Why Your MSP (Managed Service Provider) Might Not Be Enough to Protect Your Business

Shield cracking from attackers

For most small and mid-sized businesses, an MSP (Managed Service Provider) feels like the perfect solution. One vendor takes care of your IT, handles your network, manages updates, and answers the helpdesk calls. Easy, right?

But the real challenge is that most MSPs don’t specialize in cybersecurity, it’s just one of their responsibilities. Depending on how large your MSP is, they could have dedicated staff for certain roles (cyber, networking, Helpdesk, etc) but often times people wear various hats. As cyber threats grow more advanced every year, that difference matters more than ever.

I want to be clear, this isn’t me taking a shot at any MSPs. At Blue Team Tom Consulting, we love working with them and their clients to improve security overall.

Your MSP team might include talented technicians and system admins, but cybersecurity requires a very different skill set. It’s not about just fixing what’s broken (because we do that too); it’s about anticipating, detecting and defending against sophisticated threats that change daily. It’s not that your MSP doesn’t care about security. Their main responsibility is uptime and user support, not defending against targeted attacks. In other words: their focus is IT operations, not threat operations.

When one person is responsible for everything; troubleshooting printers, patching servers, resetting passwords, and handling security alerts; something inevitably gets less attention. Even companies that have dedicated Cybersecurity teams can potentially miss things, so imagine a person juggling many, many more responsibilities. Cybersecurity is a field that changes daily. New vulnerabilities appear overnight, and attackers adapt faster than most IT teams can keep up. Without dedicated expertise, those threats can slip through unnoticed.

Here’s how that typically looks:

• Reactive protection: Security only gets attention when something breaks or an alert pops up.

• Limited monitoring: MSP tools track system health, not threat behavior.

• Generic configurations: Security settings often follow one-size-fits-all templates instead of tailored defenses.

• No threat hunting: Most MSPs aren’t actively searching for compromise indicators or anomalies.
  

It’s not neglect, it’s bandwidth. When cybersecurity isn’t someone’s full-time job, it can’t be done at a full-time level.

Cybercriminals know MSPs are valuable targets. They use centralized tools that manage multiple clients, which means one breach can cascade into dozens of businesses. Even a well-meaning MSP can unintentionally expose clients if they’re not following security best practices — things like credential management, network segmentation, or regular threat assessments. In some cases, businesses and MSPs simply have different understandings of what “security coverage” includes. That’s not unusual — it’s just a reminder that cybersecurity needs clear ownership and collaboration between both teams to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

At Blue Team Tom Consulting, we focus solely on helping businesses stay secure through:

• Proactive vulnerability scanning and patch validation

• Phishing simulations and employee awareness training

• Security policy reviews and compliance support

• Cloud security Posture Management

• Continuous monitoring and threat detection

Cybersecurity isn’t just a service — it’s a discipline that requires constant learning, testing, and adapting to new threats.

MSPs and cybersecurity teams share the same goal: keeping your business safe and operational. When they work together, technology runs smoother and security gets stronger.

MSPs and Blue Team Tom Consulting working together

If you’re unsure whether your current MSP setup provides the level of cybersecurity your business needs, we can help.

Blue Team Tom Consulting offers a free cybersecurity checkup — a simple, no-pressure review to identify hidden risks and strengthen your defenses.

Remember, It’s not about replacing your MSP — it’s about reinforcing them. When IT management and cybersecurity work side by side, your business gets true resilience.

Your MSP manages your IT. We secure it.