Many businesses turn to a managed service provider (MSP) to solve a specific problem but may not always be aware of the breadth of capabilities their MSP has to offer, including security.

The cloud is a great enabler of many of these services, and it allows you to scale up your security protections as needed without a great deal of capital investment or dedicated IT staff. Because your MSP is helping multiple businesses with their security needs, they benefit from economies of scale and so do you. They are also able to keep pace with trends in IT security, whether it’s available tools, best practices, or new threats, and apply them to the security services they offer you.

If you’ve not fully explored what your MSP has to offer, you should consider evaluating your security posture and looking additional capabilities they have to offer.

Cloud backup and disaster recovery

Whether you’re the victim of a cybersecurity attack, data breach or natural disaster that disrupts your primary systems, having a disaster recovery and backup strategy protects your assets, saves your critical and confidential data, and keeps your business running even after your network is compromised. Backup was one of the first services to move to the cloud, and if there’s one service you should outsource to an MSP, it should be cloud backup and recovery – your MSP can step in quickly if you need to restore your primary system so you can keep your employees productive and your customers happy.

Network security

Your network is comprised of servers, computers and other hardware, and software applications, and your company’s data flows through all of them. Without it, your employees can’t share information or communicate. Not only will a data breach or cyber attack impair your ability to operate, but they could lead to revenue loss, regulatory consequences, and damage to your reputation. Your MSP can help defend your network endpoints, including desktops, laptops, and mobile devices, and provide high-quality help-desk service.

Penetration testing

A penetration test (“pen test”) evaluates the security of your IT infrastructure by safely looking for vulnerabilities. Your MSP will try to systemically compromise servers, network devices and other potential points of exposure, and then report back with their findings and recommendations. A pen test can act as an audition for MSP to demonstrate they can find problems, help you remediate any issues, and implement ongoing security services they can manage for you.

Proactive 24/7 monitoring services

Even without a cyberattack, network infrastructure can falter. Your MSP can provide real-time monitoring of organization’s network infrastructure and act immediately any issue that arises with instant troubleshooting to avoid disruptions to workflows and business operations. Around-the-clock monitoring maximizes business uptime, prevents performance or service interruptions, and provides peace of mind that your network is safe and sound.

If you’re concerned about your security posture but don’t know where to begin, your MSP should be your first call. And if you don’t have one, selecting one should heavily depend on their ability to show how well they evaluate your infrastructure, their recommendations to secure it, and references from other customers who’ve enjoyed uninterrupted operations as one of their customers.