Security, or a distinct lack of, continues to break the world’s most iconic organisations - think Target, Sony or Home Depot - creating sensationalism and media headlines in the process.
“Each business is different but they are also the same,” StorageCraft vice president of worldwide sales Marvin Blough observed. “The data is different and that is especially applicable for small and medium sized businesses [SMBs] because the owners just want to run the company and not worry about IT.
“There’s different risk profiles on different sets of data because if a small business can’t invoice a customer, they are pretty much out of business.”
As explained by Blough, different approaches apply to different data sets, with the SMB sector housing decision-makers more focused on creating revenue streams than protecting company assets.
“But if there is a breach, how much will this business pay to retrieve the data?” Blough asked. “Reputation is key because if a business is attacked and cannot service its customer then that is most damaging.
“Likewise, most channel partners work on reputation and referrals, therefore if they got breached, what would that mean to their customers?”
With the consequence of an attack potentially more damaging at the lower end of the market, SMBs are struggling to shake off such a big hit to the bottom line, and it appears, on occasions, that they are starting to get the message.
“We’re experiencing more mandates being placed on our customers because having the technology in place is no longer enough anymore,” Lanrex managing director Jodie Korber added. “It’s not enough to have an anti-virus in place, you now need policies and an entire framework wrapped around the technology.
“It’s no longer a technology conversation, it’s a business outcome conversation.”
Echoing Blough’s observations, Korber acknowledged that servicing the SMB market is challenging for MSPs, due to the sector’s laissez-faire approach to security on occasions.
“SMBs don’t think these rules apply to them but there’s no loopholes or exceptions,” Korber cautioned. “Enterprise mandates are applicable for SMBs, the risk is still there but just in different places.
“We still have the same challenges around explaining the benefits of a strong security play. There’s a minimum standard in place with back-up, disaster recovery and security which is a no brainer. But then moving into data protection is changing the conversation.”
With company size no longer a contributing factor, sophisticated threats are placing pressures on organisations across the industry to proactively invest in security.
“Attackers don’t discriminate depending on scale or size,” Brennan IT sales manager Wayne Simmonds added. “There’s a thriving SMB and mid-market sector in Australia which supports our enterprise customers.
“We’re playing in that market now and they are potentially the back door into the enterprise. Security is no longer the problem of just IT, it’s with the board and the business owners.”
Security strategies
Rising awareness among CEOs and boards of directors about the business impact of security incidents and an evolving regulatory landscape have led to continued spending on products and services.
However, improving security is not just about spending on new technologies, with organisations improving posture significantly by combining offerings.
“Security is now a natural part of the conversation,” StorageCraft head of sales Asia Pacific Marina Brook said. “There’s an approach for businesses to consider around ensuring they have up-to-date back-up and disaster recovery solutions, replication and protection of data in the cloud.
“Having that as part of your overall security strategy and talking about these different recovery options is happening every day for our partners and customers.”
According to Brook, every partner will embark on different disaster recovery and back-up conversations because each customer has different objectives.
“But our successful partners are the ones bringing these solutions into the security conversation, because vendors in the market are now providing the tools to do so,” Brook added.
“MSPs are grabbing onto those tools and delivering a solution, while providing knowledge about what the customer needs.”
When talking to the end-user, Brook said partners must adopt a “holistic approach” to understand requirements and leverage the different technology partners working alongside them.
“In terms of services, the channel must understand how to deliver it, commercialise it and add value to it,” Brook added. “It’s a bigger picture mentality and that’s achieved by becoming a trusted advisor.
“As a vendor, we add value through placing time and resources into making our partners successful, whether that be through easier certification and on-boarding processes, or through deal protection, referrals and support.”
For Ethan Group, account director Nick Stranks said security spans the provider’s entire technology portfolio, impacting every pillar of the business.
“While the ramifications of a breach in terms of commercial consequences remains strong, they are no different to the many other issues that businesses deal with every day,” Stranks added. “From our perspective, we’re now focusing on how we employ the right people to have the right conversation.
“Can my account manager recognise an opportunity? Can we educate our people before we educate the customer?”
Today, security is still somewhat smoke and mirrors in the eyes of the customer, creating the potential for greater profit margins for MSPs.
“It’s hard for customers because there is a lot of noise in the market,” Nexus IT managing director Sean Murphy added. “One of the challenges in the mid-market is getting customers to come to the table and pay attention.
