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There is no escaping the skills shortage facing the cyber security industry. The lack of talented security professionals has been dissected to the point where it’s almost a bit of a cliche by now. And we have all heard the gloomy statistics: By 2020, there will be over 1.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions; Cyber Security pros already employed are being solicited on a weekly basis by other organizations; Salaries to retain those pros are skyrocketing. The thing is, as much as the topic has been put under the microscope, there really is a dearth of good answers when it comes to solving this very real threat that’s quickly spiraling out of control.
Are MSSPs the Solution to the Skills Shortage?
In search of a security panacea, many organizations are migrating their security workloads to Managed Security Services Providers, MSSPs, in all kinds of varying forms. Some use MSSP-provided tools in conjunction with their own SOC efforts. Others partially outsource night and weekend shifts or whatever else they deem “outsource-able”. And now, more than ever, we’re witnessing a trend of outsourcing the entire functionally of the SOC to a dedicated MSSP. Some of these companies are even proactive enough to make sure that a portion of this resource is being used to train their own in-house SOC and Cyber Crisis response teams.
Differentiate and Grow MSSP Business
With all this dependence on MSSPs, an onlooker might assume that business is booming. This is partially true, for now anyway. As we well know, the “business of cyber” is huge, but the looming skill shortage will create many new opportunities for business growth. MSSPs that act now to differentiate their company and service offerings from other MSSPs will be perfectly positioned to pull ahead of the competition and enjoy maximum revenue growth.
To make the most of the skills shortage, it’s time to acquire a secret weapon for profiting from the cyber skill shortage.
Build a Cyber Training and Simulation Facility
Establish your own advanced cyber training and simulation facility to put your MSSP head and shoulders above the competition and expand service offerings. Simulation technologies have long been used by elite combat pilots and other highly technical and high-risk professionals to give the most realistic training experience possible, without putting anything (billion dollar jets, pilots lives or sensitive IT networks) at risk. An advanced, flexible cyber security simulator will make your MSSP stand out as being the most technologically advanced provider in your market and allow you to offer a variety of training opportunities that leave classroom-based training in the dust.
Differentiate and Build Brand
Let’s face it, the good old days of MSSP scarcity are gone. Managed security service providers are popping up like mushrooms after the rain. Potential and existing customers have plenty to of providers to choose from. The only way to avoid the slippery downward spiral of price competition is to differentiate. Build a brand that gives customers confidence that you are the absolute very best choice, uncontested. Security is important and customers know that when it fails the costs are painfully high. So investing in building a technologically dominant brand will reap big returns in terms of winning sales and protecting against price erosion. MSSPs may pop up like mushrooms; hyper-realistic cyber security simulation centers don’t.
Establish a state-of-the-art cyber simulation facility to position your MSSP as the most technologically advanced cyber security experts in your market.
Demonstrate Technical Superiority
Customers put their most precious assets in your hands. But what exactly are they getting for their money? How do they know their contract with you will provide them the level of security they need? Outsourcing to an MSSP should give enterprises blissful peace of mind, but often the security provided is such a vague unknown that they still lose sleep worrying that you are really up to the job they hired you for. You know you’ve got your customers covered, but how do you convey your security value to your customers?
A cyber simulation facility is the most compelling way to demonstrate to customers the clear technical superiority and tactical performance of both your products and people. The simulator can be used as a demo site where potential customers can come and see a simulated network security service and how you are able to defend it from a variety of attack scenarios. Simulations can be customized according to each customer’s particular pain points. Are they worried about ransomware? Show them how you are able to quickly detect and respond to keep their valuable data and resources safe. The cyber simulator lets them see your team and tools in action and show tangible, reliable metrics for response performance. Nothing instills confidence like a realistic demonstration of your MSSP team facing off an advanced cyber threat successfully.
Realistic cyber security demonstrations instill customer confidence in MSSP’s technical capabilities.
Offer Battle-Ready Training Services
The cyber training market is obviously going to grow as the skill shortage worsens. Theoretically, any MSSP can slap together a course syllabus and start offering a variety of trainings. But which courses do you think customers and students will prefer? Tracks that offer mostly book and lecture learning in a traditional classroom? Of course, everyone will say they offer “hands-on” practice, but all of that pales in comparison to the excitement and challenge of practicing newly learned skills in a hyper-realistic simulator. Simulation sessions are proven to advance technical skill acquisition and performance under pressure better than any other instructional technology. Simulation training gives students and their employers the confidence that security pros are prepared to face any cyber crisis.
Simulation training dramatically improves all cyber training offerings; certification courses, new SOC analysts training, ongoing skill refreshers, employee cyber security awareness training and executive cyber crisis response drills.
Simulation practice adds significant value to all training offerings and gives your MSSP a strong edge over the competition.
Create a Safe Security Testbed
Your cyber simulator can also be used “off-label” as a testbed for security posture and new tools. Cyberbit Range allows you to completely simulate any network architecture and test it under a variety of scenarios. Network security testbed simulation can be offered as a testing service to external security operation centers in all types of organizations, including high-profile security-centric enterprises such as banks and critical infrastructure operators. Customers will gain better understanding and confidence of your their systems and tools will operate under any extreme conditions and discover vulnerabilities or fail points in a safe lab environment, instead of in the field.
MSSPs Beat Competition and Grow Revenues
Establishing your own Cyber Range Training and Simulation Center is your secret weapon to make the most out of the ever-growing demand for cyber security services and professionals. The Cyberbit Range will significantly bolder your brand, dramatically improve recruiting and training and grow your service offerings to include a wide range of high-demand trainings to your service portfolio.