In short
Managed security services are security functions run for you by a specialist provider: 24/7 monitoring, threat detection and response, and day-to-day management of endpoint, email, firewall and identity protection, vulnerability management and incident response. Forever Systems sets up and manages these services, with round-the-clock monitoring delivered by the vendor SOCs we supply.
Get a quote for managed security
Tell us roughly how many users or sites you have and we will reply by email with options and a quote.
What managed security services means
Buying a security product gives you a capability. Managed security services give you an outcome: someone is responsible for making that capability work, every day, and for acting when it finds something.
In practice that means a provider takes on some or all of the following: watching security alerts and logs, investigating suspicious activity, containing confirmed threats within agreed limits, keeping policies and integrations up to date, tracking vulnerabilities, preparing for incidents and reporting on all of it. You pay a subscription, usually based on users, devices or data volume, instead of building and staffing a security operations team.
The difference matters most when something goes wrong. A product left at default settings, with alerts going to a shared mailbox nobody reads, offers little protection at the moment it is needed. A managed service puts named responsibility, agreed response authority and an escalation path around the same product, so that a detection turns into an action.
The provider delivering the service is called a managed security service provider, or MSSP; see what is an MSSP? for the definition and MSSP vs MSP for how it differs from IT support.
Our managed security services
Each item links to a page explaining the service, the vendor options behind it and how we manage it.
- Managed SOC services: SOC as a service from vendor security operations centres, with our setup, tuning and escalation
- Co-managed SOC: your IT team, a vendor SOC and Forever Systems sharing the work, with you kept in control
- SIEM as a service: cloud SIEM for log collection, correlation and retention
- Managed XDR: detection and response across endpoint, email, identity, network and cloud
- MDR for Microsoft Defender: a vendor SOC watching the Microsoft security tools you already license
- Managed ITDR: identity threat detection and response for Microsoft 365, Entra ID and Active Directory
- Cyber security monitoring: endpoints, identities, email, network and cloud logs, watched by the vendor SOC in your chosen service
- Incident response retainers: expert incident response agreed in advance
- Managed endpoint security: deployment, policy, exclusions and updates across leading endpoint platforms
- Managed EDR: endpoint detection and response that someone else tunes and watches
- Managed email security: policy, quarantine and release, phishing reports and account takeover protection
- Managed firewall: rules, firmware, VPN, intrusion prevention and logging
- Vulnerability management as a service: scan, prioritise, patch and verify
- Managed security awareness training: phishing simulations and training for staff, from our sister site
How the work is split
Forever Systems does not run its own 24/7 SOC. The round-the-clock monitoring and response in our services comes from vendors that operate their own security operations centres, and we manage everything around them:
| Layer | Provided by the vendor service | Provided by Forever Systems |
|---|---|---|
| 24/7 monitoring and investigation | Vendor analysts, for example Sophos, Check Point, Cisco, WatchGuard, Blackpoint, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne or Todyl | Choosing the service, onboarding and making sure the right data reaches it |
| Response actions | Taken by the vendor's analysts within the authority you set | Helping you set that authority, and acting as your escalation point |
| Security tools | Platform, detections and console | Deployment, policy, exclusions, integrations and change management |
| Incidents | Containment and, in some tiers, full incident response | Coordinating with you, the vendor and any retainer provider |
| Reporting | Incident write-ups and service reports | Reviews, recommendations and evidence for audits |
Responsibilities are agreed in writing and confirmed at quote. The comparison pages MSSP vs MDR and MDR vs SOC vs SIEM explain the terms in more detail, and vendors lists the services we supply.
Not sure which option fits? Ask us
Tell us what you need and we will recommend the right option for your organisation, with a quote.
Benefits of managed security services
The case for managed security services is usually about people and time rather than technology:
- Round-the-clock cover: vendor SOCs watch overnight and at weekends, when in-house teams are offline
- Specialist skills on tap: threat detection, investigation and incident response are hard skills to recruit; a service gives you access to them
- Less console fatigue: alerts from endpoint, email, identity and firewall tools are triaged before they reach you
- Faster containment: when analysts are allowed to act within agreed limits, a compromised laptop or account can be isolated without waiting for business hours
- Better use of what you own: many organisations already license capable tools, such as Microsoft Defender, that nobody watches
- Evidence for others: insurers, auditors, customers and regulators increasingly ask about monitoring, logging and incident response; see UK cyber security compliance
Costs scale with users, devices or data rather than with headcount; our MSSP pricing guide explains how quotes are built up.
Managed security services by size and situation
The right mix depends on what you have in-house and who is asking questions of you:
| Situation | Usually the core | Often added |
|---|---|---|
| Small business with no IT staff | An MDR service on endpoints and Microsoft 365, with managed email security | Staff training and Cyber Essentials; see managed security for small business |
| Organisation with a small IT team | A vendor SOC with co-managed response, so the team keeps control during the day | Managed firewall, vulnerability management and identity threat detection |
| Microsoft-centric organisation | MDR for Microsoft Defender, using the licences you already hold | Managed ITDR and email security |
| Regulated firm or NHS supplier | Managed SOC or MXDR with SIEM and defined log retention | An incident response retainer and compliance reporting; see compliance |
| Multi-site organisation with mixed tools | Managed XDR or an open MDR service that works with third-party products | SIEM as a service and managed firewall across sites |
These are starting points, not packages. We scope each service around your estate and confirm what is included at quote.
Is managed security the right fit for you?
We will check it against your systems and requirements and recommend the right option.
What managed security services do not replace
A managed service is one part of a security programme, not all of it. You still need:
- Leadership decisions about risk, budgets and what matters most to the organisation
- Policies, access control and joiner-mover-leaver processes
- Tested backups you can restore from, held separately from the systems they protect
- Staff who recognise phishing and know how to report it
- A plan for serious incidents, including who decides what, and how you would talk to customers, insurers and regulators
We can help with several of these, and Forever Group's wider managed cyber security services cover networks, devices and people across your estate. Baseline controls are covered by Cyber Essentials, which many organisations use as their starting point.
Getting started
Most engagements follow the same path:
- Tell us what you have: users, devices, Microsoft 365 licences, endpoint, email and firewall products, and any compliance or contract requirements.
- We recommend the services that fit, and the vendor behind each one, with the reasoning.
- We agree scope, response authority and escalation contacts, confirmed at quote.
- We deploy, connect integrations and see the service through onboarding.
- We manage it with you and review it regularly.
Ask us for a quote, or contact us with a short description of what you need.
How Forever Systems helps with managed security
We do not run our own security operations centre. The round-the-clock monitoring, investigation and response come from managed detection and response services that established security vendors already run at scale. Our part is choosing the right one for you, setting it up properly and staying involved.
- Independent recommendation: we supply several vendor MDR, XDR and SIEM services, including Sophos MDR, Check Point MDR and Cisco XDR, so we can suggest the one that fits the tools you already own
- Setup and onboarding: we can deploy agents, connect integrations such as Microsoft 365 and work with the vendor through tuning
- Clear responsibilities: escalation contacts, response permissions and who does what are agreed with you in writing and confirmed at quote
- Ongoing management: we help with policy changes, exclusions, renewals and regular service reviews
- Wider security too: security awareness training, Cyber Essentials and cloud security advice
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations across the UK.
Frequently asked questions
What are managed security services?
Managed security services are security functions run for an organisation by a specialist provider, typically including 24/7 monitoring, threat detection and response, management of endpoint, email, firewall and identity tools, vulnerability management and incident response support.
What is included in managed security services?
It varies by provider and contract. Common elements are a monitored SOC or MDR service, SIEM and log retention, managed endpoint and EDR, managed email security, managed firewall, identity threat detection, vulnerability management, incident response arrangements and regular reporting.
What are the benefits of managed security services?
The main benefits are round-the-clock monitoring, access to specialist skills, fewer alerts landing on your team, faster containment of confirmed threats, better use of the tools you already license, and evidence you can show to insurers, auditors and customers.
Are managed security services worth it for small businesses?
Often, yes, because small businesses rarely have anyone available to respond to alerts at night or at weekends. Services designed for smaller organisations keep scope and onboarding simple; see our page on managed security services for small business.
How are managed security services priced?
Usually as a subscription based on users, endpoints, devices or data volume, with differences for service tier, log retention and incident response. Ask us for a quote and we will scope it with you.
Still have a question about managed security?
Ask us and a member of our team will reply by email.