https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Rankings
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Rankings
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

From the Industry


Sponsor Content

Planner book open on top of desk

Make Security Part of Your Daily Routine

  • Written by Barracuda MSP Guest Blogger
  • March 20, 2019
MSPs need to scrutinize their internal security posture as they increasingly find themselves targets of attacks.

Managed services providers (MSPs) that want to establish a reputation as a reliable partner and a go-to source for security services and technology need to practice what they preach–and that means making security part of your daily routine, not just for your customers, but also internally.

MSPs are currently in the crosshairs of organized cybercriminals, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other security agencies have taken notice. DHS warned MSPs last year that hackers are targeting them because of their interest in leveraging MSP networks to breach multiple companies simultaneously.

To protect themselves and their clients, MSPs must implement and follow the same best practices they advise for their customers. And, more specifically, they must monitor their network activity to ensure their systems aren’t inadvertently being used as a launching pad for malware, ransomware or other kinds of attacks.

Security Best Practices MSPs Should Follow

Examine the security tools and practices you recommend to your clients. Do you also use them internally? This not only makes your sales pitch stronger for potential clients, but it also gives staff an intimate knowledge of exactly where protection begins and ends within those products.

Develop security policies that match the current threat landscape, and make sure they are clear and easy to follow. As part of that process, evaluate your current access management and administrative procedures. You’ll want to limit permissions and access as much as is possible or practical (to reduce the scope of any potential breach), and make sure everyone understands why this is important.

Use multifactor authentication for your customers and your internal staff. Also, ensure that the vendors you work with have implemented proper security measures; otherwise, your hard work can be undone by the poor password practices of a third-party vendor or a poorly trained helpdesk employee.

Restrict access to public file share sites and use a VPN for your MSP connections.

Implement a security awareness and training program internally that includes regular updates, alerts and phishing simulations. This will help shore up any potential gaps and enable you to work with customers to correct risky employee behaviors. If you’re not feeling ready to offer this type of service to customers, get started by deploying such a program for your staff. It can be a great way to develop their own security awareness. This will position you to have more effective educational discussions with your customers and their employees.

Establish a robust incident response protocol that includes clear direction on who gets notified when there’s a problem and who’s responsible for taking action. This will eliminate costly delays and help reduce the damage when there’s an attack.

Put protocols in place to revoke privileges, remove password access and shut down accounts when an employee is terminated. Idle accounts are a disaster waiting to happen, even when an employee parts on good terms. In some cases, the email accounts of deceased employees have been used to access a network.

Have regular security conversations with your clients, and be sure to include an overview of what you’re doing internally to keep your network safe in addition to protecting their data. This not only helps customers increase their awareness of current threats, but it also improves your status as a trusted expert and advisor and can open up conversations about additional services.

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
Tags: MSPs Best Practices From the Industry Intelligence Security Strategy Barracuda MSP Sponsor Content

Most Recent


  • Businessman reading cloud computing news
    Cloud Computing News: VMware, Celigo, Google Cloud, AWS Dominate the Week
    Find out what the vendors are up to this week and how partners are impacted.
  • OffSec Partners Get Expanded Global Partner Program
    The expanded partner program includes three new partner types.
  • Tech investments
    3 Ways Businesses Can Optimize Their Tech Investments
    Help customers start small, minimize risk and demonstrate business value in a condensed time frame.
  • Alvaria - Gary Levy feature for Channel People on the Move
    Channel People on the Move: HPE, Lumen, Sophos, TD Synnex, AireSpring, More
    Also featured are moves at Aryaka, Google Cloud, Ringover, Zift Solutions, Wasabi and many more.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Barracuda February MSSP Blog Image
    IoT Security: A Winning Strategy for MSSPs
  • Barracuda February Blog image
    3 Steps to Building a Successful Sales Pipeline
  • email-phishing-conceptual-weerapatkiatdumrongthinkstock_0.jpg
    Social media and email phishing: How to protect financial information from fraudsters
  • Barracdua MSSPInsiders Blog Image
    Tips for Launching an Actionable Cloud Security Framework

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Europe

June 13, 2023 - June 14, 2023

Channel Futures Leadership Summit

October 30, 2023 - November 2, 2023

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

March 11, 2024 - March 14, 2024

Galleries

View all

Cloud Computing News: VMware, Celigo, Google Cloud, AWS Dominate the Week

June 2, 2023

Channel People on the Move: HPE, Lumen, Sophos, TD Synnex, AireSpring, More

June 1, 2023

Faces of the Partner: 5 Tech Advisors Retiring, Transitioning

June 1, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

Dell Technologies World: Dell Apex Expanded Across On-Premises, Cloud and Edge

May 22, 2023

Identity Is Increasingly Valuable – and Targeted

May 18, 2023

Gaining a Competitive Advantage through AV Managed Services

May 10, 2023

Webinars

View all

From Problem to Profit: Mastering the Science of Selling Using Business Outcomes

May 9, 2023

Meet the 2023 Channel Futures Channel Influencers

April 13, 2023

DE&I Dialogue: How the Right DE&I Initiatives Can Propel Your Business

April 5, 2023

White Papers

View all

6 UCaaS Reseller Challenges and How Real World Businesses Solved Them

February 1, 2023

Frost Radar: North American UCaaS Market, 2022

February 1, 2023

The Complete Guide to White-Label UCaaS for Reseller Success

February 1, 2023

Channel Futures TV

View all

Coffee with Craig and James Episode No. 123: MartinWolf M&A Advisors, CP Expo Preview

UScellular Takes On Rivals with Partner Program Simplicity

April 21, 2023

OpenText Simplifying Deal Registration, Doubling Down on MDF

April 21, 2023

Everything-as-a-Service: CloudBlue Touts Critical Customer Transition

April 18, 2023

Twitter

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X