The business world is becoming more and more dominated by IT, the demand for managed Service providers (MSP’s) is increasing due to the amount of SME’s who need their IT manged externally. The role of MSP’s however are changing, no longer do they simply manage company’s network and computers. The increasing risk of Cyber attacks affecting company’s data security and business continuity are in the fore front of businesses minds. Many companies are now looking for their MSP’s to take on this extra service of looking after the cyber security of the business.
Some MSP’s will of course have this capability if they are larger and have their own in house team to manage security, however most will not have the necessary resource or experienced employees to deal with Cyber Security services such as Penetration testing for example.
The days of MSPs only managing office devices and hardware are gone. Innovations in computing and the popularity and need of remote working are transforming business IT needs, especially after this year due to the Corona Virus pandemic and the need for remote working. While MSP’s are helping businesses by implementing new tech and remote work capabilities this also causes new vulnerabilities for Cyber-attacks.
The challenge that MSPs now face is that their Anti-Virus and Firewall services no longer are up to scratch to protect against attacks and also are not up to companies expectations of their security ideals. Businesses are now more researched into how they need to protect their businesses and it is becoming a top priority.
So where does this leave MSP’s in how they can offer Security services as well as managing their IT? Well, as mentioned above some MSP’s may have invested in growing their team and capabilities to offer specialist Cyber Security services such as Pen Testing and Vulnerability Scanning, but some smaller MSP’s wont be able to make this investment.
Luckily, however, there is a viable alternative. MSPs are now looking for Partnerships with Cyber Security Companies who can offer these specialist services as an added value to their customers. Mutually beneficial partnerships with a cyber security company will allow an MSP to offer Penetration Testing for example to their customers with no risk of stealing custom. By offering these specialist services they can make a reasonable margin without worrying about finding the resource or skill to deliver it themselves.
Here at Cybx we have now formed Partnerships with multiple MSP’s who are looking to add that value and security to delight their customers and ultimately be able to secure more contracts with enquiring businesses who want to make sure they are secure as well as there IT being managed.
If you are interested in learning more about how our team can add value to your business and customers please visit our Partnership Program page on our website.