CompTIA now offers free CompTIA ISAO access to all MSP members. This is a great time to increase your cybersecurity profile and let customers know. Here’s why. Although managed services providers do not need to be fully-fledged providers of managed security services, they should have the ability to communicate with customers about the latest threats and have some cyber skills.
CompTIA ISAO members receive a free CompTIA ISAO Access as a new benefit. Now is the time to increase your cyber profile and let customers know, according to CompTIA ISAO MSP members.
“Security is an integral part of the services we offer, and that is why I joined [the CompTIA ISAO]. This is just the reality. It’s impossible to be an MSP today without providing cyber services,” stated Ilan Sredni of Palindrome Consulting, a Hollywood-based MSP. “The CompTIA ISAO was a great way to quickly digest all the information available in relation to cybersecurity threats.”
Palindrome was originally started by Sredni as an MSP business. However, security services were added to the company several years ago. It was expensive and cumbersome to subscribe to multiple sources and groups in order to have access to the latest threats.
“I read a lot, tried to learn everything, but it was difficult. It was very easy to take in all the information that came through my email. I would get all the information and have to decide if it was actionable, urgent, or informational. It might not have been applicable to us. It’s now easy to share this information with our team members, so we can all be aware of what’s happening and take appropriate action, when necessary,” Sredni stated.
Expect to be recognized more and have new perceptions about your business
CompTIA ISAO membership also has the added benefit that clients and prospects will view you as a cyber expert, which is a great distinction in the market, Sredni stated.
“Prospects will claim that no one else has approached them about cyber. When you explain how your company is getting threat information and reacting quickly to the latest threats, they will say, “I don’t get this from my current provider.” He said. “Being part of the CompTIA ISAO has allowed us to stay ahead of the curve and discuss security before anyone else.”
Sredni stated that CompTIA ISAO membership can be a distinguishing factor from competitors who claim to be security experts but aren’t. “Unfortunately, many do this. Most people are not cyber experts. They claim that their IT guy is a cyber-expert, but what certifications does this person have? Where does he get his information? Their MSP, which is sometimes a one-man business, is seen as a cyber expert by them.
Access to the Latest Threat Information and Analysis Facilitates Faster Response
Palindrome discovered the Microsoft PrintNightmare vulnerability in July 2021 through the CompTIA ISAO. They then proactively notified customers and addressed the vulnerability before any damage was done, Sredni stated.
“I was 24 hours ahead most other organizations. He said that they are always looking for ways to communicate with customers and remain relevant.
MSPs involved in security should share this advice with their customers. Sredni advised that you don’t let your customers down by not communicating with them.
“The problem we, as MSPs, have is that most clients haven’t called a help desk for six months and begin to wonder ‘Do they really need them?’ We are protecting, paying attention to the situation. It is our responsibility to remind them that being trusted providers is more than just answering the phone to change a password. It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to secure their data and keep it safe. CompTIA ISAO’s information has been a boon for many customers, creating goodwill and bringing new customers based upon our expertise.
Improve your reputation with prospects and customers
Coincidentally, IND, a CompTIA ISAO member based in Whippany, N.J., hired a new employee who had previously worked for another MSP right as PrintNightmare was accelerating. Matthew Lang, IND’s CISO, stated that the employee was shocked at how quickly IND responded to the threat.
Lang stated that Lang said, “He said, ‘You’ve communicated, raised awareness and [his old company] hadn’t even known this had occurred yet.”
Lang says that IND has been able to elevate its position as a cyber leader in its markets thanks to the CompTIA ISAO’s threat analyses and alerts.
“I can receive alerts from [other sources] saying ‘This is a problem. You can figure it out. That’s a very different approach to the CompTIA ISAO or ‘This is wrong. These are the comments of our analysts that make this all make sense.
