Higher education leaders are increasingly treating managed security service providers (MSSPs) as strategic partners rather than vendors that simply close tickets. A new industry analysis argues that universities must evaluate MSSP performance by whether the provider helps achieve institutional outcomes—especially as AI adoption expands the attack surface. The piece warns that “shipping logs” and relying on ticket closure metrics is no longer sufficient in today’s threat landscape. With campuses operating complex, open, and highly connected environments, it says CISOs and CIOs need to ensure the security partnership improves detection, response, and risk reduction in alignment with mission objectives. As generative AI tools introduce new data exposure and compliance considerations, the analysis frames MSSP governance as part of broader AI risk management. For boards and executives, the core message is operational accountability: security outsourcing must be measurable against institutional risk posture and student and research data protection goals.