Managed cyber security for small businesses.
Managed cyber security means a team of analysts watches your devices, accounts and network around the clock and acts when something is wrong. You can buy it as a separate service, and it is also included in Lanmark Total.
What does managed cyber security include?
Three layers work together: tools that watch your devices, tools that watch your sign-ins, and analysts who read every alert.
- Managed detection and response
- Analysts watch your laptops, servers and workstations using your existing endpoint protection, and act when a threat is found.
- Identity threat monitoring
- Watches sign-ins and account activity in Microsoft 365 and Entra for credential theft, session hijacking, unusual locations, privilege escalation and malicious inbox rules.
- Security operations centre
- Analysts review every alert 24x7x365, filter out false alarms and act on real threats, including isolating affected devices and accounts.
- Managed log monitoring
- Firewall and device activity is collected and correlated in one place, filtered so you pay to keep only the data that matters, and kept for compliance.
- Phishing tests and awareness training
- Realistic phishing scenarios test your staff, then short courses and quizzes help them spot the real thing. You get a monthly report.
- Testing and certification
- Vulnerability assessments from £800 a year, penetration tests from £1,200 and Cyber Essentials from £600, all excluding VAT.
How is managed cyber security different from antivirus?
Each level builds on the one before. Antivirus is necessary, and on its own it is not enough.
| What you get | Antivirus | Basic managed security | MDR with a security operations centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it watches | One device at a time | Firewall and antivirus updates | Every device, account and cloud service together |
| Who reads the alerts | Nobody: it blocks known malware automatically | Someone receives them, often during working hours | A security analyst, in context, around the clock |
| Stolen password logins | Not detected | Rarely detected | Detected by watching sign-in activity |
| Acts straight away | Only on known malware | Usually after a ticket is raised | Yes: isolates a device or disables an account |
What happens when a threat is found?
One alert, followed from start to finish.
- Step 1Software flags it.Detection tools spot unusual activity, such as a sign-in from two countries within minutes.
- Step 2An analyst investigates.They read the logs around it and check threat intelligence to decide whether it is real.
- Step 3We contain it.Infected devices are isolated, stolen credentials revoked and malicious traffic blocked.
- Step 4You get a report.A plain-language account of what happened, how and what to change.
How do you buy managed cyber security?
You can buy managed detection and response, identity monitoring and the security operations centre as a separate service, on its own. Tell us how many users you have and what you want covered, and we will quote.
It is also included in Lanmark Total, alongside Microsoft 365 backup and security awareness training. On Lanmark Core and Lanmark Flex it is an optional add-on. Vulnerability assessments start at £800 a year, penetration tests at £1,200 and Cyber Essentials at £600, all excluding VAT.
See what is in Lanmark TotalWho is managed cyber security for?
Any business whose data would be expensive to lose or embarrassing to leak, and that cannot justify a security team of its own. Law firms hold privileged client material. Financial services and accountancy firms hold banking and tax details. Consultancies hold their clients’ commercially sensitive information. Care providers hold medical records. Multi-site retailers take card payments.
Size is not the test. A one- or two-person firm that holds client money or client data needs the same protection.
What do people ask about cyber security?
What is the difference between MDR and antivirus?
Antivirus scans individual devices for known malicious files and blocks them. Managed detection and response (MDR) watches every device, account and cloud service together, uses behaviour to spot unusual activity, and has security analysts who review alerts around the clock and act on real threats.
What is ITDR?
Identity threat detection and response (ITDR) watches how accounts are used in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Entra. It looks for stolen passwords, hijacked sessions, sign-ins from unusual places, accounts gaining extra rights and malicious inbox forwarding rules, which endpoint tools often miss.
Do I need cyber security services if I already have Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 includes baseline security tools, but they raise alerts that someone has to read and act on. Managed cyber security adds the people who do that, around the clock, so your Microsoft investment actually protects you.
What is Cyber Essentials and does my business need it?
Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed certification covering five technical controls. It is required for many UK government contracts and is increasingly asked for by insurers and larger clients. Lanmark holds Cyber Essentials and helps clients prepare: we find the gaps, and you fix what the assessment finds before you can pass.
How much does managed cyber security cost?
Managed cyber security is a service in its own right, quoted for your business: tell us how many users you have and what you want covered. It is also included in Lanmark Total, and on Lanmark Core and Lanmark Flex it is an optional add-on. Vulnerability assessments start at £800 a year, penetration tests at £1,200 and Cyber Essentials at £600, all excluding VAT.
Can you help if we are under attack now?
Call 020 7123 4910 and tell us what is happening. Our guide to the first hour after a suspected breach sets out what to do while you wait.
Where to go next
Book a free IT review.
We look at what you have, what it costs and where the risks are, and tell you plainly if you do not need to change anything.
Book a free IT review