The "Basic Security" Illusion: Why Your MSP Contract Won't Stop Ransomware
"We have you covered" is the most dangerous phrase in IT sales. Here is the difference between keeping the lights on and keeping the hackers out.
There is a fundamental misunderstanding in the SMB market about what "Managed IT" actually covers. Most business owners assume that because they pay a monthly fee for IT support, they are protected from cyber threats.
This assumption is false. Standard Managed Service Provider (MSP) contracts are designed for Maintenance, not Defense. They cover patching Windows, resetting passwords, and keeping the server running. They do not typically cover the 24/7 monitoring and behavioral analysis required to stop a modern ransomware attack.
The "Antivirus" vs. "EDR" Trap
Your contract likely lists "Antivirus" as an inclusion. Ten years ago, that was enough. Today, it is negligible. Traditional antivirus relies on "signatures"—it has a list of known bad files and blocks them.
Modern ransomware is "fileless." It uses legitimate administrative tools (like PowerShell) to encrypt your data. Because the tools are legitimate, traditional antivirus ignores them. To stop this, you need Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), which looks for suspicious behavior rather than bad files. EDR is almost always an upsell, and many MSPs don't even offer it in their base package.
The "Breach Exclusion" Clause
Read the fine print of your Master Services Agreement (MSA). You will likely find a clause stating that "remediation of security incidents is billable at hourly rates."
This creates a perverse incentive. If you get hacked, your MSP makes more money charging you emergency rates to clean it up. A true security partner should have skin in the game—offering a fixed-fee remediation guarantee if you subscribe to their advanced security stack.
How to Close the Gap
You don't necessarily need to hire a separate Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), but you do need to upgrade your conversation with your current MSP.
- Demand EDR, Not AV.
Ask specifically: "Is this behavioral-based protection or signature-based?" If they say signature, you are vulnerable.
- Ask About the SOC.
"Who is looking at the alerts at 3 AM on Sunday?" If the answer is "our on-call technician gets a pager," that is not a Security Operations Center (SOC). You need a dedicated team watching the screens 24/7.
Security is the biggest variable in IT pricing. As we detail in our Managed IT Pricing Models guide, a "cheap" per-user price often means you are self-insuring against a cyber disaster.
The "MFA" Litmus Test
If an MSP offers to onboard you without forcing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on everything, run away. A competent provider would rather lose your business than manage a network without MFA, because they know it is a ticking time bomb.