MSP 1337 | Cybersecurity Education and Security Guidance

Over the past two years I have gotten to know Brian Weiss and much of our conversation has revolved around how he continues to improve the security posture of his company.  This is largely tied to an event that took place back in March of 2018 that crippled 1/2 of his then client base.  In this milestone episode 100 we recap his journey when we checked in on him for episode one almost two years ago and how the world has changed in the last four years.

As solution providers we spend a lot of time with different tools and services to support our clients.  I sit down with Charles Love of ShowTech Solutions to discuss how RMM and MDM (DM) go hand in hand in managing the assets placed under our care.

Vulnerabilities and exploits happen to be very common in today's threat landscape and not all vulnerabilities are actionable.  I sit down with Wes Spencer, of Fifth Wall, to provide insights to solution providers on how to communicate with their vendors and their clients in a way that is actionable and with credibility.  As the saying goes, "You are either part of the problem or part of the solution."

I think most of us would agree that protecting data is a very big part of the job as a Solution Provider.  Joshua Smith and I tackle this conversation when it comes to the costs associated with protecting that data and what it means to lead and follow in an ever evolving threat landscape.

As Solution providers (MSPs), a security first mindset can at times be difficult.  We know that our responsibilities to our staff and clients is about reducing the probability of being an easy target.  Cybersecurity isn't easy but it get's easier when you do it with others.  Chad Holstead and I discuss what it means to be part of an integrator group that has agreed upon a set of standards or controls to improve their security posture.

As we recover from a week in Chicago with our colleagues and friends I thought we should take a minute to recount some of the highlights.  I sit down with Lenny Giller of Reliable Technology Services to get his perspective on MSP-Ignite Pre-day and some of the tracks we had an opportunity to attend.  I think clearly the message is to get involved with GTIA ISAO, get involved with the community and share with each other lessons learned.  Cybersecurity is one step at a time.

The role of an MSP as trusted advisor or vCIO has evolved over the years and more recently it seems the added responsibility of security officer is added to the mix.  In my conversation with Craig Buesing who is the CISO to the Secretary of State of Colorado, we spent a lot of time talking about cybersecurity is a collaboration.  You can't do it by yourself and it is the collaboration and knowledge sharing that makes us all more secure.

One week until ChannelCon and MSP-Ignite Pre-day.  This week we have Dave Sobel, "Host of the Business of Tech Podcast." While Dave and I have been known to go down a few rabbit holes in past conversations, we manage in this episode to focus on three main points: Cyber Tax is a real thing and should be openly discussed with your clients, Tech Debt is a challenge for both vendors and MSPs, and victim blaming doesn't change what has happened.

Table top exercises, Security Awareness Training, and vulnerability management are all ways that we look to improve our security posture. Join me as I talk to Kevin Ireland of Hack The Box regarding teaching your team to participate in red team exercises.

ChannelCon is right around the corner and we are still discussing the culture shift to a cybersecurity first mindset.  I sit down with Joshua Smith of Varonis to talk about how culture shift and doing the right thing are same problem different scale. Whether you are a vendor or an MSP it still comes down to People, Process and Product (technology). We step you through four key steps to begin the shift within your organization.