Does every company manage its IT infrastructure without external help? Some companies invest in the right resources and employees to manage their IT infrastructure internally. On the other hand, some companies might not have the resources to monitor the end-user systems and IT activity. Hence, they outsource the management of IT infrastructure to a reliable MSP (Managed Service Provider). From risk management to technical support, MSPs perform a wide range of tasks. To manage a client’s IT infrastructure, an MSP also has a dedicated infrastructure. AIOPs for Managed Service Providers are essential for companies to maintain their business continuity. Read on to understand how MSPs plan to overcome cybersecurity challenges with AIOPs-driven solutions.

Cybersecurity challenges for MSPs

A corporate entity will depend on an MSP to incorporate cybersecurity software/solutions into the IT infrastructure. An MSP also offers technical support to the employees of a company for handling cybersecurity issues. Since the MSP is handling a company’s cybersecurity issues, it will be held accountable for any breach. An MSP will have access to the business data of different companies. Under no circumstances, an MSP can risk the sensitive data of its clients. Once an MSP has secured its software systems, it can provide managed IT services to clients.

MSPs often fail to provide the best support to clients due to cybersecurity challenges. Let us discuss some cyber security challenges faced by MSPs in 2022:

Recruiting top talent

The biggest challenge for an MSP is to find skilled cybersecurity employees. People might have become aware of cyberattacks, but there is still a long way to go. In 2022, automated and complex cyberattacks have emerged. Most cybersecurity professionals know nothing about sophisticated cyberattacks and breaches. From chain attacks to ransomware, there are many things to worry about. MSPs providing cloud services and cloud enablement services are more prone to cyberattacks in 2022. With the increasing complexity of cyberattacks, MSPs are struggling to find expert individuals.

Response to cyberattacks

MSPs have access to resources and employees to minimise the damage caused by a cyberattack. For example, an MSP might have made copies of the business data for backup purposes. The MSP will provide the client with the backup data to survive. However, the original data is still in the hands of a malicious actor after a breach. Even though service availability is restored, a company will lose its sensitive data. When observed from a wide angle, one can say that an MSP is involved in damage control. MSPs are struggling to become proactive and prevent cyberattacks before they cause any damage. For the same rationale, AIOPs for Managed Service Providers is becoming mainstream.

Training the cybersecurity team

Hiring top talent is not the end of the road for an MSP. Over the years, the number of cyberattacks has increased. Also, new age cyberattacks have replaced traditional attacks. As a result, an MSP must invest in training the cybersecurity team. Cybersecurity employees will not learn about the latest security practices themselves. When the management forces, only then the employees will learn the latest techniques. The idea is to help a company become resilient with the latest cybersecurity practices.

Tackling uncertainty

Several uncertainties might hamper the service availability of an MSP. For example, the recent COVID pandemic left MSPs with fewer employees and remote work hassles. Supply chain issues, talent shortages, market disruptions, and many other uncertainties are challenges for MSPs. MSPs using traditional IT resources do not have a plan to deal with such uncertainties. The business landscape is constantly changing, and cybersecurity challenges are becoming complex. MSPs need to invest in smart AIOps Security solutions to tackle uncertainties and implement the MSP best practices.

Cost issues

Managed IT services can become costly at times. Let us say an MSP has multiple international clients and many employees. What happens if more companies become clients for the particular MSP? Will the MSP hire more employees to deal with the increasing workload? The real thing is that an MSP cannot keep recruiting cybersecurity employees to manage the workload. At one point, an MSP will realise that it is costly to hire and train cybersecurity teams. The best thing is to have a perfect blend of human resources and technology and ensure IT cost optimization.

AIOps for cybersecurity challenges

As you can see, there are several cybersecurity challenges preventing MSPs to provide cloud enablement services, technical support, and other managed services. AIOps security has already done wonders for many MSPs around the world. How AIOps-led solutions help MSPs tackle cybersecurity challenges are as follows:

Increased transparency

MSPs must know the internal states of crucial software systems at all times. To boost observability in software systems, MSPs introduce monitoring solutions. Outdated monitoring solutions might tell nothing about the internal states of crucial software systems. With an AIOps-led cybersecurity solution, an MSP can be aware of its software systems. Whenever a crucial software system deviates from its normal behaviour, an AIOps-led solution will identify it in real-time. With AIOps observability platforms, MSPs can identify the root cause of the abnormal behaviour within minutes.

Cybersecurity metrics

How does one know whether MSP best practices are applied or not? MSPs depend on some metrics (KPIs) to identify the effectiveness of their cybersecurity practices. For example, if the MTTD (Mean Time to Detect) is high, it means an MSP spends more time detecting cybersecurity issues. An increased MTTD will also augment MTTR, mean time to resolve a cybersecurity issue. After using AIOps-based solutions, an MSP will immediately witness positive changes in the KPIs.

Automation and less manual effort

The biggest problem for an MSP is the lack of automation. It is why many MSPs suffered during the COVID pandemic. As there were no employees during the COVID pandemic, MSPs without automation technologies were left in a hampered state. With AIOps, several cybersecurity processes are automated without the need for manual effort. For example, monitoring of all crucial software systems can be automated with the help of an AIOps-led solution. Cybersecurity IT services can be taken to the next level with the help of AIOps for Managed Service Providers. Install an AIOps-led cybersecurity solution right away!