One of the most effective ways to get cybersecurity under control is to team up with the right outsourced IT partner. But how do you choose the right one?
Finding an experienced, disciplined Managed Service Provider (MSP) or Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) that you trust and want to work with for many years is a significant undertaking. You know they need to have security experts and processes in place that protect and defend your IT environment — and the ability to jump in to help you recover quickly if you experience an attack — yet determining if they have what it takes to pull it off is a challenge.
Start by asking the right questions during your interview process. Then, you can be confident in your decision and the results.
The best approach is to ask each potential cybersecurity partner a series of very specific questions that cover five areas:
- Their background as a company and who they typically work with
- Their staying power and growth potential
- Their cybersecurity expertise and the cybersecurity problems they usually deal with
- Their processes for managing security problems and multiple problems simultaneously
- Their track record, transparency, and the results you can expect
We lay out the details in our quick reference guide, Questions to ask a potential cybersecurity partner.
Whether you lead an IT department or are a CFO or CEO in charge of IT strategy, this guide helps you get to the heart of their capabilities and management services. We include the answers to look for so you can recognize when their proficiency, experience, and best-practices methodologies match your needs even if you’re not a cybersecurity expert.
You also get tips on conducting your vetting process after you’ve finished the interviews. These tips focus on what to discuss when evaluating the people, processes, and tools of each potential partner so you’ll be happy with your final choice for years to come.
Feel free to download the guide and use it verbatim as you conduct your interviews.
And if you have any questions (or want to interview Leapfrog), reach out so we can help. Leapfrog has been helping organizations stay secure, protect their data, and meet their business goals since 1998.
