3 reasons why SMBs need comprehensive, multi-layered cybersecurity
Small and medium-sized enterprises are increasingly turning to managed service providers (MSPs) to take charge of their cybersecurity. This trend was highlighted in a Pulse survey last year, where 88% of the businesses surveyed had contracted cybersecurity tools from external providers and 55% had opted directly for an outsourcing model with MSPs.
But as the demand for MSPs grows, so does the competition among them. In order to gain a competitive advantage MSPs must be able to deliver value-added and differentiated services and solutions to customers.
The 3 reasons why the cybersecurity required by SMBs must be comprehensive, Cloud-managed and smart:
-
The variety of tactics and attack vectors of hackers: Although endpoint protection solutions are essential, cybercriminals can also use less common attack vectors to access systems ranging from the enterprise’s internal network and servers to the wireless network, where these tools alone are insufficient. Therefore, solutions must be comprehensive and also cover network security through firewalls, secure Wi-Fi access points and adequate identity protection and management by applying a multi-factor authentication system.
-
Lack of time and specific training: Generally speaking, SMBs do not have the resources of large companies that have teams dedicated 100% to cybersecurity, nor do they have much time to train staff to do these tasks either. This means they are looking for solutions that have a fast learning curve and are also easily managed from anywhere via the Cloud.
-
Difficulty managing threats in an expanded attack perimeter: Although smaller businesses may not have the internationalization of larger ones or even a modest distributed office network like medium-sized enterprises, many have already had to operate outside their usual workspace during the pandemic. Remote work practices have expanded the perimeter of attack and increased the difficulty IT staff face managing all the threats on the enterprise’s devices and systems, since surveillance is often fragmented into multiple solutions, depending on geographical area, business, or even between different systems. In this regard, as we discussed in the webinar Elevating Your MSP Security Practice with a Unified Security Platform, cybersecurity does not exist as such unless it is effective at scale, which is why IT staff require a single solution to identify, assess and manage threats easily across the entire organization in an automated manner.
Watchguard Unified Security Platform is the best solution for MSPs to solve these three major cybersecurity challenges for SMBs: it provides simplified cybersecurity through a single security platform that is comprehensive and multi-layered. This means that the different layers of security in network, endpoint, Wi-Fi, and identity protection work together, which also speeds up threat detection and response processes. In addition, the WatchGuard Unified Security Platform™ (USP) equips modern security teams with a centralized incident intelligence tool to consolidate security and provide eXtended Detection and Response (XDR) capabilities via ThreatSync. Thus, MSPs will be able to make the big leap with their clients towards single, simplified and smart cybersecurity.
