Evolve or Die: Customers Expect More From Their MSSPs

MSSPs have evolved from traditional firewall management to broader services due to demand, and customer expectations have evolved right along with them. Since 2020, the number of MSSPs has almost tripled, but quality of services hasn't always risen alongside customer expectations. Initially, MSSPs focused solely on serving large enterprises, but they now also serve smaller businesses, impacting pricing and expectations from a wider segment of the public. To address these changing market demographics, MSSPs must refine their go-to-market strategies.

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That's what the session from Charly Bun, senior director of managed services at DirectDefense, at MSSP Alert Live, October 14-16, 2024, in Austin, Texas, is all about -- and you don't want to miss it.

Changing Expectations

Overall, Bun said, the session will discuss how and why customers have come to expect more from their MSSPs and how MSSPs can respond to those changing demands.

"The expectations have shifted a bit as more and more companies are turning to MSSPs to help bolster their security programs," Bun said. As these expectations change, so will delivery methodologies, technology requirements and, by extension, pricing and packaging.

In this session, you'll learn more about understanding evolving customer expectations as the total addressable market grows, learn the importance of “best of breed” technology and why technology lock-in can be debilitating. You'll also learn how to avoid this by building a flexible ecosystem. You'll also gain insight into how this may impact the cost to deliver and the overall price to the market and how to handle customers looking for a Ferrari with the budget for a Ford, Bun said.

"With the current talent shortage in cybersecurity and the inability to retain top talent, organizations of all shapes and sizes are turning to MSSPs to assist them in protecting and defending against ongoing security threats," Bun said. "MDR is only a small piece of the puzzle, and customers are hungry for an advisor-level approach – a shift from the check-the-box alert flipping or firewall management approach of the past. As more and more customers explore MSSPs, expectations are beginning to shift, compelling service providers to think differently about how they build and serve their clients."