Comparison
Attorney Armor vs. Managed IT Providers: Why Independence Matters
Managed IT providers keep your systems patched, your email flowing, and your helpdesk answering. That is operational work — and it is exactly why they shouldn't be the ones grading it. Attorney Armor is the independent verification layer: testing your environment the way an attacker — and your insurer — would.
| Factor | Attorney Armor | MSP / IT provider security bundle |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Independent testing, monitoring, and verification | Day-to-day IT operations, tooling, and support |
| Independence | Third-party attestation your insurer and clients can rely on | The vendor that configures your systems also assesses them |
| Evidence produced | Dated reports, remediation proof, carrier-ready packages | Internal tickets and service summaries, rarely attestation-grade |
| Coverage focus | External attack surface, email authentication, portals, cloud configurations | Endpoints, network, backups, user support |
| Legal-industry mapping | Findings tied to ABA duties, OCG questionnaires, insurer formats | Typically generic to all small-business clients |
| Relationship | Complements your MSP — findings flow to them as a remediation playbook | Complements independent testing — executes the fixes |
Why insurers and clients want independence
When the same vendor that configured your firewall also certifies it is configured correctly, the attestation carries a built-in conflict. Outside-counsel guidelines and underwriters increasingly distinguish self-assessment from third-party testing — the same reason auditors don't audit their own books. Independent testing isn't an accusation against your MSP; it is what makes their work verifiable.
How the two work together
Attorney Armor findings arrive as a remediation playbook written for your IT provider: what the exposure is, why it matters, and how to fix it. Your MSP executes the fix; the platform's next scheduled run verifies it and dates the evidence. Most firms keep their MSP for operations and add continuous testing on top — the combination is stronger than either alone.
Frequently asked questions
Our MSP says security is included. Isn't that enough?
Included security tooling (antivirus, spam filtering, patching) is necessary but it isn't testing. The question insurers ask is whether an independent party has verified the defenses — tooling alone doesn't answer that.
Will Attorney Armor replace our MSP?
No — it doesn't run your helpdesk, manage your laptops, or migrate your email. It tests and monitors, and hands your MSP clear remediation work.
What should we ask our MSP about security?
Ask what they monitor, what they test, and what evidence they can produce for an insurer questionnaire. Our managed-IT buyer's guide includes 22 vetting questions and the SLA benchmarks to compare against.