MSP Cybersecurity Resolutions for 2023

by Barracuda MSP • Jan 18, 2023

With the turn of a new year, many of us often start thinking about our new year resolutions. While some MSPs may want to improve their business operations moving forward, some are looking to grow their business, and others may be focusing on finding efficiencies in service delivery. I would recommend adding improvements to your cybersecurity services to your new year’s resolution list.

If 2022 is any indication of how 2023 will be, we know that the cyberthreat landscape will continue to intensify. In a recent blog post, Threat predictions for 2023 from Barracuda’s security frontline, the frontline security team predicted that the attack surfaces will continue to expand, there will be more zero-day vulnerabilities, third-party related supply chain attacks, and business email compromise attacks. More importantly, cybercriminals will be targeting the users themselves.

To accelerate in 2023, below are five cybersecurity best practices for MSPs to commit to:

Enabling the end users: Cybersecurity awareness training is an essential cybersecurity defense layer. With users being the new target, educating customers’ end users will not only help prevent cyberattacks, but it can also help with their overall security posture as they will be able to report suspicious links to MSPs to ensure the threats are removed from the system, preventing an attack.   

Automating patch process: Zero-day vulnerabilities will be exploited by cybercriminals if security update(s) are not applied in a timely manner. Take the Apache Log4j vulnerability for example, this third-party software is widely used by businesses. The vulnerability allows an attacker to drop malware or ransomware on a target system which can lead to complete compromise of the network, sensitive data theft, and potential sabotage. By automating the patch process, MSPs can ensure that customers are staying up to date with their security updates, thus enhancing their security posture.

Shrinking the attack surfaces: As customers continue their digital transformation, more cloud, SaaS, and device types will be connected to their network. While shrinking the attack surfaces may not be possible, MSPs can enhance their monitoring capabilities for a single pane of glass view of the attack surfaces for their customers.

Enhancing data protection service: Customers’ data is proliferated across on-premises servers, workstations, as well as cloud applications. Ensure data protection service is comprehensive across all data locations in order to service customers’ needs.

Finally, reevaluating security vendors: Cybersecurity is a journey, and a set of standalone security solutions no longer provides adequate protection.  While it may feel like there are no one-size-fits-all security solutions in the market, there are security vendors who have holistic security  offerings and expertise that can help MSPs grow their managed security service offerings. Streamlining your security vendors can provide operational efficiencies, reduce cost, all while helping MSPs grow their business.   

For MSPs, the outlook for 2023 may be uncertain. However, we have seen in the past that cybercriminals thrive on uncertainty. Buttoning up cybersecurity services with these tips can help MSPs ride out these uncertain times and continue to grow their business.

Guest blog courtesy of Barracuda MSP. Regularly contributed guest blogs are part of ChannelE2E’s sponsorship program. Author Chris Crellin is senior director of product management for Barracuda MSP, a provider of security and data protection solutions for managed services providers, where he is responsible for leading product strategy and management.