Many businesses make a significant and costly mistake by assuming that hiring a Managed Service Provider (MSP) automatically takes care of all their cybersecurity needs.. Unfortunately, that’s far from the truth. Managed services and cybersecurity, while related, are fundamentally different services with distinct objectives, expertise, and responsibilities.
Understanding this distinction is essential to protecting your business from the growing wave of cyber threats.
What Managed Services Typically Cover
Managed Service Providers are primarily responsible for the maintenance and availability of IT systems. Their core offerings often include:
- Hardware and software management
- Routine updates and patching
- System backups
- Network uptime monitoring
- Help desk and end-user support
These are operational functions. MSPs ensure that IT infrastructure runs efficiently, but efficiency doesn’t equal security.
For example, while an MSP might ensure that a company’s backup systems are functioning, that doesn’t mean those backups are protected from ransomware encryption or malicious tampering.
What True Cybersecurity Involves
Cybersecurity services go several layers deeper. They are focused on protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems and data. Key services include:
- Vulnerability assessments and penetration testing
- Endpoint detection and response (EDR)
- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
- Cloud and email security
- Zero trust architecture
- Compliance frameworks (e.g., CMMC, HIPAA, NIST)
- Phishing simulations and user training
- Incident response planning and forensic support
Cybersecurity requires a proactive posture. It’s about anticipating how attackers might exploit systems, not just keeping those systems running.
Real-World Example: When an MSP Isn’t Enough
In early 2019, Norsk Hydro, one of the world’s largest aluminum producers, was hit by a LockerGoga ransomware attack. The breach shut down operations across 170 sites in 40 countries, forcing the company into manual operations and incurring estimated losses exceeding $70 million. Norsk Hydro had an IT provider, but the attack revealed critical gaps in their security architecture, most notably a lack of adequate segmentation and ransomware-resistant backups.
In Temple IT’s own experience, a mid-sized manufacturing client in Central Illinois experienced a similar incident. Though supported by a traditional MSP, they had no multi-factor authentication (MFA), no employee training, and a flat network topology. A phishing email led to a full network compromise, encrypting payroll and production systems.
Temple IT was called in to contain the breach, conduct forensics, rebuild systems, and implement baseline security controls. It was a preventable incident, if cybersecurity had been prioritized from the start.
Key Differences That Define the Gap
Managed services and cybersecurity differ in key ways that affect how businesses manage risk.
Managed services are focused on keeping systems online and functional. Their job is to ensure that updates are installed, backups occur, and users receive help when something breaks.
Cybersecurity, on the other hand, is about defending those systems from active and evolving threats. It requires constant vigilance, strategic foresight, and specialized tools. It involves preparing for incidents before they happen, detecting breaches in real-time, and minimizing damage.
Where managed services are typically reactive, responding to problems as they arise, cybersecurity must be proactive, anticipating attack vectors and closing off vulnerabilities before they’re exploited.
Common Gaps When Cybersecurity Is Assumed
Here are some red flags often seen in environments where companies believe their MSP “handles everything”:
- No DMARC/SPF/DKIM protection, leaving email domains spoofable.
- Weak passwords and no dark web monitoring for leaked credentials.
- No formal incident response plan or recovery roadmap.
- Untrained staff falling victim to phishing attempts.
- Flat networks with no segmentation between office and OT environments.
These problems frequently arise even in organizations that think they have adequate protection, only to discover they do not.
The Root Cause: Misaligned Expectations
Many small and mid-sized businesses assume managed services include cybersecurity because of overlapping terminology or vendor marketing. In reality, most MSP agreements do not include true security protections unless explicitly defined.
Cyber insurance providers have increasingly noted this distinction. Insurers now ask detailed questions about security controls like MFA, endpoint detection, and encrypted backups, which often fall outside the scope of traditional MSP services.
What Businesses Should Do Next
- Audit your existing IT contracts: Determine what’s operational vs. what’s security-related.
- Ask the right questions: Do you have endpoint detection? Is your domain hardened? Who’s responsible for incident response?
- Get a third-party cybersecurity assessment: Treat security as a discipline, not an extension of IT.
Managed services are vital for operational continuity. But cybersecurity is essential for risk mitigation and protection. One does not guarantee the other. Businesses that conflate the two leave themselves open to breaches, compliance violations, and significant financial loss.
Understanding this distinction isn’t just a best practice, it’s a business imperative.