Selling cybersecurity products is no longer a consideration. Every organisation, whether it be large or small, is open to an attack. Business size is not a factor for cybersecurity attackers. So, whether you have a security offering or not, you as an MSP are going to be dealing with cybersecurity issues. At some point, your client will be the victim of an attack and you will be dealing with those issues at what could be a cost to you – unless you have a security offering in place or a cybersecurity clause that admits any cyberattacks in your contracts.
Many MSPs would previously only consider adding a new service to their product portfolio after an influx of requests from multiple clients. This is mainly due to the added expense of hiring internal resources, but this way of working has changed somewhat, and remote services have only accelerated due to Coronavirus.
If you’re an MSP and your clients are often asking about cybersecurity and whether you offer Security Operation Centre (SOC) services, it might be time to look into it. Most MSP’s prefer to partner with cybersecurity companies that already exist, white labelling their services to their own customers and clients to ensure they’re providing quality services without hiring their own cybersecurity team. It also means that you will be able to provide these services to your clients seamlessly.
However, cybersecurity is a complicated and ever-changing field so finding the right organisation to partner with is the most important aspect of beginning to offer SOC services. If you’re considering white labelling SOC services, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed. Finding a security partner that you can trust with your clients isn’t an easy task. So, what should you look out for when looking for an MSSP partner to support your business?
Below you’ll find a video as part of a 10-part series of top tips. This video will give you the top 3 tips for choosing the right cybersecurity partner. You will also find the information outlined below.
Top 3 Tips to Choose the Right Cybersecurity Partner
- Tried and Tested Products
When choosing a cybersecurity partner, you want to be positive that they are using tried and tested security products. It’s not enough to have the reassurance that they can support you and your clients. It’s crucial to know which products they’re using and to research them yourself. Requiring your team to research the products as well will ensure that everyone knows what you’re selling to your customers.
Even though you will be white labeling SOC services from your partner, you still need to be able to have confidence in the products being used and to be able to explain them to your clients. Keep in mind that if something goes wrong, your upset customers will come to you. So to examine and question the products being used by your partner is merely being proactive. If you can, you should also try the products yourself. If, for some reason, the company you’re looking to partner with cannot do this for you, ask them why. Proper vetting of the company you’ll be partnering with and making sure that they’re the right fit for you and your clients will save you many problems in the future.
- Certified Engineers
In a field like cybersecurity, it’s essential to work with a company that has certified engineers on staff. It’s not good enough for the company to tell you that they’re certified, you want to verify which certifications they hold and to double-check that they are up-to-date. Cybersecurity certifications have aggressive exams so if your partner has engineers with certifications, you’ll know that they are worthy of being a security consultant and that your customers’ digital assets are in good hands.
- Engage in War Games
If you’re new to the world of cybersecurity, you may not have heard of war games. Companies who regularly engage in war games are playing out cybersecurity attacks to ensure they are well trained and practicing their art. These war games usually involve a red vs blue team practicing attacks in which the red team will try to get to an application, document, or account and the blue team will search to see if and when the attack is taking place. Many firms will engage in these war games as practice and see how they can defend against an attack. Regularly engaging in these types of practice attacks ensures that your partner keeps their teams well trained. If your partner isn’t doing this, it’s important to find out why.
When looking for a cybersecurity partner, consider the above tips to help you closely examine if they are the right partner for you and your clients. Taking the time to speak with, and evaluate, a potential cybersecurity partner to white label services from will ensure that you’re making the right decision.
If you have any cybersecurity related questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Inbay team.
