Compliance Requirements for MSSPs: A Deep Dive into Achieving Continuous Trust and Assurance

MSSPs face growing pressure to deliver not only continuous protection but also demonstrable compliance for their clients. From PCI DSS and HIPAA to GDPR, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and NIS2, enterprises now expect their MSSPs to maintain alignment with multiple frameworks, complete with audit-ready evidence and zero downtime.

Compliance has evolved from a legal requirement to a competitive differentiator. MSSPs that can prove compliance, simplify audits, and eliminate operational complexity have a clear advantage in winning and retaining clients. However, managing compliance manually across multiple clients and regulatory regimes is both resource-intensive and error-prone.

The Compliance Mandate for MSSPs

MSSPs act as both data processors and security operators, which means they must adhere to compliance from two dimensions:

1. Internal compliance – Securing their own infrastructure, data centers, and staff practices.
2. Service compliance – Ensuring that client environments managed under MSSP contracts meet regulatory and industry standards.

Auditors often expect MSSPs to maintain alignment with the following frameworks:

Key Global Compliance Frameworks

1. ISO/IEC 27001

The international standard for information security management, ISO/IEC 27001 helps organizations establish a systematic ISMS (Information Security Management System). It ensures ongoing risk assessment, control implementation, and continuous improvement, proving that information assets are managed securely and consistently across all operations.

2. SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2)

SOC 2 evaluates an organization’s ability to safeguard customer data based on five Trust Service Criteria, security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. A SOC 2 Type II report demonstrates that internal controls are not only in place but have been operating effectively over time, reinforcing client trust and service reliability.

3. PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)

Mandatory for any entity handling credit or debit card information, PCI DSS defines strict requirements for network security, encryption, access control, and vulnerability management. Its latest version (v4.0) emphasizes continuous monitoring, risk-based testing, and modernized requirements for APIs and cloud-based environments.

4. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

The EU’s comprehensive data privacy law, GDPR enforces strict rules on how personal data is collected, processed, and stored. It introduces principles of lawfulness, transparency, and data minimization, with obligations for data breach notification within 72 hours and cross-border data protection for all EU residents’ information.

5. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)

HIPAA governs the security and privacy of Protected Health Information (PHI) in the U.S. healthcare sector. It mandates administrative, technical, and physical safeguards such as encryption, access control, and audit logging, ensuring that health data remains confidential and tamper-proof during storage and transmission.

6. NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)

Developed by NIST, this framework offers a structured approach built around six core functions – Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover, and Govern. It enables organizations to assess, prioritize, and strengthen their cybersecurity posture while maintaining measurable, continuous compliance with risk-based principles.

7. CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification)

CMMC establishes maturity levels to ensure that contractors handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) implement robust cybersecurity controls. Built on NIST SP 800-171, it standardizes how organizations demonstrate security maturity through documented processes, risk assessments, and periodic third-party audits.

7. FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act)

FISMA requires U.S. federal agencies and their contractors to develop risk-based security programs aligned with NIST standards. It focuses on control documentation, continuous monitoring, and periodic authorization (ATO), ensuring that government systems and data are protected against evolving threats.

8. CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act)

CCPA, strengthened by the CPRA, gives California residents rights over their personal information, including access, deletion, and opt-out from data sales. It compels businesses to maintain transparency in data use, strengthen security measures, and update privacy notices to reflect lawful and ethical data practices.

Looking for guidance on managing false positives and optimizing your WAF for compliance? Check out our MSSP WAF False Positive Management blog for insights on how to simplify your WAF operations.

Core Compliance Requirements and How MSSPs Can Achieve Them

While each compliance framework varies in scope, the core operational controls that MSSPs and their clients must master remain universal: governance, data protection, vulnerability management, and continuous monitoring.

1. Information Security Management and Governance

Applicable Frameworks:

• ISO 27001:2022 – Clauses 4.4, 5.1, and 9.3 (ISMS Establishment, Leadership, and Management Review)
• SOC 2 – CC1.0 to CC2.0 (Control Environment & Communication)

Key Requirements:

MSSPs must implement a documented Information Security Management System (ISMS) that defines:

• Security policies and objectives aligned with business context and client expectations.
• Risk assessment and treatment plans.
• Defined access controls, encryption standards, and physical safeguards.
• Leadership commitment, regular reviews, and continuous improvement cycles.

How to Achieve:

Establish a governance structure with clearly defined security policies, conduct periodic risk assessments, and automate control enforcement via IAM and SIEM systems. Maintain centralized visibility for audits through unified monitoring and reporting.

2. Data Privacy and Protection

Applicable Frameworks:

• GDPR Articles 5, 32, and 35 (Lawful Processing, Security, and DPIAs)
• SOC 2 – C1.2 & C1.3 (Confidentiality and Privacy)
• HIPAA Security Rule §164.312(a)(2)(iv)
• ISO 27001:2022 Annex A.8.24 (Data at Rest) & A.8.25 (Data in Transit)

Key Requirements:

MSSPs must ensure client and internal data are collected, processed, and stored securely with demonstrable integrity, anonymization, and lawful access.

How to Achieve:

Use AES-256 for data at rest and TLS 1.3 for data in transit. Enforce role-based access control (RBAC), implement Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), and regularly review audit logs to ensure privacy compliance.

3. Vulnerability Management and Patch Governance

Applicable Frameworks:

• ISO 27001:2022 Annex A.8.8 (Management of Technical Vulnerabilities)
• SOC 2 – CC7.1 (System Operations and Change Management)
• PCI DSS v4.0 – Requirements 11.2 (Quarterly Scanning) & 11.3 (Penetration Testing)

Key Requirements:

Continuous vulnerability detection, prioritization, and remediation are central to maintaining compliance. This includes automated scanning, scheduled pen tests, and verifiable remediation tracking across all environments.

How to Achieve:

Deploy automated vulnerability scanners across all assets, schedule quarterly internal and external scans, and maintain evidence-based remediation tracking for audits. Integrate manual pen testing for critical assets to validate scanner accuracy.

Managing vulnerability data across multiple clients can be challenging, especially when auditors require consolidated evidence of discovery, remediation, and verification. MSSPs must demonstrate that all activities automated scans, manual penetration tests, and remediation actions are documented, traceable, and verifiable to satisfy ISO 27001, SOC 2, and PCI DSS requirements.

4. Application and API Security Controls

Applicable Frameworks:

• ISO 27001:2022 Annex A.8.28 (Secure Development Life Cycle)
• SOC 2 – CC7.2 (Change Management)
• PCI DSS v4.0 – Requirements 6.6 (Web Application Protection) & 6.7 (Secure SDLC)

Key Requirements:

Organizations must protect applications and APIs from OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, injection attacks, and API abuse. This involves secure coding, regular reviews, and runtime protection through WAF or WAAP solutions.

How to Achieve:

Adopt a WAAP or WAF solution that provides runtime protection, schema validation, and rate limiting. Integrate secure code reviews and continuous monitoring into the DevSecOps lifecycle. Enable bot protection and IP reputation filtering for public interfaces. Continuously monitor WAF dashboards for attack signatures and log correlation with SIEM tools.

 5. Incident Response and Continuous Monitoring

Applicable Frameworks:

• ISO 27001:2022 Annex A.5.24 & A.5.25 (Incident Management & Assessment)
• SOC 2 – CC7.4 (Incident Response Procedures)
• NIST SP 800-61 Rev 2 (Computer Security Incident Handling Guide)

Key Requirements:

A structured, tested incident response plan is vital for regulatory alignment. Organizations should define workflows, escalation paths, and integrate tools like SIEM and SOAR to detect, respond, and recover efficiently.

How to Achieve:

Develop documented IR workflows with severity-based SLAs, integrate SIEM/SOAR for real-time threat correlation, and conduct periodic simulations to validate readiness. Maintain a centralized log of all incidents for continuous learning and audit review.

6. Audit-Ready Reporting and Evidence Management

Applicable Frameworks:

• ISO 27001:2022 Clauses 9.1 (Performance Evaluation), 9.2 (Internal Audit)
• SOC 2 Type II (Evidence of Control Effectiveness)
• PCI DSS v4.0 – Requirement 10.7 (Log Retention and Reporting)

Key Requirements:

MSSPs must provide auditors and clients with traceable, time-stamped evidence of ongoing compliance and control efficiency.

Centralized dashboards, automated evidence mapping, and timestamped reporting ensure audit readiness and transparency.

How to Achieve:

Leverage centralized dashboards that aggregate WAF logs, vulnerability scans, and incident data. Automate evidence mapping to compliance controls and maintain historical audit trails to demonstrate consistency during audits.

Leveraging Automation and Managed Tools for Continuous Compliance

Looking to streamline your WAF management with a centralized dashboard for better compliance visibility? Discover how Indusface helps MSSPs with a centralized WAF dashboard.

Building a Continuous Compliance Culture

Compliance is not a one-time event but a culture of accountability and automation.

For MSSPs, this means:

1. Embedding compliance into every security service lifecycle.
2. Mapping each operational process to a control requirement.
3. Using automation to reduce human error and reporting fatigue.

How Indusface Helps MSSPs Achieve Compliance

Indusface enables MSSPs to simplify and accelerate compliance for their customers by providing continuous security assessment, managed protection, and audit-ready reporting in one unified platform. With AppTrana WAAP and the MSSP WAS edition, MSSPs get centralized visibility across all client environments, automated scanning, managed protection, and 24/7 SOC oversight.

Vulnerability data, remediation logs, incident history, and WAF security events are consolidated into exportable, audit-ready reports that map directly to ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and FISMA requirements. This enables MSSPs to deliver consistent compliance outcomes, reduce operational overhead, eliminate data fragmentation, and provide auditors with traceable, timestamped evidence, all without complex tooling or manual effort.

If you would like to explore how Indusface helps MSSPs meet compliance while delivering the assurance your customers expect, let us connect.

Stay tuned for more relevant and interesting security articles. Follow Indusface on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.