Channeling Security: How To Talk With Clients About Skyrocketing Costs

By Matt Hurley, Corporate VP, Global Channels, Juniper Networks

In today’s business climate, you can count on a security breach almost as sure as you can count on the sun rising and setting. That’s why being proactive about the challenges your clients face — including the spiraling costs of network protection — is essential. It all begins with communication.

How can channel partners get the security conversation started with their customers? First, give them the cold, hard facts.

Last year, Juniper Networks and the RAND Corporation released The Defender’s Dilemma: Charting a Course Toward Cybersecurity, the second and final part of a study that examines the demands, tradeoffs, and economic challenges facing companies as they protect themselves against growing security threats. Not surprisingly, the report revealed CISOs are confronted by a chaotic array of decisions when determining the most cost-effective and efficient ways to manage security risks.

But unexpected in the findings was that, even as organizations increased their spend on cybersecurity tools, CISOs weren’t confident that their investments were making their infrastructure secure.

For channel partners, information like this can serve as a powerful resource to help close deals and better address the obstacles faced by customers and prospects. The bottom line on these two key points is that your clients are looking for ways to simplify their security decisions, while also looking for assurance that the investments they’ve made are producing the outcomes they desire.

Cost Of Managing Cybersecurity Risk Is Set To Rise 38 Percent

Based on the survey findings, RAND developed a heuristic economic model to help CISOs and other executives map the major decisions and factors influencing the business costs associated with cyber-risk management. In perhaps the most hard-hitting revelation for CISOs, the model suggests that the cost of managing cybersecurity risk is set to increase 38 percent over the next 10 years across all businesses.

As you strive to help your customers understand the economics of managing security risk, here are several other takeaways from the survey that will help you tailor your conversations and grasp the range of variables implicated:

1. Reputation before IP: rather than actually protecting their intellectual property, reputation was cited frequently by CISOs as a primary impetus for cybersecurity spending.
2. Be in the know: knowledge is power when it comes to security protection. Work with clients to keep a detailed account of the systems and devices on the network (including mobile devices), the applications the organization uses, the privileges and access rights that have been established, and the state and depth of the security employed.
3. Perimeter vs. core: an important choice for companies is how much defense to commit to the perimeter versus internal workings. Both must be protected, but the degree of that protection — and the best approach to take — will vary by organization. Make a point to assess and discuss this during your initial conversations with customers.
4. Consider countermeasures: as security defenses are implemented, organizations must recognize that they are dealing with an intelligent adversary. The reality is that measures employed to thwart hackers tend to elicit countermeasures as attackers continue to probe for weaknesses. Consider the future need for additional countermeasures in your initial investments.
5. Build your war chest: make note of your key learnings for each customer and share that information with a community of trusted peers. A community that is prepared to discuss and analyze what went wrong can learn from each other about improvements that can be made, resulting in better protection in the future.

Market experts estimate that the network security market is growing three times faster than overall IT — a trend that is sure to continue into the remainder of 2016 and beyond. For channel partners, that trend spells opportunity as clients appear to have no problem investing in whatever it takes to protect their valuable IP — and their brand reputation.

Get the conversation moving now. Knowing what to say is almost as important as knowing how to deliver the right solutions to your customers.

Matthew Hurley is responsible for the direction, management and growth of Juniper Networks Partner Advantage (JPA) program. The program encompasses all categories of Juniper partners, including   strategic alliances, resellers, commercial and distribution.