for managing the security needs of the organization. These companies are called Managed Security Service Providers or MSSPs.

What is Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP)?

Managed Security Service Providers (or MSSPs) are companies that focus on providing total security solutions as a service and removing much of the work involved in maintaining security for end users. MSSPs provide a variety of security monitoring and oversight services, including virus protection, firewall management, URL blocking, intrusion detection, handling website risk assessment, network security monitoring, and so on. The growing demand for security services and the high costs associated with hiring local security experts have urged companies to look for more sophisticated and trustworthy security management personnel. This has opened the market for managed security service providers wherein clients pay a third-party provider to manage and oversee the security of their IT infrastructure. MSSPs are great resources, especially for those companies which require 24×7 monitoring for security events but do not have the necessary IT staff to do so.

What is Managed Service Provider (MSP)?

Managed Service Providers (or MSPs) are companies that deliver a defined set of technology solutions or services to end users and organizations on a proactive basis. MSPs are third party service providers that handle the IT infrastructure of their clients remotely based on a subscription model. MSPs are mostly used by end users or organizations who want to make the most out of cloud technologies but lack the required infrastructure, IT skills or resources to do so. MSPs emerged in the last few years to fill the vacuum created by the lack of proper IT infrastructure or shortage of skilled IT personnel and by the explosion of companies who do not have dedicated IT department of their own. They handle all the IT aspects of an organization starting from maintenance to bug fixes, help desk support, website management, and performance monitoring of servers located at data centers. They focus on an organization IT infrastructure with the exception of the applications running on the systems.

Difference between MSSP and MSP

Role 

– A managed service is a business model in which a company outsources its IT functions and operations. Managed Service Providers (or MSPs) are companies that deliver a defined set of technology solutions or services to end users and organizations on a proactive basis. Managed Security Service Providers (or MSSPs), on the other hand, are companies that are tasked with providing total security solutions as a service to manage an organization’s security needs. MSSPs provide electronic security services to its clients on a subscription basis.

Function

 – MSSPs provide a variety of security monitoring and oversight services, including virus protection, firewall management, URL blocking, intrusion detection, handling website risk assessment, network security monitoring, and so on. MSSPs are tasked with handling with handling all or certain aspects of IT security functions of their clients. MSPs, on the other hand, handle all the IT aspects of an organization starting from maintenance to bug fixes, help desk support, website management, and performance monitoring of servers located at data centers.

Primary Focus

 – MSSPs are primarily focused on providing a wide range of security monitoring and oversight services. They provide round the clock security monitoring and management services for companies, especially those which require 24×7 monitoring for security events but do not have the necessary IT staff to do so. So, MSSPs basically deal with security aspects of an organization. MSPs, however, focus on all things IT, starting from managing the IT infrastructure and systems to managing the cloud technologies, in order to reach business goals and increase operational efficiency.

MSP vs. MSSP: Comparison Chart

Summary of MSP vs. MSSP

Managed services is all the bells and whistles of helping companies manage their IT infrastructure. While MSSPs are tasked with handling and mitigating security threats across an organization infrastructure, network and applications, MSPs focus on IT administration, starting from managing the IT infrastructure and systems to managing the cloud technologies. While both are managed service providers, MSSPs provide total security solutions as a service to manage an organization’s security needs whereas MSPs focus on addressing their end user needs by remotely managing and monitoring their IT infrastructure, including PCs and servers performance and manage updates.

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