Cybersecurity is a trusted advisory play for MSPs

Rather than pitch cybersecurity as just another product, Managed Service Providers must adopt an advisory sales approach, focused on business risk and impact, in order to educate and engage their customers.

Australian SMBs often underestimate security threats, under the misconception that they are too small to be of interest to cybercriminals, warns Maria Armstrong, senior community manager with fully managed cybersecurity provider Huntress Labs.

Similarly, MSPs can make the mistake of focusing too narrowly on customers’ immediate technology needs, while failing to address broader business risks and strategy as part of building a relationship.

MSPs must ask deeper strategic questions, so they can provide recommendations that align security investments with business goals, Armstrong says.

Tools like risk matrices help businesses of all sizes identify and prioritise tangible business risks, allowing MSPs to communicate the specific impact of security threats on business operations. This includes the risks of multi-stage supply chain attacks, where smaller businesses are targeted in order to infiltrate their largest customers.

“Clients often distrust cybersecurity sales efforts without clear communication, due to fears MSPs are just upselling,” she says. “Tailoring risk discussions to business owners’ needs and concerns makes security a more relevant and urgent conversation.”

“It’s not about sowing fear, uncertainty and doubt; it’s about ensuring they fully understand today’s risk landscape and what they can do to mitigate those risks and protect their business.”

Businesses can also make the mistake of assuming that their existing IT stack adequately covers security, in part because MSPs often fail to explicitly communicate exactly what security services they provide.

“You still find clients who wrongly believe that antivirus alone offers complete protection, creating an opportunity for MSPs to educate them on the importance of a layered security model,” Armstrong says.

“It’s about shifting the cybersecurity conversation from checkbox compliance to proactive protection which aligns with business goals.”

Watch the full webinar HERE.