Why Managed Security Services Is An Easy Pivot For MSPs
By Hunter Smith, CIO, Continuum
Small- to medium-sized business owners may not have understood how managed IT services such as remote monitoring and management or backup and disaster recovery worked in 2016, or why they are beneficial to their business. But most can agree cybersecurity is a growing concern and top of mind.
Security has become an increasingly relevant topic, and in 2016 it was brought to the forefront. Whether it is a major corporation, banking firm, government or even an election, cybersecurity and the need for secure data and its transfer has become a top priority. Data breaches have been shown to have costly and dramatic consequences including everything from millions of dollars in fines to the closing of businesses.
Yet hackers are profiting more and more each year. The dark Web has become more accessible, and the ability to conduct these hacks via rootkits and other tools has become a cottage industry unto themselves with software products literally being sold via Bitcoin making a hack easier than ever.
SMBs are hearing about security threats on television, reading about them online, or experiencing these threats themselves. Whether it’s a data breach, malware, or ransomware, businesses want to make sure they are protected. Whether they fully understand the consequences of a cybersecurity breach or not, there is a demand for a solution that can protect SMBs from the threats their businesses now face every day, and for the expertise to manage that solution better than they can do themselves.
This is an opportunity for managed IT services providers to attract and retain new business, all while introducing clients to the greater benefits of a managed IT services model. In a way, a managed security solution is the perfect first conversation with an SMB that is more accustomed to the older break/fix model of IT service provider. This conversation can address the need for continuous, recurring maintenance and upkeep, the importance of a network operations center, and the benefit of an MSP as a trusted advisor who can stay on top of the latest threats so the SMB doesn’t have to.
However, offering a managed security solution is only the start of a natural conversation into the quality and vitality of an SMB’s IT environment. There are a host of discussions to be had that relay the importance of remote monitoring and management, backup and disaster recovery, recurring network assessments, and more — all of which are connected to the overall health of a businesses’ data.
The truth is that no one solution — be it RMM, BDR, or a security solution — can fully provide the coverage and protection to ensure full business optimization, efficiency, continuity and security; they must work in concert with one another to enhance the SMB’s network to an optimal level that could not be achieved otherwise.
MSPs are in a prime position at the nexus of these three technologies to offer to their clients a range of products that can work together to ensure an optimal IT space. It has never been easier or more profitable to offer these services either. The deciding factor between those who can capitalize on offering a full suite of solutions versus ad hoc products will largely depend on their ability to explain, educate, and present the need for not just a security solution, but a managed services solution that can handle any issue or threat.
Share Cybersecurity Tips for Employees: The Complete Guide to Secure Behavior Online and in the Office with clients today to prepare them for the 2017 threat landscape!
Hunter Smith is Continuum’s Chief Information Officer. He is responsible for all IT resources for Continuum’s U.S. and India locations.