The increasing sophistication and frequency of cyber threats, coupled with the growing complexity of IT environments, have driven managed security service providers (MSSPs) to evolve their strategies. As organizations demand more tailored and proactive cybersecurity solutions, MSSPs are adopting innovative, platform-led approaches to meet these needs. This evolution reflects a broader industry shift toward integrated, AI-driven platforms that deliver seamless, scalable, and context-aware security operations.
This Research Byte explores these trends, focusing on Orange Cyberdefense’s Core Fusion platform as a prime example of how MSSPs are redefining the cybersecurity landscape, as the company shared during its Analyst Day on November 26, 2024.
Platform-Driven Innovation: How MSSPs are Redefining Cybersecurity with AI
In our 2021 publication, Leading with Products: The Next Stage in the Evolution of IT Service Providers, we highlighted the growing shift among MSSPs toward platform-led strategies. These platforms offer a compelling value proposition compared to off-the-shelf solutions, including broader functionality, greater customizability, cost-effectiveness, and seamless integration with managed service frameworks.
The Avasant Cybersecurity Services 2024 RadarView survey, conducted in January–February 2024, confirms this trend, with leading MSSPs focusing on proprietary platforms and advancing their AI capabilities to deliver greater value. The survey revealed that 84% of providers are focusing on enhancing threat intelligence, followed by investments in vulnerability management, cloud security, and identity and access management. Figure 1 below illustrates these trends, showcasing initiatives from select MSSPs.
Figure 1: IP focus among progressive service providers
In line with this direction, Grant Paling, Product Management Director, and Sara Puigvert, EVP of Global Operations, introduced the Core Fusion platform at the Orange Cyberdefense event, reflecting the event’s theme, “New Horizons.” This AI-powered, vendor-agnostic platform marks a significant shift in cybersecurity operations—from reactive to proactive posture management—by delivering preemptive visibility into exposures. This will enable analysts to rapidly identify exposures that are of immediate threat to a customer’s business. The platform utilizes AI to consolidate security incident alerts, correlate and filter them, generate and enrich tickets with a timeline of past events, identify similar cases, and reference relevant customer documentation. These enriched tickets are then routed to the appropriate analyst for detailed incident analysis.
For enterprise customers, this automation not only accelerates deployment but also enhances quality by ensuring accurate configurations and log placements for vendors. Previously, installing a managed security information and event management (SIEM) platform in a customer’s environment could take 2–10 days, depending on the size and complexity of the organization. With automation, this process now takes less than two hours, significantly enhancing efficiency and reducing deployment time.
Additionally, Core Fusion’s AI-driven processes address zero-day vulnerabilities by identifying impacted assets, notifying affected customers within an hour, and applying corrective actions to secure systems within 24 hours.
Orange Cyberdefense sets itself apart in the competitive MSSP landscape by leveraging its strong network foundation, including exclusive access to telco telemetry in regions where Orange serves as the network provider. This unique advantage enables the company to target small and medium businesses (SMBs), small office-home offices (SoHo), and individual customers with tailored cybersecurity offerings introduced at the event.
Complementing its network-based advantages, Orange Cyberdefense integrates insights from nearly 500 cyber threat intelligence sources, including proprietary feeds, private partner contributions, community feeds, and curated open-source intelligence (OSINT). Together, these resources enhance its ability to provide a comprehensive and differentiated approach to cybersecurity.
Conclusion
As the cybersecurity industry continues to evolve, the focus on proprietary, AI-enabled platforms will likely shape the future of MSSPs, driving innovation and delivering superior value to customers. The Core Fusion platform exemplifies how MSSPs like Orange Cyberdefense are leveraging proprietary platforms to redefine cybersecurity operations. By integrating AI-driven automation, real-time threat intelligence, and proactive posture management, these platforms offer a strategic advantage to organizations navigating an increasingly complex threat environment. Coupled with Orange’s strong telco heritage and extensive intelligence ecosystem, Core Fusion positions the company to deliver comprehensive, efficient, and tailored security solutions.
By Gaurav Dewan, Research Director, and Adrian Quayle, Avasant Distinguished Fellow