Can MSPs “Guarantee” Compliance? It’s no secret that many MSPs are helping clients deal with compliance issues. Whether this is gathering evidence for a client audit, or simply offering traditional managed services to demonstrate compliance for a given framework. However, when it comes to guarantees, compliance may not be the area where you make any guarantees. Here’s why. Compliance within the MSPs’ control Customer interference Making guarantees in the first place Converting Reactive Clients to Proactive As some economists are predicting a 2023 Q4 recession, making sure your MSP ship is i ..read more

Weaver Outrage Meter: Low Don’t Rely (too much) on Cyber Insurance Barracuda surveyed 400 enterprise IT and security professionals globally, ranging from IT managers to CISOs, to discover the biggest cybersecurity challenges businesses face in 2023. Are organizations placing too much emphasis on cyber insurance? What should MSPs do about this? Are cyber insurance policies being used to target ransomware victims? MSP Economics Update for Q2 We just had the latest MSPAlliance Inspire meeting last week in Boston and it was a blast. It was a little chilly, but the group went to a Red Sox game ..read more

Weaver Outrage Meter: Low Cyber Consultants at it Again We have been coming across a unique brand of marketing and website design company lately; yes, you guessed it, they also do cybersecurity. It seems difficult not to come across cyber security “experts” these days, even if that claim may be dubious. Marketing gets into cybersecurity Cyber consultants need understanding of MSPs First do no harm! Managing MSP remote workers (ticket reviews) Since the pandemic remote work has exploded. The same is true within the managed services sector. MSPs, however, have some unique methods they can use ..read more

Weaver Outrage Meter: Low Q1 Managed Services Industry Report Card We have officially wrapped up Q1 2023 and its time to evaluate how the managed services profession did and what the outlook is like. Q1 analysis MSP outlook Tech stock performance S&P 500 doing well because of IT stocks Cyber Consultants Continued We have been discussing (for years) the ongoing evolution and emergence of consultants in the cybersecurity field and the impact they are having on managed service providers (and their clients). We have an update on this topic from actual MSPs who are encountering these consult ..read more

Weaver Outrage Meter: Low North Dakota Announces Mandatory Cybersecurity Education North Dakota just announced a new educational mandate for grade school students to learn more about cybersecurity. Such a move is not only a smart one, but it is going to have a positive impact on future generations of cybersecurity professionals. Cyber skills gap acknowledged Good example of government leadership and action Good news for MSPs (and other employers) in the near future MSP Recession Planning More talk about a recession here in the United States; it seems inevitable that we are headed into, or m ..read more

Weaver Outrage Meter: Low What is continuous compliance? Sound like a headache? It isn’t. Continuous compliance is where the managed services profession is headed and MSPs had better start preparing now. Continuous compliance defined Why continuous compliance is the future Guidance for transitioning from standard to continuous Recent news stories would have you believe that the recent bank failures are really caused by underlying fractures within the tech sector. Let’s examine an alternative theory for what is really happening. Big tech layoffs Bank failure root causes Health of MSP market ..read more

Weaver Outrage Meter: Medium MSP Zone examines the idea of a cyber tax, what that would look like, and whether a cyber tax would be a good thing for MSPs Highlights: Cyber tax credits Codes of conduct Government oversight? Cyber Verify has been launched. What is Cyber Verify? How can it help MSPs at both ends of the MSP maturity spectrum? The Art of Managed Services 2nd Edition is now available for purchase. What went into the 2nd edition? What has changed since the first edition was published in 2007? Supplemental reading: Cloud Computing Needs a Universal Standard – WSJ The post Cyber Tax ..read more

Art of Managed Services 2nd Edition covers cybersecurity, compliance, and emerging managed services trends  Chapel Hill, NC – March 7, 2023 – Charles R. Weaver, CEO of MSPAlliance®, the global industry association and accrediting body for the Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, and Managed Services Provider (MSP) industry, today announced the second edition of The Art of Managed Services and Cloud Computing. Originally published in 2007, The Art of Managed Services offers readers a unique and comprehensive view of the managed services profession, from its origins, right up to the modern day ..read more

MSPAlliance Inspire takes a fresh, innovative approach to MSP peer groups  Chapel Hill, NC – March 2, 2023 – MSPAlliance®, the global industry association and accrediting body for the Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, and Managed Services Provider (MSP) industry, today announced a new “peer group” for MSP executives and entrepreneurs. MSPAlliance Inspire is the product of MSP industry leaders who want more from their peer group experience, and without external distractions and influences commonly found in other groups.    “MSPAlliance Inspire was born from the desire of our MSP V ..read more

Chapel Hill, NC – March 1, 2023 – MSPAlliance®, the global industry association and accrediting body for the Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, and Managed Services Provider (MSP) industry, today announced the launch of Cyber Verify, a new Compliance as a Service platform designed to help MSPs achieve compliance, as well as offer compliance services downstream to their customers. The platform has been developed to streamline the previously complex audit process and now makes compliance an achievable goal for all MSPs.   “Cyber Verify is the culmination of nearly 20 years of experience ..read more