How MSPs Can Stand Out as Cybersecurity Leaders

MSPs have always been responsible for protecting their clients’ data, but cybersecurity is relatively young in the realm of managed services. As cyberattacks continue to grow in both volume and sophistication, MSPs are staring at a burgeoning list of not only challenges but also opportunities. 

Recognizing the opportunity with cybersecurity, many MSPs are asking themselves how they can offer the managed cybersecurity services that SMBs need while also making a profit in return. 

This can prove to be a challenge, as some MSPs have found that profitability and cybersecurity don’t always go hand in hand. In fact, according to a report by Acronis, the average cost of cybersecurity has increased 19 percent since 2018, and 17 percent of MSPs say they will be challenged to provide cybersecurity cost-effectively.

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So can MSPs stand out among the crowd as cybersecurity leaders and monetize cybersecurity to its full potential?

Convincing SMBs to Take Cybersecurity Seriously

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, many SMBs believe they are too small to be targeted in cyberattacks. The unfortunate truth is that size is what makes them a target. Unlike enterprises, who boast large IT teams and enterprise-grade cybersecurity tools and resources, SMBs lack the resources to defend themselves from sophisticated attacks.

Educating SMBs about this fact is step one in convincing them to take cybersecurity and make the necessary investments. At the same time, you establish yourself as a trusted advisor with your client.

Choosing the Right Cybersecurity Tools

While each client is unique, there is a lot of overlap in the cybersecurity needs of most SMBs. Compliance is obviously a consideration, and SMBs in certain industries, such as health care, will need special consideration to ensure that the tools you select are within compliance standards.

Endpoint Security

Endpoint protection refers to a broad swath of software protecting everything from PCs, mobile devices, printers, and IoT devices. While antivirus software was once the standard bearer in this area, it’s no longer sufficient from protecting vulnerable endpoints from increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

Today’s endpoint security solutions must analyze, detect, and contain attacks and do so at breakneck speed to prevent damaging consequences for SMBs. An endpoint solution must also work well with and complement other solutions in your cybersecurity stack.

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Security Awareness Training

The saying goes that users are the weakest link in cybersecurity, but the reality is that they are your last line of defense when technology fails. From phishing to business email compromise, 

today’s threats are highly focused on end users, with sophisticated social engineering scams designed to trick even sophisticated users.

Security-conscious MSPs provide the security awareness training that end clients need to recognize attacks that bypass cybersecurity defenses. From in-person training to regular phishing simulations to on-the-fly training, security awareness training offers MSPs a host of opportunities to both protect clients and offer high-value managed services.

Email Security

Phishing and business email compromise once again come into discussion based on the sheer volume and intensity of attacks in the last few years. Spam filters are no longer suitable for detecting and blocking malicious emails. To stand out, MSPs must offer the latest in email security technology, including tools that feature AI-based detection and response.

Busy MSPs have long bemoaned the struggle of working with—and paying for—enterprise-grade solutions that are neither designed nor priced for SMBs. Like other tools in your stack, your email security solution should be easy to use and manage, and designed for MSPs.

Cybersecurity Starts at Home

To stand out as cybersecurity leaders, MSPs must first get their own houses in order. Supply chain attacks are on the rise, and MSPs and their clients have felt the pain of those attacks. Securing your own business should be your top priority. Proving yourself as a secure vendor who takes your own cybersecurity seriously will go a long way toward convincing clients that you are the right MSP for their cybersecurity needs.

[To share your insights with us, please write to sghosh@martechseries.com]