MSSP: The easy way to get started with Zero Trust

Mid-sized companies in particular struggle with IT security due to a lack of skilled workers. They often lack the knowledge and time for modern, zero-trust cybersecurity. A managed security service can help.

In addition to helping organizations adopt a cloud strategy, software-as-a-service is also a natural fit for cybersecurity. A cloud-based approach not only eliminates the administrative and system complexity of in-house operations, but it also provides security as a service. Especially when there is a lack of in-house IT security specialists, SMBs rarely dare to update to a new security paradigm such as Zero Trust. Replacing traditional network security and converting connectivity to the least privileged access model is too extensive. The Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) helps to build and operate modern security based on Zero Trust.

With Zero Trust, users or applications are not classified as trustworthy at the outset. Access to data and applications is only permitted after identity and context have been verified by a cloud-based security platform acting as a broker, and a secure connection to an application has been established based on policies. Application-level access authorization ensures that unauthorized access to applications and network leakage are prevented. At the heart of such a security model are policies for granular access authorizations based on user roles and functions in the organization. In addition, databases must be categorized and it must be determined which role can access what. A partner can not only advise on the implementation of these principles, but also monitor ongoing operations against them.

Zero Trust assistance from the MSSP

The certified Managed Security Service Provider has experience from a wide range of customer projects and can quickly develop the right approach for each specific requirement. Depending on how much help the customer needs, the MSSP's service can range from a fully integrated service model that includes telecommunications services to managed service packages that include consulting, installation and support. In this case, the security service is completely outsourced to the MSSP. If a customer wants to handle the day-to-day operations, they can choose a package that includes only the deployment of Zero Trust Security. In this case, the partner assists in setting policies and categorizing data and applications, and provides only start-up support. The customer is responsible for monitoring the data streams and is also involved in evaluating alerts.

The ultimate discipline for the MSSP is a service model that is fully customized to the customer's needs. After consulting and installation, the partner takes over ongoing operations. This type of model is easiest for SMBs because they do not have to manage the complexity of the transformation internally, nor do they have to deal with ongoing monitoring or ongoing adjustments and support tickets. Such a customized service provides an entry point into infrastructure-free IT security operations. Customers can focus on their core competencies and are no longer burdened with managing the hardware in their IT environment.

Practical example: proALPHA obtains Zero Trust from the MSSP

As part of its cloud-first strategy, proALPHA GmbH chose a security-as-a-service model with Zscaler's Zero Trust Exchange platform. Due to its globally distributed locations, the company wanted to reduce the complexity of its infrastructure and eliminate security hardware. Initially, the IT department approached the project implementation internally and only found its way to the managed security service model due to a lack of specialists. Today, the software developer benefits from the support of a certified security partner that can temporarily cover all facets of operations. 

As part of its IT security modernization, the software development company wanted to become less dependent on its own hardware infrastructure. The introduction of a zero trust approach was expected to reduce the company's attack surface and thus increase the level of security. By replacing traditional security with a cloud-based security platform, the software developer can now offer its employees a new working model. A high home-office ratio is now possible, as users have secure, high-performance access to all the work environments they need. "However, after the first deployment of the security service, we had to deal with dissatisfied users. The danger is that users will look for alternative ways to access the system if the performance is not there," says Michael Hoffmann, Head of IT Infrastructure at proALPHA GmbH. "Today, all data traffic to the cloud runs over the Internet and is no longer routed through the data center, so that employees can work properly from home."

Growing tasks for the MSSP

As the IT department wanted to concentrate on its core tasks, the company brought AVANTEC on board as a certified security partner. After a health check of the security platform installation, consulting and implementation services were provided in order to fully exploit the potential of the cloud security service and to create the necessary satisfaction for the acceptance of the security service. As a result, proALPHA was able to route all data streams through the Zero Trust Exchange platform and seamlessly scan them for malicious code. "We were amazed at the amount of malware the security platform showed us. However, we didn't have the internal resources to investigate all of the alerts for criticality." Due to a lack of experts in the team, proALPHA decided to use additional services from its partner AVANTEC to assess the security situation.

"We decided to outsource more and more areas to the service provider because we were unable to cover this workload internally," explains Michael Hoffmann. "AVANTEC now provides us with expert knowledge for analyzing security incidents and was also flexible enough to support us in operations in the event of a temporary resource bottleneck. This allows us to absorb peak loads within the team. It was an advantage for proALPHA that the partner was already familiar with the IT environment thanks to the previous analysis. Today, the MSSP is also entrusted with the continuous improvement and activation of new features, ultimately providing full support for the Zero Trust platform. 

For proALPHA, increasing IT security was the decisive requirement for switching to a security service. Due to a lack of resources, the switch to a Managed Security Service only proved advantageous in hindsight, as the partner provides the technical expertise for continuous evaluation of ongoing operations and can also keep pace with the company's inorganic growth.