MSSP software is a tool or platform used by a managed security service provider (MSSP) to outsource security services to other organizations. MSSPs serve small businesses up to enterprises and play an essential role in securing increasingly complex IT environments. For current MSSPs and those MSPs considering offering cybersecurity services, read on to learn about the top managed security tools and platforms.
Featured Partners: Managed Service Provider (MSP) Software
Managed security service provider (MSSP) software
For a quick overview of what to expect with MSSP software, see the seven key MSSP software categories, who each is for, and the top vendor for each type of software.
| Software | Who should use it | Top vendor |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure security | MSSPs that secure IT infrastructures like network components, servers, and workstations. | Palo Alto Networks |
| Network security | MSSPs managing large network infrastructures or handling sensitive data. | Palo Alto Networks |
| Cloud security | MSPs that provide cloud-based services and need to ensure the security of data and applications in the cloud. | Microsoft Azure |
| Data security | MSSPs that manage large volumes of sensitive data for their clients. | Varonis |
| Identity access management (IAM) | MSSPs that need to control user access to critical information within their systems. | Okta |
| Risk & vulnerability management | MSSPs that need to assess and manage the security risks in their IT infrastructure. | Qualys |
| Monitoring, modeling, & microsegmentation | MSSPs managing complex, distributed IT environments like both cloud and on-premises systems. | Datadog |
Infrastructure security software
Who should use it: MSSPs that manage and secure IT infrastructures, including network components, servers, and workstations.
Infrastructure security software is designed to protect the IT infrastructure from various physical and virtual security threats. These tools and software enable MSSPs to secure hardware, software, networks, and data from actions and events that could cause serious loss or damage to their customers. Although most providers don’t list their pricing information publicly, they typically offer free trials.
Core infrastructure security software features
The typical features of infrastructure security software and tools usually include network security, server security, endpoint security, and threat intelligence:
- Network security: Protect the network components and traffic of customers from digital threats by deploying solutions like firewalls, IDS, and IPS.
- Server security: Safeguard the servers of the businesses you work with from threats and ensure they’re running efficiently through methods like patch management.
- Endpoint security: Secure your clients’ network endpoints from potential threats and ensure they comply with security policies.
- Threat intelligence: Collect, analyze, and provide information about current threats, their tactics, techniques, and potential attacks that threaten your clients.
Best infrastructure security software providers
Three of the best infrastructure security providers today include Palo Alto Networks, Cisco, and Fortinet. Although none of these providers have listed their pricing information publicly, you can reach out to them to receive a quote.
Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks offers MSSPs the tools and services to drive revenue growth and enjoy new market avenues through natively-integrated, easy-to-deploy, cloud-delivered innovations. MSSPs can deliver cybersecurity experiences based on Palo Alto’s global threat intelligence and AI, and security orchestration and auto-remediation that integrate with hundreds of services and tools. Palo Alto also offers its users automations that are easy-to-replicate, which accelerate the customer onboarding process.
Cisco
Cisco offers its MSSP customers a vast catalog of security solutions that enhance their visibility and control of their customers’ networks and endpoints. Their cloud-based approach allows MSPs to extend thorough security measures across IT environments without needing additional hardware, which eases the deployment and management processes. This gives customers a more agile security posture for responding rapidly to threats while protecting critical infrastructure components.
Fortinet
Fortinet gears its portfolio towards accelerating digital innovation for both the providers and their customers, with core offerings of a managed firewall and monitoring services, which can generate significant managed security service revenue. Fortinet supports MSPs to include services like managed SD-WAN, managed SASE, SOC-based services, and cloud security solutions in their service ranges and align with today’s market and customer expectations.
Network security software
Who should use it: MSSPs managing large network infrastructures or handling sensitive data.
Network security software and tools help protect the usability and integrity of your networks. They are essential for detecting and preventing threats against network infrastructure. Even though network security forms a part of infrastructure security, network security is a cornerstone of any robust cybersecurity strategy. Network security software providers usually offer free trials and demos, though most providers haven’t publicly listed pricing information.
Core network security features
Network security software typically includes firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention, data loss prevention, and secure VPNs:
- Firewalls: Analyze and control outgoing and incoming traffic to give customers a barrier between untrusted external networks and trusted internal networks.
- Intrusion detection and prevention: Monitor user network traffic for suspicious activity, issue alerts, and prevent potential threats when detected.
- Data loss prevention: Control data movement on your customers’ networks to prevent unauthorized data transfer and protect their privacy.
- Secure VPN: Deliver a secure and encrypted connection over a less secure network like the internet, especially for businesses that have remote employees.
Best network security software providers
Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, and Cisco are top network security software providers. Since they don’t publicly disclose their pricing, you can contact them to get the info.
Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks enables MSSPs to offer advanced network security services by leveraging cloud-delivered, easy-to-deploy solutions that are natively integrated. MSPs and MSSPs get access to global threat intelligence powered by AI, security orchestration, auto-remediation capabilities, and streamlined onboarding processes. These features allow MSPs to create differentiated services for the security demands of their clients and enhance their overall cybersecurity experience.
Fortinet
Fortinet’s Secure Networking gives AI-powered defense across dynamic environments, ranging from LAN and WAN to 5G, remote work setups, and cloud integrations. This enables MSSPs to enhance the productivity and user experience of their customers and teams as well as ensure client networks are resilient, agile, and secure. It also offers a secure SD-WAN solution that empowers MSSPs to deliver secure, high-speed, scalable, and flexible WAN connectivity both on-premises and in the cloud.
Cisco
Cisco gives MSPs and MSSPs a comprehensive network security framework that encompasses firewall protection, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), secure access, and endpoint protection. It leverages cloud-based technologies to provide scalable and flexible security without the need for additional hardware, which reduces complexity and operational overhead for MSPs. Additionally, Cisco’s solutions are flexible and scalable as they are designed to integrate seamlessly into existing infrastructures.
For more on network security software and tools, check out our top network security service providers.
Cloud security software
Who should use it: MSPs that provide cloud-based services to their clients and need to ensure the security of their clients’ data and applications in the cloud.
Cloud security software is crucial for any MSP that offers cloud-based services as it helps identify and respond to threats, control access to cloud resources, ensure compliance with regulatory standards, and protect sensitive data from unauthorized access. With the right cloud security software, you can ensure your clients leverage the benefits of the cloud while minimizing security risks. The pricing of most of these tools isn’t public, but they offer free trials.
Core cloud security software features
Cloud security software is defined by features like data protection, threat detection, compliance management, and secure access:
- Data protection: Safeguard sensitive customer data stored in the cloud from unauthorized access using encryption, tokenization, and key management.
- Threat detection: Continuously monitor cloud environments to identify and respond to potential threats in your clients’ systems in real-time.
- Compliance management: Ensure the cloud environments of the businesses you work with fulfill various regulatory standards.
- Secure access: Control who can access your users’ cloud resources and services by using techniques like multi-factor authentication.
Best cloud security software providers
The top cloud security providers today include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Trend Micro. However, you’ll have to reach out to each provider for a quote as their pricing information isn’t publicly listed.
Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure offers a suite of cloud protection services like Azure’s Defender for Cloud, which provides an advanced security management and threat protection service that helps MSPs and MSSPs secure hybrid cloud workloads. Another service is Microsoft Sentinel, Azure’s cloud-native SIEM, which extends intelligent security analytics and threat intelligence to enable MSPs to identify, respond to, and mitigate threats swiftly. Additionally, Azure Key Vault helps manage secrets, keys, and certificates.
Amazon Web Services
AWS empowers MSSPs with services to monitor and protect AWS resources. AWS’s security suite includes features like Amazon GuardDuty for threat detection, Amazon Inspector for automated security assessment, and AWS Shield for DDoS protection. These services collectively provide MSSPs with the capabilities to offer advanced threat detection, continuous compliance monitoring, and resilient protection against lots of cyberthreats to ensure the security and integrity of their clients’ cloud deployments.
Trend Micro
Trend Micro offers MSSPs Trend Vision One, a comprehensive security platform that offers features like XDR (Extended Detection and Response) and advanced threat protection. MSSPs can proactively detect and respond to threats across multiple layers, including email, endpoints, servers, cloud workloads, and networks. With the integration of AI and expert-driven insights, Trend Vision One empowers MSSPs to provide a layered security approach, optimizing their customers’ defense mechanisms against threats.
Data security software
Who should use it: MSSPs that manage large volumes of sensitive data for their clients.
Data security software ensures that your data is safe, secure, and accessible only to authorized users. It involves solutions that protect data from being deliberately or unintentionally destroyed, modified, or disclosed. Data security can be applied using a range of techniques, including encryption, data masking, and data erasure. You can expect a free trial of these software tools.
Core data security features
The core data security software features are data encryption, data backup, data masking, and data loss prevention:
- Data encryption: Convert data like financial data and customer details into another form, or code, so that only users with access to a secret key can read it.
- Data backup: Create a copy of data for your customers that can be recovered in the event of data corruption, ransomware, or hardware failure.
- Data masking: Hide your customers’ personally identifiable information by replacing it with random characters or values and ensure it remains confidential.
- Data loss prevention (DLP): Monitor, detect, block, and protect your clients’ data from potential data breaches or data exfiltration transmissions.
Best data security software providers
Varonis, Imperva Data Security, and Micro Focus are three of the top data security providers on the market today. The three providers invite you to contact them to understand how much you can expect to pay since they’ve not disclosed their pricing publicly.
Varonis
Varonis offers MSSPs advanced data protection capabilities through its suite of services. Their Data Classification Framework automatically categorizes sensitive and regulated data across an organization’s digital environment for effective data governance. Its DataPrivilege module streamlines access governance by implementing a least-privilege model to ensure data is accessible only to authorized personnel. Additionally, DatAlert provides anomaly detection and real-time alerts for suspicious activities.
Imperva
Imperva provides MSPs and MSSPs with multiple data security and compliance tools, such as their Data Risk Analytics that uses machine learning to detect and prioritize risky user behaviors and reduce the risk of data leaks. Imperva also offers Database Activity Monitoring (DAM) that carries out continuous surveillance of database activities and alerts on policy violations and unusual actions. Furthermore, Imperva’s Data Masking solution anonymizes sensitive information in non-production environments.
CyberRes by OpenText
Formerly known as Micro Focus, CyberRes equips MSPs and MSSPs with a broad cybersecurity portfolio, including Voltage SecureData, which provides data encryption and tokenization to secure data across various platforms and applications. Its ArcSight SIEM system enables advanced threat detection and response to sharpen security operations with its analytical capabilities. Additionally, Interset UEBA leverages machine learning to detect anomalies in user and entity behaviors.
Identity access management (IAM) software
Who should use it: MSSPs that need to control user access to critical information within their systems.
IAM software facilitates the management of electronic identities. MSSPs can use these tools to automate the initiation, capturing, recording, and management of user identities and their access permissions. With IAM, access privileges are given using policy and all individuals and services are correctly authenticated, authorized, and audited. Free trials and demos are common among these tools.
Core IAM features
IAM software features include single-sign on, multi-factor authentication, user activity monitoring, and identity lifecycle management:
- Single sign-on (SSO): Simplify logging in and improve convenience for your users with a single ID and password to any of several related systems.
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Require your users to utilize more than one method of authentication from independent credential categories.
- User activity monitoring: Track and monitor end-user actions within their systems to detect and prevent suspicious behavior.
- Identity lifecycle management: Manage digital identities from creation to deletion, ensuring appropriate access during the user’s “lifecycle.”
Best IAM software providers
Three of the top IAM providers are Okta, CyberArk, and Ping Identity.
Okta
Okta empowers MSSPs with a thorough access management platform, securing critical resources from cloud to ground for workforces and their customers. The platform offers Single Sign-On (SSO) to streamline access across applications with one set of credentials and enhance user convenience and security. Okta offers a Universal Directory that centralizes user information and eases identity management across systems. Its pricing starts at $2 per user per month.
CyberArk
CyberArk’s MSSPs IAM solutions feature Privileged Access Management (PAM), which secures privileged credentials and sessions to reduce internal and external security risks. Endpoint Privilege Manager helps MSSPs control applications and scripts on endpoints to minimize the attack surface of their customers. CyberArk’s Identity Security offers a robust approach for protecting against credential theft and privilege abuse. Contact CyberArk for a quote.
Ping Identity
Ping Identity focuses on enhancing customer experiences without compromising security. The platform includes flow templates for standard IAM processes, drag-and-drop integrations for ease of use, and features to optimize user journeys with A/B testing. Ping’s implementation accelerators expedite deployment, helping MSSPs to quickly deliver secure, seamless access to applications and services. You can expect a $3 per user per month starting price.
Risk and vulnerability management software
Who should use it: MSSPs that need to assess and manage the security risks in their IT infrastructure.
Risk and vulnerability management software helps identify, classify, remediate, and mitigate vulnerabilities. It provides a systematic approach to managing security risks that arise from exposure to potential threats, vulnerabilities, and impacts. This type of software will help you identify and prioritize vulnerabilities in a system, and it’ll provide the tools necessary to take corrective action. Trials are commonly available for this type of software.
Core risk & vulnerability management software features
Risk and vulnerability management software is typically characterized by risk assessment, remediation, reporting and analytics, and compliance management:
- Risk assessment: Scan networks, applications, and systems to identify and evaluate potential risks and vulnerabilities in your users’ systems.
- Remediation: Guide your customers on how to address and resolve vulnerabilities, track the process of fixing them, and track the progress of fixes.
- Reporting and analytics: Provide detailed reports and analytics on risk and vulnerability management to the organizations you work with.
- Compliance management: Help your clients ensure they are in compliance with industry-specific regulations and maintain correct security controls.
Best risk & vulnerability management software providers
Qualys, Rapid7 InsightVM, and Tenable are some of the top risk and vulnerability management software providers.
Qualys
Qualys gives MSPs and MSSPs a security and compliance platform that’s adaptable for branding and customized reporting. The platform has extensible APIs for easy integration with internal tools and customer portals, with its key offerings including on-demand vulnerability assessments, continuous monitoring, and threat protection services that can be easily integrated into an MSP’s existing security operations. Qualys doesn’t publicly list its pricing.
Rapid7 InsightVM
Rapid7 InsightVM improves MSPs’ security operations centers (SOC) with multi-tenancy that ensures customer data segregation while maintaining operational efficiency. MSSPs can enjoy the platform’s self-service deployment options and single-view multi-customer management. Additionally, Rapid7’s unified platform includes detection and response (XDR/SIEM/MDR), vulnerability management, cloud security, and more. For a minimum of 250 assets, InsightVM costs $2.19 per month.
Tenable
Tenable’s cyber exposure platform offers increased automation and a user-friendly interface. It has a multi-tenant architecture for data security while enabling MSSPs to manage multiple clients effectively. Tenable’s offerings include web application scanning as part of the Tenable One Exposure Management platform, which accurately scans for vulnerabilities in online portfolios without disrupting critical web applications. You’ll have to contact tenable concerning pricing as it’s not publicly available.
Monitoring, modeling, and microsegmentation software
Who should use it: MSSPs managing complex, distributed IT environments like a mix of cloud and on-premises systems.
Monitoring, modeling, and microsegmentation software provides real-time monitoring and predictive modeling to enhance network security. This exhaustive approach to security combines traditional network security practices with additional layers of security at the micro level. Clients with complex, distributed IT environments in particular will benefit from these tools. The providers of these tools typically offer free trials and demos.
Core monitoring, modeling & microsegmentation software features
These tools’ capabilities include real-time monitoring, predictive modeling, microsegmentation, and behavior analytics.
- Real-time monitoring: Track network and system resources in real-time for your users to provide them with immediate insights into performance and security.
- Predictive modeling: Leverage historical data and use statistical techniques and algorithms to predict future behavior for your customers.
- Microsegmentation: Divide your clients’ networks into secure and manageable segments that can be controlled and monitored individually.
- Behavior analytics: Use machine learning algorithms to detect abnormal behavior or anomalies within your customers’ devices and systems.
Best monitoring, modeling & microsegmentation software providers
Datadog, Illumio, and Darktrace are some of the best monitoring, modeling, and microsegmentation providers.
Datadog
Datadog offers a scalable, full-stack monitoring platform that integrates over 600 technologies, offering real-time visibility into IT infrastructures. This helps MSPs and MSSPs to deliver monitoring services, like real-time performance tracking, predictive modeling, and behavior analytics. The platform allows MSSPs to provide a unified view of their clients’ entire tech stack and enhance their ability to manage their IT environments. Though it has a free plan for its infrastructure monitoring, its paid pricing starts at $15 per host per month.
Illumio
Illumio offers a solution that focuses on Zero Trust segmentation to prevent the spread of breaches across clouds, data centers, and endpoints. By incorporating Illumio into their security stack, MSSPs can offer their clients a reliable strategy to safeguard their digital infrastructures. Illumio emphasizes micro-segmentation, which allows MSSPs to create controlled and monitored secure segments within the networks of their clients. Since its pricing isn’t transparently listed, contact Illumio for a quote.
Darktrace
Darktrace leverages AI-driven cyber defense to give MSSPs an extensive solution for real-time monitoring and behavior analytics. The platform’s ability to provide complete visibility across the digital estate, including cloud and on-premises systems, helps MSSPs detect and respond to threats swiftly. Darktrace’s self-learning AI analyzes every device and user to enable MSSPs to identify and neutralize emerging threats before they escalate. Reach out to Darktrace to learn about their pricing.
Bottom line: MSSP software
To choose the right MSSP software, first specify your needs and objectives, then determine which of the featured tools suit you. Further your research using trials and demos and consult the providers for pricing as most tools haven’t publicly published that information. Also consider tools that will scale and evolve with your business. Should you need more general types of MSP software to complement your MSSP use case, check out our top MSP software article.