Webinar Recap | Finding the Best MSSP is All About Asking the Right Questions

To help me answer these vital questions I talked to my colleague Tony Campbell, Sekuro’s Director of Research & Innovation. Tony has spent many years working in and researching cybersecurity, so our conversation was both detailed and practical. 

By the way, you can take an even deeper dive into security vendor selection in Sekuro’s webinar Six questions you should be asking your MSSP to strengthen your security posture. In this extensive conversation with Tony Campbell, we cover all aspects of MSSP selection from technical issues to team composition and economies of scale. 

Question 1: How do we cut through the Vendor noise to find the services your enterprise needs?

As a CTO myself, I’m acutely aware of how challenging it is to keep up to date with the huge array of available security vendors and products. So, how do we cut through the noise in the marketplace and make sound technical decisions about the best vendors to partner with? When I posed this question to Tony, he approached it from the point of view of Sekuro’s clients, many of whom are struggling with this very problem.

“As a security services provider, our role isn’t to partner with all of the available security vendors, it’s to make good choices on behalf of our customers,” Tony explains.

“We look for security partners that help us either automate, remove, or address routine security tasks so that our experts can focus on important aspects of service delivery, such as threat hunting ; that sort of deeper, more intellectual aspect of service delivery.”

Question 2: How does leading with MDR help tackle the toughest security challenges?

MDR – Managed Detection and Response – is a central plank of building solid security perimeters because mundane threats can usually be handled by automated partner services, leaving human experts free to focus on more difficult challenges.

Tony shared: “Endpoint threats are typically the noisiest, so we will see more endpoint threats than any other type. But because they’re the most mundane threats, systems like CrowdStrike manage them completely. By removing endpoint threats, our team can focus on things that are much more complex. We can look at applications, we can look at cloud security, we can look at network security, we can look at the interconnected elements of security within the client environment and not spend most of our time chasing typical virus outbreaks and things like that.”

Learn more about Managed Detection and Response

Question 3: How can SOCs work more effectively to get better results?

The way Sekuro organises its SOCs – Security Operations Centres – is a bit unusual. As security engineers and architects we’ve all worked in various SOC groups and the problem often arises that important tasks can be neglected because responsibility is excessively siloed. So, how do we solve this problem and motivate SOC team members to be proactive?

“We have three levels of seniority in our SOC tactical teams, and the primary objective of the person above you is to mentor you,” Tony explains. “The good thing about this approach is that if there are five outstanding alerts that need to be triaged, all three members of that team are responsible for doing that work. If the junior person is busy doing something else, the rest of the work will still be picked up by the others. There’s no, ‘Oh, that work’s yours, that work’s mine.’ It’s self-organising, and it actually works very well.” 

Learn more about Sekuro’s approach to SOC tactical teams and Managed Detection and Response.

Question 4: How can we make more sophisticated risk assessments tailored to companies’ individual needs?

High-quality risk-based vulnerability management means spending time getting to know a client’s team, architecture and priorities. For instance, we need to discover what’s going to have the highest impact if it’s attacked. That human element of analysis is what elevates a managed security service above the ordinary. But, how does that work in a tactical sense? Tony explains it like this: 

“We’re able to send vulnerability notifications directly to, let’s say, our customer’s server team or network team and say, ‘These three things are really important, but these three things can wait until the next patch cycle.’ They’re not necessarily based on what the threat score was, they’re based on our deep understanding of the customer’s architectures. When we escalate something to them that needs urgent attention, it’s not simply based on what the tool says, it’s understanding that that thing is three layers down inside a complex network and may be hard to get to.” 

Question 5: Can we minimise data collection costs without compromising security?

The MSSP marketplace is flooded with vendors trying to gain insights into their client’s businesses by collecting massive amounts of data. Unfortunately, for many organisations data storage costs are making that blunt approach prohibitively expensive. I asked Tony how we can go about getting outstanding security outcomes without massive data price tags. 

“We only store what we need and that way we streamline the collection and the storage. In some cases, we can save our clients up to sixty per cent on data storage requirements,” Tony said. I remember for one client, they were hitting that threshold where they were going to have to pay for a lot more storage, and we managed to get it down to twenty percent of what they were gathering previously.”

Learn more about safely minimising data collection costs

Question 6: How do real-world strategies like penetration testing enhance threat detection?

We’ve talked a lot in this article about making threat detection more effective as well as more efficient. This hinges on knowing where to look for threats, especially in very large organisations, where attack vectors are complex and spread across a large surface.

Tony Campbell was able to neatly summarise how his teams balance the demands of real-time threat monitoring with a high-level view of longer-term security issues:

“The SOC is typically looking at information coming out of systems as they’re behaving right now in real-time. The difficulty is: how do you build logic and behavioural analysis into your SOC model that can respond to attacks from really sophisticated threat actors? The only way to do that is to use penetration testing. We use threat modelling and offensive security patterns to discover how an attacker would get from the outside to the ‘crown jewels.’ In pen testing, we’re putting on the hat of the adversary so we can better understand how our client is going to be attacked, and that allows us to plan better defences.” 

Take the next step toward optimising your cyber security posture

Working out what MSSP services your enterprise really needs is vital to effective cybersecurity management. MDR, endpoint detection & response, and penetration testing all contribute to cybersecurity but making your enterprise truly secure demands bespoke risk assessment by dedicated expert teams. 

Take the next step toward comprehensive cyber security by viewing Sekuro’s short but informative webinar Six questions you should be asking your MSSP to strengthen your security postureIn this informative and accessible conversation, we cover the most important aspects of MSSP selection and offer real-world solutions to some of the most challenging problems facing security managers and executives. 

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Here’s a summary of the six questions discussed:

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Aidan Tudehope

Co-Founder of Macquarie Technology

Aidan Tudehope, Co-Founder of Macquarie Technology

Aidan is co-founder of Macquarie Telecom and has been a director since 1992. He is the Managing Director of Macquarie Government & Hosting Group with a focus on business growth, cyber security and customer satisfaction. 

Aidan has been responsible for the strategy and execution of the investment in Intellicentre 4 & 5 Bunkers, Macquarie Government’s own purpose-built Canberra data centre campus. This facility is leveraged to deliver Secure Cloud Services and Secure Internet Gateway.

With a unique pan-government view on the cyber security landscape, we are invested in leading the contribution from the Australian industry on all matters Cyber policy related.

Aidan holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree.

James Ng

CISO, Insignia Financial

James Ng, CISO, Insignia Financial

James is a leader with a range of experience across various cyber security, technology risk and audit domains, bringing a global lens across a diverse background in financial services, telecommunications, entertainment, consulting and FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods). He is currently the General Manager – Cyber Security at Insignia Financial and most recently was at AARNet (Australia’s Academic and Research Network) where he oversaw a managed Security Operations Centre (SOC) capability for Australian universities. Prior to this James was the acting Chief Information Security Officer for Belong and led the cyber governance and risk team at Telstra.

Noel Allnutt

CEO, Sekuro

Noel Allnutt CEO | Sekuro

Noel is a driven and award-winning IT leader. He has a passion for developing great teams and accelerating client innovation, and in enabling organisations to create a secure and sustainable competitive advantage in the digital economy. Noel also hosts the ‘Building Resilience Podcast,’ which explores the world of sport and deconstructs the tools and ethos of world-class athletes that can help create growth and optimise business and life.

Audrey Jacquemart

Bid Manager, Sekuro

Audrey Jacquemart, Bid Manager, Sekuro

Audrey is an innovative cybersecurity professional with a versatile profile spanning across Product Management, Presales and Delivery. She has worked within organisations from start-ups to large international organisations in Europe and APAC before joining Sekuro.

Nicolas Brahim

Principal Consultant, CRP and OT

Nicolas Brahim, Principal Consultant, CRP and OT

Nico leads Sekuro’s Cyber Resilience Program and OT Cybersecurity, ensuring continuous support and effective program execution for our clients. With over a decade in the security industry, including the creation and leadership of several Security Programs for IT and OT across Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile and the US, his core philosophy emphasises an equal balance of people, process, and technology in delivering actionable and simple solutions.

Trent Jerome

Chief Financial Officer, Sekuro

Trent Jerome

Trent is a seasoned CFO with over 30 years’ experience in Finance. Trent has broad experiences across Capital raises, debt financing, M&A and business transformation. He is a CPA and member of AICD. Trent works with Boards around risk and risk mitigation plans and assists Boards in navigating the risk mitigation versus cost conversation.

Ada Guan

CEO and Board Director, Rich Data Co

Ada Guan, CEO and Board Director, Rich Data Co

Ada is the CEO and Co-founder of Rich Data Co (RDC). RDC AI Decisioning platform provides banks the ability to make high-quality business and commercial lending decisions efficiently and safely. With over 20 years of global experience in financial services, software, and retail industries, Ada is passionate about driving financial inclusion at a global scale.

Before launching RDC in 2016, Ada led a Global Client Advisor team at Oracle Corporation, where she advised Board and C-level executives in some of the largest banks globally on digital disruption and fintech strategy. She also drove Oracle’s thought leadership in banking digital transformation for Global Key Accounts. Previously, Ada implemented a multi-million dollar program to deliver a mission-critical services layer for Westpac Bank in Australia and formulated the IT strategy that was the basis of an $800m investment program to transform Westpac’s Product and Operation division and complete the merger with St. George Bank. Ada is an INSEAD certified international director and holds an EMBA from the Australia Graduate School of Management, and a Master of Computer Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia. She also graduated from the Executive Insight Program at Michigan University Ross Business School and IESE Business School.

Megan Motto

Chief Executive Officer, Governance Institute of Australia

Megan Motto, CEO, Governance Institute of Australia

Megan Motto is Chief Executive Officer of Governance Institute of Australia, a national education provider, professional association and leading authority on governance and risk management. The Institute advocates on behalf of professionals from the listed, unlisted, public and not-for profit sectors.

Megan has over 25 years of experience with large associations, as a former CEO of Consult Australia, as well as holding significant positions in Australia’s built environment sector and business chambers.

She is currently a director of Standards Australia, a member of the ASIC Corporate Governance Consultative Panel and a councillor of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) where she chairs the Data, Digital and Cyber Security Forum.

Megan’s expertise spans governance, risk management, public policy and education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education, a Masters of Communication Management and a Graduate Diploma of Corporate Governance and Risk Management. She is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia, the Chartered Governance Institute and the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is also a member of Chief Executive Women. Megan is also an Honorary Life Trustee of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and was a 2014 recipient of the AFR/Westpac 100 Women of Influence.

Shamane Tan

Chief Growth Officer, Sekuro

Shamane Tan, Chief Growth Officer, Sekuro

Sekuro’s Chief Growth Officer, Shamane Tan, is passionate about uniting minds and experiences, excelling in aligning C-Suite and Board members with cyber security imperatives. As the author of “Cyber Risk Leaders,” she unravels executive communication nuances and distils C-Suite expectations. 

Her work extends to “Cyber Mayday and the Day After,” a roadmap for navigating crises by mining the wisdom of C-level executives from around the globe. It’s filled with interviews with managers and leaders who’ve braved the crucible and lived to tell the tale. Her most recent book, “Building a Cyber Resilience: A Cyber Handbook for Executives and Boards,” was featured on Forbes Australia’s top list of books for CEOs. 

Shamane has also founded a transcontinental cyber risk and executive meetup spanning Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Singapore, the Philippines, and Tokyo, fostering mentorship, women’s empowerment and thought leadership. As a strong advocate for the importance of having a voice and helping others use theirs, Shamane Tan has spoken at TEDx and global conferences, including FS-ISAC, RSA, Silicon Valley, Fortune 500 and ASX companies. 

Recipient of the IFSEC Global Top 20 Cybersecurity Influencer award and named among the 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians, Shamane leverages her unique fusion of technical prowess and business acumen to help organisations progress on their security maturity journey.

David Gee

David Gee, CIO, CISO, NED, Board Advisor & Author

 

David Gee, CIO, CISO, NED, Board Advisor & Author

David has just retired in July 2024 and is building out his portfolio. He is an Advisor with Bain Advisory Network and also an Advisor to JS Careers (Cyber Recruitment) and Emertel (Software Commercialisation).

He is a seasoned technology executive with significant experience and has over 25 years’ experience in CIO and CISO roles across different industries and countries. At Macquarie Group David served as Global Head Technology, Cyber and Data Risk. Previously was CISO for HSBC Asia Pacific. His career as a CIO spans across multiple industries and geographies including – Metlife, Eli Lilly and Credit Union Australia. He was winner CIO of the Year 2014, at CUA where he successfully completed a significant Transformation of Core Banking, Online and Mobile Banking systems.

David is past Chairman for the FS-ISAC Strategy Committee and awarded Global Leaders Award in 2023 for his contributions to the cyber security industry. A regular conference keynote speaker and 150+ published articles for CIO Australia, Computerworld, iTnews and CSO (Cyber Security), David now writes for Foundry CIO.com and AICD.

His most recent book – the Aspiring CIO & CISO was published in June 2024 and David is writing his second – A Day in the Life of a CISO with a number of CISOs from around the world for 2025.

Naomi Simson

Co-founder, Big Red Group and Former Shark Tank Judge

Naomi Simson, Co-founder, Big Red Group

INTRODUCTION

For 25 years as an entrepreneur, Naomi Simson has been bringing people together whether it’s with her business experience, her speaking or writing. Passionate about small business and local community, Naomi is considered a home grown success story.

Naomi had a corporate career with Apple, KPMG, IBM and Ansett Australia prior to becoming an entrepreneur. She is a prolific blogger, podcaster and business commentator, and appeared as the #RedShark in four seasons of Shark Tank Australia and she appears regularly on ABC The Drum. She is a non-executive director at Big Red Group, Australian Payments Plus, Colonial First State and Weebit Nano, as well as the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation and the University of Melbourne Business and Economics Faculty.

A true business leader and influencer, with more than 2.7 million LinkedIn followers, Naomi is Australia’s most followed person on the business networking platform. She has four seasons of her podcast ‘Handpicked’, and she has authored two best-selling books Live What You Love, and Ready to Soar, and is sought after speaker.

FULL BIO

For 25 years Naomi has been bringing people together whether it’s with her business experience, her speaking or writing. She is a strong advocate of business owners.

Known as an entrepreneur and business leader; following the growth of RedBalloon which she founded in 2001, Naomi co-founded the Big Red Group (BRG) in 2017.

Naomi had a corporate career with Apple, KPMG, IBM and Ansett Australia prior to becoming an entrepreneur. She is a prolific blogger, podcaster and business commentator, and appeared as the #RedShark in four seasons of Shark Tank Australia. She is a non-executive director at Big Red Group, Australian Payments Plus, Colonial First State and Weebit Nano. As well as the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation and the University of Melbourne Business and Economics Faculty.

A true business leader and influencer, with more than 2.7 million LinkedIn followers, Naomi is Australia’s most followed person on the business networking platform. She has authored two best-selling books Live What You Love, and Ready to Soar, and is an engaging, humorous and insightful speaker. She has four seasons of her Podcast – Handpicked.

Naomi is relatable across a broad variety of audiences and topics, often drawing on her personal experiences to provide thoughtful and valuable views into topics; including the customer obsession, intentional leadership, growth mindset, personal development. She is a regular panellist on ABC The Drum.

Peter Ngo

Product Line Manager, Global Certifications, Palo Alto Networks

Peter Ngo

Peter leads the Commercial Cloud, Global Certifications organisation at Palo Alto Networks which oversees global cloud security compliance efforts to various frameworks and standards including IRAP, SOC 2, ISO, PCI, C5, ISMAP, and IRAP and more for 25+ cloud products.

He has held many roles over the years covering areas of IT Operations, and Governance, Risk, & Compliance (GRC) for a wide range of industries including technology, insurance, and manufacturing.

Peter holds various security and professional certifications, including the CCSP, CISSP, PCI ISA, CISA, CISM, CDPSE & ISO Lead Auditor, in addition to a Master of Science degree in Information Assurance. 

Jack Cross

CISO, QUT

Jack Cross

Jack Cross is an experienced business leader with expertise in digital technologies and risk management. Through a steadfast commitment to integrating people, processes, and technology, he champions the fight against cyber threats while mitigating organisational risks. 

Over the past 15 years, Jack has navigated diverse leadership roles within the Defence and Education sectors, honing his skills in steering multidisciplinary teams through intricate and sensitive technical landscapes. In addition to this experience, he holds numerous formal qualifications such as: a Master of Systems Engineering (Electronic Warfare); CISSP; and CISM certifications.

Nadene Serman

Global CTO, Infotrack

Nadene Serman

Nadene Serman is a leading IT executive with a proven track record spearheading first-of-its-kind technology and business transformation for some of the most prominent organisations globally and in Australia. As the Global Chief Technology Officer of InfoTrack, she is a key protagonist of innovation as an enabler of InfoTrack’s next stage growth. Her energy, commercial acuity and strategic capability have fueled her success.

Nadene leads with clarity, transparency and urgency, uniting people in complex, multi-layered technology and business execution, and go-to-market transformation and innovation. She tackles and resolves complex and seemingly intractable challenges while building support and collaboration – even in times of crisis. Her people-first, ‘think straight, talk straight’ approach makes her a formidable force.

John Doe

President Great Technology

Cyber Resilience Program | Sekuro

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