The variety of hosted and managed security services and the increasing pressure organizations face to increase their security has prompted strong interest in organizations moving some functions to an MSSP. Outsourced security requires a trusted partner, and most organizations already have a value added reseller (VAR) on which they have traditionally relied for their IT needs. As VARs become more security savvy, security vendors see increased opportunity to build even deeper relationships with these partners. Thus, more and more VARs have morphed into managed security service providers (MSSPs). Certainly, a trusted partner can be a valuable resource for organizations working to improve their security posture, but what else should an organization be aware of when evaluating an MSSP?