Best-of-breed, integrated security and evolving threats

With cybersecurity threats constantly evolving, security-centric MSPs must take a multilayered, integrated security approach that encompasses all of the potential threat vectors in their clients’ networks. This means they need to offer protection and monitoring of the two highest attacked threat vectors: email and endpoint. Providing best-of-breed protection across these security specialties also means creating a solution portfolio that combines software from multiple vendors. This isn’t always an easy task, but forward-thinking solution providers can make it easier through strategic partnerships.

For example, in late January, Barracuda announced it was integrating Barracuda Email Protection with SKOUT Managed XDR to expand the functionality of its security-centric MSP portfolio. In addition, an alliance with SentinelOne allows MSPs to extend endpoint protection via the SentinelOne/Barracuda SKOUT Managed XDR combination. Barracuda RMM also can deploy, monitor, and manage SentinelOne across all the MSP’s client sites.

Integrated security: Combining XDR and SOC to reduce MSPs’ workloads

The integration of Barracuda Email Protection with SKOUT Managed XDR allows organizations to fully maximize the capabilities of the Barracuda Email Protection suite by marrying it with a best-in-class XDR platform, manned by the best SOC team in the industry, 24×7.

This significantly reduces MSPs’ workloads when it comes to investigating and triaging alerts, so they can focus their efforts to only respond to incidents identified by the SOC via SKOUT’s integrated ticketing system. The integration of Email Protection and SKOUT Managed XDR takes that monitoring and detection responsibility off the MSP's plate so they can focus on what they do best.

This is precisely the type of multilayered security that MSPs must offer their clients, given the nature of the current threat landscape. Proactive prevention security solutions such as a firewall or email protection isn’t enough. MSPs need to expand their services to include visibility, detection, and remediation.

XDR benefits extended with endpoint security

Extended detection and response (XDR) technology collects and correlates data across multiple security layers to provide faster threat detection and better response times. This can help to solve the problem of disparate and fragmented threat data generated by disconnected platforms within the enterprise.

That visibility challenge has only compounded as more companies adopt cloud solutions and shift to remote or hybrid work environments. With numerous solutions, often across multiple vendors, it has become overwhelming for MSPs to glean actionable insights from such a large amount of data. Barracuda SKOUT Managed XDR solves this problem.

Through the various security data feeds, the XDR platform sifts through the “noise” and pinpoints which incidents require attention. A typical security operations center (SOC) receives billions of events each month, but between the XDR platform and the security expertise, these events are whittled down to the ones that matter.

With Barracuda SKOUT Managed XDR, those capabilities are backed by a 24/7 SOC. As a result, managed XDR gives MSPs a better visualization across all their clients’ attack vectors to effectively detect threats and respond. The more third-party solutions the XDR platform can integrate with, the more effective the entire solution can be.

Combining the technology capabilities and human expertise elements of SKOUT Managed XDR with the artificial intelligence behind the SentinelOne solution provides a best-of-both-worlds solution for security.

A multilayered approach provides MSPs with more options and greater flexibility

Endpoint security is a critical security layer. While most attacks still originate via email, the traditional method of centrally managed security via firewalls and email filters is no longer sufficient. The network has expanded to include cloud-based resources, as well as users and devices outside of the physical enterprise. Endpoint protection and monitoring ensure only trusted end users, devices and access points can access sensitive data and applications.

In addition, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, these systems adapt to emerging threats while minimizing human error in detection.

Finally, an open, integrated security approach gives MSPs more options and flexibility when it comes to creating a security solution that meets the needs of their clients while also providing a platform that can expand over time to work with additional third-party solutions.

This article originally appeared in Channel Futures.