OPINION George Anderson - Webroot
The role and value of MSPs
during challenging times
George Anderson, director of product marketing at Webroot, an OpenText company, discusses why MSPs are
uniquely positioned to act as trusted advisors for SMBs
The coronavirus crisis is
creating new challenges
for businesses around the
world. Simultaneously, the
landscape of digital security is
rapidly shifting. To operate in a
highly competitive environment
and to stay cyber secure;
businesses should lean on MSPs
to run smoothly and eciently.
MSPs as ‘an ideal partner’
Over the past few months,
businesses have been forced to
change traditional oce-based
operations and deploy remote
work for all. While not without
challenges, this presents an
opportunity for MSPs to become
“an ideal partner” to the smalland
medium size businesses
(SMBs) they often serve. eir
integrated security solutions
within remote monitoring and
management (RMM) and
professional service automation
(PSA) platforms helps businesses
eciently manage increasingly
dispersed clients, while granting
users the access they need
outside the physical oce.
Moving forward, MSPs
will continue to provide IT
support as new processes are
implemented and systems are
improved. And as they tailor
support to each individual client,
MSPs need to stand out in an
industry with typically tight
margins. ey must review
clients’ current processes and
nd opportunities to enhance
business performance. ey
can also identify liabilities and
challenges within operations that
could be improved.
It’s also important to
remember that there’s no stock
“An MSP’s success depends on the success of the industries and clients they serve.”
George Anderson, director of product marketing at Webroot
solution for “bouncing back”
as a business, as every client is
unique. ere are ve key areas
MSPs can focus on to position
themselves as ideal partners now,
to establish and maintain success
years down the road:
1. An honest conversation: Setup
a virtual meeting to discuss
their situation, the state of the
business and what obstacles
stand on the way for getting
back to business as usual.
2. Devise an agenda: is will
be based on the services you
provide today, associated costs,
client’s challenges (or lack
thereof), what is aordable
and what can maybe be
minimized, if there’s a change
in the business direction.
Many SMBs may look to pivot
considering COVID-19.
3. Aim to be exible: Be
accommodating during the
period between their business
restarting and establishing a
new normal. MSPs may need
to take a slight hit in monthly
income or margins as an
acceptable sacrice in order to
help and keep a potential longterm
client aoat.
4. Recovery plan: Work with a
client to draw up a joint plan
with a timeline for scaling
back up work and assist with
recovery. is may involve
stressing the costliness of a
data breach, downtime, and
other ways services help the
clients’ bottom line.
5. Client account reviews:
Schedule regular client
account reviews to monitor
technology-related pain points
and assist with addressing
them as reasonably as possible.
An MSP’s success depends
on the success of the industries
and clients they serve. Uncertain
times create opportunity for
MSPs to strengthen relationships
and prove value. Putting in
the extra eort to establish a
trusted advisor relationship
can contribute to collaborative
success and long-term growth.
With security being a
primary concern for MSPs, and
cybercriminals continuing to
target SMBs, the rst step is to
ensure a strong foundational
security strategy. e cyber
risks associated with cloud
infrastructure generally reect
the same risks that have been
facing businesses online for
many years. erefore, all
infrastructure components
within the business network
must be properly protected
and maintained, as attacks
George Anderson, director of
product marketing at Webroot
are increasingly advanced that
signicant damage can be done
in a short time. By focusing on
cyber resilience, businesses can
prioritise protecting their most
valuable assets – their data.
MSPs need to a comprehensive
set of security solutions, from
ongoing security awareness
training to endpoint security and
DNS protection at the network
layer. is can keep businesses
secure as they move to the cloud.
It’s a fact that economic
recovery for small businesses will
undoubtedly entail some tough
decisions. Doing everything you
can as an MSP to assist with that
recovery, by establishing and
implementing a plan, will lead to
more robust business in the long
run – as well as setting you as a
trusted business advisor for the
life of the relationship. So, take
advantage of the opportunity.
18 | Comms Business Magazine | October 2020 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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