MSP 1337 | Cybersecurity Education and Security Guidance

Over the past twenty-plus episodes, we inevitably get around to talking about people. In episode 22, "Cybersecurity Still Comes Down To People", only reinforces the need to hear what my guest, Craig Taylor of Cyberhoot has to say.  We talk about educating the unwilling when it comes to cybersecurity but it is so much bigger than that.  Join us as we discuss the finer points of vendors who provide products that aren't set to a security state as a default, Frameworks that might include the need to protect data and provide training to staff but don't think it's important enough to be number one priority.

Thanks again to our sponsor Pinpoint Solutions, LLC, and our partner MSP-Ignite for making this happen.

Last week we talked about vendor evaluation from an MSP perspective and this week we talk about it from a client or end-user perspective. Join me as I sit down with Jon Munford of New London Community School District to continue the vendor evaluation discussion.  It may come as no surprise but there are three checklist times that are an exact match with last week's episode. 

Thanks again to our sponsor Pinpoint Solutions, LLC, and our partner MSP-Ignite for making this happen.

In this two-part series we are taking a look at vendor evaluation from the perspective of an MSP and then next week we will look at it from the perspective of a client.  While checklists are important one thing that comes up frequently is to make sure that when evaluating a vendor that you are in the right state of mind.  What problems are you trying to solve? Is this a need or a want?  

Join me once again as I welcome Charles Love to this episode as we unpack evaluating vendors and their approach to confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility.

A big thanks to our sponsor, PC Matic, Endpoint Security built on a zero-trust/default deny philosophy, allowing only trusted sources and blocking all the rest. Lightweight, simple to deploy, easy to manage & compatible with all major antivirus products.  Find out more about PC Matic by visiting PCMatic.com/msp/.

Having gaps in your cybersecurity is inevitable, but plugging gaps with products and services doesn't necessarily make you more secure. It may put your business at a greater risk of compromise.  I had the opportunity to sit down this week with Rick Mischka of Short Arm Solutions and one of The Cyber Pro Podcast hosts to talk about some of the emerging trends from the many interviews on their show that focuses on 10-12 questions about cybersecurity.  There was one consistent pattern that emerged... People making decisions that have a significant impact on their companies, but because we have become so desensitized to password compromise, breaches with big companies splashing headlines in the media, and our desire for convenience and comfort.  Lots of ideas, and you can bet that Rick will be back on a future show.

A big thanks to our sponsor, PC Matic, Endpoint Security built on a zero-trust/default deny philosophy, allowing only trusted sources and blocking all the rest. Lightweight, simple to deploy, easy to manage & compatible with all major antivirus products.  Find out more about PC Matic by visiting PCMatic.com/msp/.

Policies are a hot topic as insurance companies ask to see them, clients of clients ask to see them and even our peers are asking to see what policies we might have in place.  Join me this week as I sit down with Joe Ambrosole of Net Connect as we discuss the importance of having policies and how to overcome some of the biggest obstacles as we work through them to get employees' and even clients' buy-in.

A big thanks to our sponsor PC Matic, Endpoint Security built on a zero-trust/default deny philosophy, allowing only trusted sources and blocking all the rest. Lightweight, simple to deploy, easy to manage & compatible with all major antivirus products.  Find out more about PC Matic by visiting PCMatic.com/msp/.

Sitting down with Marcus J. Ranum, Author of "The Myth of Homeland Security" and credited with a number of innovations in firewalls and intrusion detection systems, as well as being a co-founder at Tenable.  We take a look at some of his predictions that date back to 2004 and earlier.  We also look at Cybersecurity through the lens of reliable systems.  If the system can be relied on then one would argue that it is probably secure.  Ultimately it comes down to a properly motivated Systems Administrator who is focused on solving root problems and not just adding another layer of proverbial Duct tape.

A big thanks to our sponsor PC Matic, Endpoint Security built on a zero-trust/default deny philosophy, allowing only trusted sources and blocking all the rest. Lightweight, simple to deploy, easy to manage & compatible with all major antivirus products.  Find out more about PC Matic by visiting PCMatic.com/msp/.

Whether you are required to adhere to regulatory compliance or have voluntarily picked a framework to map your cybersecurity strategy and you inevitably come to crossroads with a vulnerability assessment or a penetration test. Join me this week as I sit down with Kenneth May of Swift Chip Inc. as we dissect when it is appropriate to go beyond a vulnerability assessment.  The repercussions of a penetration test when a policy or guideline is not in place.  If you are wondering about vulnerability assessments and penetration tests and how to determine when you should execute one or both then this episode is for you. 

LinkedIn as a social networking platform is an extremely powerful tool.  I was given some advice recently, by Corey Munson of PC Matic that I should connect with ProCircular.  I followed Corey's advice and randomly selected an employee to connect with.  I managed to connect with the founder Aaron Warner and it was a podcast at first chat.  We discuss in this episode everything from the Microsoft Exchange hack to Mass spectrometers.  You don't want to miss this episode as we highlight several key opportunities for MSPs that don't require financial investments to make a reality.  Thanks again to our sponsor Pinpoint Solutions, LLC, and our partner MSP-Ignite for making this happen.  

In this week's episode, I sit down with Stel Valavanis of onShore Security to discuss Cybersecurity tools and solutions from the perspective of an MSP.  Stel brings a lot of insight as he has been an MSP who focused on the SMB and now an MSSP focused on the Mid-market and enterprise.  We take a look at the challenges and potential opportunities in the SMB space, we find that there is still hope, as it is not all doom and gloom.

While we don't have all the answers to bring the SMB into the fold we do find some areas that an MSP can put some energy into and see results.