APPENDIX A-RFP 26-26.xlsx

This is a Requirements and Functions appendix (Appendix A) for RFP 26-26 issued by the University of Southern Mississippi for managed cybersecurity services. The University seeks an enterprise-grade managed security services provider to deliver threat prevention, detection, investigation, and response capabilities across its higher education environment. The solution must be delivered as a managed service supporting a large population of users, endpoints, and servers, with implementation including an initial cybersecurity assessment, identity and access security controls, email and collaboration security, endpoint detection and response, server and cloud workload monitoring, and penetration testing services. The vendor must establish a Security Operations Center staffed by trained professionals providing 24/7/365 monitoring and human-led incident response with defined severity classifications and notification procedures requiring confirmation of high-severity incidents within 72 hours. The sealed bid deadline is Monday, March 9, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., with submission to the Office of the Director of Procurement Services at The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5003, Bond Hall, Room 214, Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

The RFP mandates that vendors demonstrate Microsoft alignment as verified Managed Security Services Providers through membership in the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association, Microsoft Security Partner Designation, Microsoft MDR/MXDR partner status, or documented security specializations. The vendor must possess documented experience delivering managed cybersecurity services in enterprise environments and supporting higher education institutions or similarly complex organizations. All university security data remains the property of the university and must be returned in non-proprietary format upon contract termination. The vendor must maintain a documented disaster recovery and business continuity plan, provide centralized SIEM capabilities with analytics and detection rules, deliver regular security posture reporting, and establish defined service level objectives for incident investigation and response. The solution should include optional capabilities such as identity risk scoring, automated remediation actions, proactive threat hunting, advanced Microsoft security specializations, and knowledge transfer to university staff, with preference for minimizing implementation timelines between contract execution and full SOC monitoring activation.