Table of contents
For managed service providers (MSPs) and IT professionals, understanding how to identify and close security gaps is foundational to client protection, compliance readiness, and operational reliability.
As cyber threats grow more sophisticated and compliance expectations continue to rise, even one overlooked misconfiguration or unmonitored device can put your clients at serious risk.
Manual methods and reactive security approaches are no longer enough. Today’s environments require automated monitoring, streamlined remediation, and complete visibility across systems, users, and configurations.
In this blog, you will learn:
- What defines a security gap, and where they commonly occur
- How to identify vulnerabilities through scanning, testing, and configuration audits
- Why security gaps persist despite best practices
- How to automate and enforce protections using Syncro’s RMM/PSA platform
- Actionable best practices to close gaps and reduce cyber risk
What Are Security Gaps?
Security gaps are any unprotected, misconfigured, or unmonitored points in your IT infrastructure that attackers can exploit. These weaknesses can be technical, procedural, or behavioral, and they’re more common than most teams realize.
Common types of security gaps
- Weak passwords or credential reuse
- Unpatched or outdated software
- Misconfigured firewalls or access controls
- Devices with unknown or unmanaged statuses
- Lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Third-party integrations with insecure default settings
Even routine oversights like failing to monitor a decommissioned endpoint can create a path for ransomware, lateral movement, or credential theft.
Why Security Gaps Persist
Even the most diligent IT teams can’t eliminate every vulnerability, and cybercriminals know it. Despite solid policies and good intentions, security gaps persist due to a combination of environmental complexity, operational overload, and limited resources. These challenges create the conditions where weak points go unnoticed until they’re exploited.
Here are the most common reasons security gaps continue to exist:
Complex environments limit consistency
MSPs manage multiple tech stacks and endpoint types across clients. It’s hard to enforce uniform standards everywhere.
Manual tasks introduce human error
Updating firmware or reviewing permissions manually is slow and error-prone, especially when done across hundreds of endpoints.
Visibility is often incomplete
You can’t secure what you can’t see. Without full asset inventories or centralized monitoring, risks stay hidden.
Resource constraints are real
Smaller teams lack the time, tools, or staff to cover every base, making it easy for minor misconfigurations to snowball.
The Risks of Unpatched Security Gaps
Unchecked security gaps expose MSPs and clients to serious consequences:
| Impact | Description |
| Data breaches | Loss of sensitive information due to credential theft, ransomware, or malware |
| Compliance violations | Fines or legal actions for failing to meet HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, or other frameworks |
| Client churn | Customers lose trust in MSPs who can’t prevent or respond to breaches |
| Downtime and recovery costs | System outages, manual remediation, and productivity loss can all follow from unaddressed gaps |
Example: A single unpatched vulnerability in remote access software could allow attackers to compromise multiple client environments within minutes.
How to Identify Security Gaps: Step-By-Step
Closing security gaps starts with visibility. Here’s how to uncover hidden vulnerabilities and weak spots in your environment.
Step 1: Run vulnerability scans
Use automated scanners to detect outdated software, unpatched CVEs, and weak configurations. Schedule scans regularly and after new software rollouts.
Step 2: Perform penetration testing
Simulate cyberattacks to find chained vulnerabilities that scanners miss. Pen tests validate your defenses and readiness.
Step 3: Conduct internal and third-party audits
Audits assess whether your security policies are enforced and identify overlooked blind spots.
Step 4: Review configurations
Analyze firewall rules, endpoint settings, and user roles to identify misconfigurations or excessive access.
Step 5: Maintain asset visibility
Use discovery tools to catalog every endpoint, application, and network device. Flag anything unmanaged or unknown.
How Syncro Helps Close Security Gaps Faster
Syncro’s unified RMM and PSA platform enables real-time security monitoring, gap remediation, and documentation at scale. Here’s how:
| Syncro Feature | Function |
| Automated patch management | Deploy OS and application updates across all client endpoints |
| Role-based access control | Enforce least privilege across technicians and users |
| Endpoint monitoring and alerts | Detect and respond to config changes, suspicious behavior, or unpatched devices |
| Custom scripting and automation | Push out remediations, updates, or policy enforcement via automation |
| Secure credential vault | Protect stored passwords and require MFA across users and systems |
| Compliance and activity reporting | Generate reports for clients or auditors showing security posture over time |
Pro tip: Use Syncro to link vulnerability scans or remediation actions directly to support tickets, creating an auditable security trail.
Best Practices to Close and Prevent Security Gaps
To create a resilient security posture, adopt the following ongoing practices:
| Task | Frequency | Notes |
| Run vulnerability scans | Monthly (minimum) | Increase cadence for high-risk clients |
| Audit security configurations | Quarterly | Include firewall, MFA, and permissions review |
| Automate patching | Ongoing | Use Syncro or scripts to avoid missed updates |
| Enforce MFA and access reviews | Quarterly | Apply least privilege across systems |
| Deliver end-user training | Quarterly or onboarding | Focus on phishing, passwords, and behavior |
| Document backup and security policies | Annually or after major changes | Store inside Syncro or secure documentation hub |
Want to Eliminate Security Gaps for Good?
Security gaps are inevitable, but with the right systems and automation, you can stay ahead of them.
Syncro helps MSPs like you:
- Monitor all client endpoints and environments in real time
- Automate patching, scripting, MFA, and credential protections
- Prove value to clients with security-focused reporting and alerts
- Reduce risk exposure, improve compliance, and deliver peace of mind
Take the next step toward a hardened, gap-free environment.
Book your Syncro demo now.
Key Takeaways
- Security gaps are unpatched, misconfigured, or unmonitored entry points attackers exploit
- They persist due to manual processes, lack of visibility, and limited resources
- Unaddressed gaps can cause data breaches, compliance failures, and loss of client trust
- Vulnerability scanning, pen testing, audits, and configuration reviews help identify risks
- Syncro automates remediation via patching, access control, scripting, and real-time monitoring
- Best practices like regular assessments, MFA enforcement, and user training reduce long-term exposure
Frequently Asked Questions
A vulnerability is a specific known flaw (like an unpatched CVE). A security gap includes any area where protections fall short, even if no CVE is known.
Quarterly assessments are standard. Monthly or continuous checks are ideal for clients in regulated or high-risk industries.
Yes. Automation eliminates human error, standardizes enforcement, and improves response times across client environments.
Syncro ties remediation steps to tickets, tracks security events, and generates audit-friendly reports, all from one platform.
Share
Related Resources
