According to a new report from WatchGuard Technologies, the complexity, speed and scale of modern threats have outpaced what internal teams can realistically manage. This is driving a shift away from do-it-yourself security toward externally delivered, always-on protection models.
In WatchGuard’s study of nearly 1,000 IT and cybersecurity leaders across 20 countries, 91 percent of organizations said they are concerned about AI-driven cyberattacks, while 75 percent have experienced at least one cyber incident in the past year. At the same time, 54 percent say they lack the ability to deliver continuous 24/7 monitoring and response, while 67 percent require additional support to meet growing compliance demands.
Additional findings:
- Despite investments in staffing and tools, internal IT teams are reaching their limits. The research shows that cybersecurity challenges are no longer driven by lack of awareness, but by an unsustainable operational burden.
- Nearly half (48 percent) of organizations are already rely on MSPs to supplement their internal teams, signaling a broader shift toward MSPs as primary cybersecurity partners rather than secondary support.
- 44 percent of organizations are willing to pay more for AI-powered detection and response, highlighting a growing expectation that security providers deliver not just protection, but measurable outcomes.
The report also found that organizations are shifting how they evaluate cybersecurity partners. Traditional metrics like uptime and service delivery are giving way to outcome-based expectations such as faster incident detection and response and proactive threat prevention. Nearly half of respondents now view their provider as a strategic advisor or proactive partner, underscoring the evolution of the MSP role.
