Got Budget? Help Customers Close the Year With Some ‘Security Therapy’

Hal Lonas

By Hal Lonas, Chief Technology Officer, Webroot

As we near the end of 2017, many of your customers are practicing some form of what I call “security therapy.” It’s similar to “retail therapy” in the sense that they are spending money on something they think they want, but don’t actually need.

IT professionals have budget to spend by the end of the quarter or year, and rather than lose it, they’re going to use it.

The problem is, they’re crunched for time wrapping up various projects. Who has the bandwidth to really research what’s effective and what’s not? Let’s face it, customers hear lots of conflicting and confusing messages about new products and technology. Is it worth the money, or is it just the same old thing with a fresh coat of paint? Independent testing of security products is hard to come by.

Yes, everyone likes to make some unexpected sales to close out the quarter. But you don’t want customers with a bad case of buyer’s remorse come January.

Here is my advice on how to help them get the most bang for those end-of-year bucks:

Step 1: Conduct a coverage audit: Make sure that the customer’s current security solutions are protecting the entire business, not just offering partial coverage. Given the rise of multivector attacks, that’s critical. Make sure endpoint-security systems support all the operating systems and devices in use, including those from Apple, which are not immune to attack and are making more inroads into customers sites. Solutions that look at attack behaviors are often more effective against ransomware, spear phishing and polymorphic malware.

If you have equipped a customer with network security, such as DNS protection or secure web gateways, are all their office locations covered? Do employees have protection even when they are traveling? Can you add some new managed security services?

Step 2: Layer security solutions: It is important for any organization to have a layered defense system. If you’re currently selling only network security, consider adding endpoint protection. Again, make sure each of the security layers you supply is using modern technology. Talk to others in your industry, your distributors and suppliers, and take part in CISO forums to understand best practices.

People are often the weakest link, so an important layering aspect to consider is security awareness training for all users. Some industries require compliance practices that mandate this kind of training, but considering the sophistication of …