MSP market turns to providing security solutions

New research suggests that managed service providers (MSPs), which have historically expected to manage IT infrastructure for their customers, are increasingly expected to protect this infrastructure too.

The study from CyberSmart of 250 senior leaders at UK-based MSPs, finds that 65 percent of MSP customers now expect their provider to manage either their cybersecurity infrastructure or both their cybersecurity and IT infrastructure.

This expectation that MSPs should manage security as well as IT can be viewed as a response to the security capabilities which their customers have in-house. 37 percent of respondents indicate that only 20 percent or less of their customers have a specific cybersecurity role in-house, reflecting the need for MSPs to take ownership of this area on behalf of their customer base.

"This change in customer expectation and need reflects a sea-change in how managed service providers need to operate," says Jamie Akhtar, co-founder and CEO at CyberSmart. "Managed service providers are a lifeline for many SMEs and the underappreciated backbone of much of our economy's IT infrastructure as such. As IT and cybersecurity threats become increasingly intertwined, it makes sense that managed service providers would begin to offer more security services. However, as previous research has indicated, MSPs themselves are vulnerable to cyberattacks. It's important that they -- and the wider security industry -- do all that they can to empower MSPs to provide the security services they are now expected to with absolute confidence."

Among other findings 33 percent of MSPs have increased the associated budget for their security capabilities, while 28 percent have increased the budget for their regulatory capabilities. In addition 28 percent have made specialist cybersecurity hires and 14 percent have made specialist regulatory hires.

The full report is available from the CyberSmart site.

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