MSPs “May Soon Be Stuck in a Cybersecurity Rut” suggests Kaspersky Lab study
“MSP: Trends, Challenges and the Keys to Success in Managed Security in 2017,” a report released by Kaspersky Lab, has revealed that approximately two-thirds of managed service providers expressed concern over a lack of qualified cybersecurity professionals.
The report also revealed a number of other potential security challenges that will only grow as demand continues to increase. On the other hand, MSPs take cybersecurity seriously; 77 percent believe focusing on cybersecurity will help them land new clients, while 78 percent believe it will increase their reputation among peers.
Although MSPs highly value cybersecurity, a majority also expressed concern about the state of available labor. Sixty percent of MSPs serving the enterprise market felt that a lack of qualified IT service professionals was making it more difficult for companies to address increasing demand in the IT industry; fifty-eight percent of MSPs serving smaller businesses agreed. Fifty-one percent of enterprise-serving MSPs had difficulty managing their security solutions and handling remote deployment, as did fifty-four percent of those serving smaller businesses.
Also highlighted was the importance of cybersecurity with regard to ransomware, which is increasingly being viewed as the top cybersecurity threat. Forty-nine percent of MSPs serving smaller companies listed it as the top concern of their customers, and 54 percent of those serving enterprise customers agreed.
According to Kaspersky Lab’s head of SMB business, Vladimir Zapolyansky: “For service providers, it’s not enough to simply have cybersecurity services in their portfolio. One damaging incident such as ransomware infection can undermine their reputation and affect relationships with customers. That’s why they need the most powerful security solutions and we at Kaspersky Lab are committed to this approach by offering the most tested and awarded protection for endpoints, mail servers and virtualized environments, so that MSPs can deliver as many cybersecurity services as they want to boost their businesses.”
Nearly all studies agree with Kaspersky Lab’s result. While more qualified cybersecurity experts are entering the field, demand is ramping up at a rapid pace. Furthermore, while other security incidents can cause severe problems with customers, ransomware promises to be the primary threat for the foreseeable future. Ransomware attacks have proven to be profitable, and malicious actors are becoming even better at exploiting seeming minor security holes to take over systems and hold data, and a company’s reputation, for ransom.
(Infographics: Kaspersky Lab)
