Barracuda

Security, Access and Reliability for Cloud-Connected Networks and Applications

Brian Babineau

What is a security-centric RMM?

by

Barracuda’s acquisition of the Managed Workplace remote monitoring and management product line from the Avast group last month was an exciting milestone for our MSP team. We know that RMM tools are a foundational piece of how managed services providers and transitioning resellers run day-to-day operations, and adding Managed Workplace to our MSP portfolio builds on our commitment to the MSP marketplace and gives us another way to help our partners succeed.

“As a rapidly expanding MSP and cloud solutions provider, our relationship with Barracuda MSP over the last three years has been invaluable to our development — we’ve just celebrated three consecutive years of the business doubling in size,” said Jonathan Ashley, Director at etiCloud. “Working alongside Barracuda MSP, we’ve been able to quickly and efficiently solve our customers' problems as cyber-attacks continue to increase in sophistication and complexity. We’re eager to see what the future has to offer and how the acquisition of Managed Workplace can open up even more opportunities for us in the long-term.”

It goes beyond helping our partners be successful, though. Managed Workplace is a security-centric RMM, something we believe addresses a large gap in the MSP marketplace. [Read more…] about What is a security-centric RMM?

How to strengthen your MSP ecosystem

by

With competition continuously evolving, and the number of low-cost providers attempting to lure new business by racing to rock bottom prices, it’s more critical than ever for managed service providers to deliver and differentiate themselves based on quality and consistency. However, if MSPs don’t have the right tools at their disposal, their operations will suffer, and they’ll unlikely be able to fulfill their service level agreements (SLAs).

Tools that all managed service providers should employ include:

Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM): Having an RMM can significantly improve operational productivity and efficiency, as well as enable greater levels of automation in your managed services offerings by centralizing troubleshooting and response functions. Providers that leverage a security-centric RMM are even better positioned to address today’s security challenges.

[Read more…] about How to strengthen your MSP ecosystem

Rising Cloud Threats Provide a Promising Opportunity for MSPs

by

Within the increased adoption of private and public cloud platforms, cybercriminals are launching a more significant number of attacks via the cloud.

According to a recent Security Intelligence Report from Microsoft, attacks on the Azure Cloud platform increased 300 percent in the first quarter of 2017. Similar data from SkyHigh Networks found that 7 percent of Amazon’s S3 servers were exposed. The cloud presents a desirable target for cyberattacks because of the massive attack surface and the number of potential targets that are accessible — multiple companies with large numbers of employees, all with varying levels of protection.

'A 2017 study by Forrester Research reveals that cloud security spending is expected to reach $3.5 billion by 2021, with a CAGR of 28%' ~@bbabineauClick To Tweet

Many of those companies are unaware of just how vulnerable they are. Public cloud providers protect their platforms, but customers are still responsible for the security of their data, applications, network, operating systems, data encryption, and other potential attack vectors.

[Read more…] about Rising Cloud Threats Provide a Promising Opportunity for MSPs

Email: Cybercriminals’ Top Choice for Infiltrating Your Customers

by

Email systems have become a primary source of phishing, malware, and ransomware attacks.

Convincing customers to invest in extra layers of email security can be challenging, but it's well worth it for MSPs to try. After all, they’re the ones who will have to clean up the mess if there is a breach.

For MSPs, the first step in selling customers secure email services is to convince them of the scope of the problem. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are often victims of cyberattacks, even though many SMBs feel they are not high profile enough to be targets. The Ponemon Institute notes that 55 percent of SMBs were victims of cyberattacks in 2016.

[Read more…] about Email: Cybercriminals’ Top Choice for Infiltrating Your Customers

It’s a Hybrid MSP World

by

While channel companies tend to categorize themselves as VARs, MSPs, or some other designation, the reality is most IT service providers function as MSP hybrids.

Why is this still the case? Many channel companies find it hard to turn their back on business opportunities, so they adopt a startup mindset. A company in startup mode typically takes whatever business comes its way as it tries to assert itself in the marketplace.

[Read more…] about It’s a Hybrid MSP World

Overcoming Top Barriers to MSP Growth

by

Managing growth is a common challenge for MSPs. They may struggle to identify new leads, or find that they aren’t generating real profits from new customers.

Growth requires discipline and focus, but there are obstacles that can impede progress. To get past those growth barriers, MSPs need to look at their business and their processes in new ways. Barracuda and TruMethods have partnered on an e-book, The TruMethods MSP Improvement Plan: 4 Areas You Need to Fix to Find MSP Success, that outlines some of these barriers to growth and how to overcome them.

[Read more…] about Overcoming Top Barriers to MSP Growth