Barracuda MSP Industry and Tech Blog

This year, as Bonfire Night loomed, I found my thoughts turning to gunpowder, treason, and plot. I began to imagine Mr. Fawkes for the modern age; him and his conspirators illuminated by computer screens in lieu of candlelight. Perhaps they’d be armed with keyboards instead of gunpowder. My imaginary Guy Fawkes of 2018 would certainly opt for a cyber-attack over a physical one.

Let’s face it, some of us think it is fun to be scared — especially at this time of the year. In preparation for Halloween, some of us find ourselves going to haunted hayrides, reading ghost stories, and even find ourselves binge watching The Haunting of Hill House. While not all MSPs enjoy a fictional thriller once in a while, they all know how truly terrifying running an IT service business can be, on a bad day.

For MSPs, cyber security is top of mind much more often than it is for your customers. With some SMB customers, it can be a struggle to not only illustrate the importance of this topic, but to explain that security is not a one-and-done type thing. Security requires a commitment from both sides to minimize the risk to their business through a mix of technology, training, and behavior.

While security discussions should be conducted year-round, October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month and provides an easy opportunity for MSPs to gain some momentum behind their security-related marketing activities.

With today’s sophisticated threats, security is likely (and for good reason) top of mind for most MSPs. No matter where you turn, it seems like there is another reminder to implement user education, security best practices, and update legacy security solutions to safeguard your SMBs from today’s latent threats. While one successful breach can be detrimental to your customer’s business, it is important to remember that it isn’t the only event that can have a devastating impact.

Based on a survey of 140 organizations conducted by Osterman Research, it’s estimated that as many as 44 percent of businesses were victims of an email attack from a compromised end user account in the past 12 months. These types of attacks can be devastating.

The severity and prevalence of email-borne attacks are only increasing, and for MSPs not currently offering email security services, it’s time to re-evaluate.

In the morning, what's the first thought that crosses your mind? Maybe it is to check in on the kids (they have been way too quiet this morning). Perhaps you are wondering what day of the week it is (hopefully it's Saturday).  Maybe you've woken up still reeling from a recent email security attack on one of your customer accounts.  Or maybe, you're just ready for your first cup of coffee. 

Besides potentially being the first thing a service provider thinks of in the morning, what else do coffee and email security have in common? 

More than three-quarters of targeted cyber-threats start with an email, and according to a global research study conducted by Barracuda in June 2018, 87 percent of IT professionals said that their company faced an email-based security attack in the past year.

What pops up in your mind when you hear the word: community? Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is your neighborhood, a book club, a support group, or maybe something entirely different. To us, a community is a group of people who are working together towards similar goals; people who want to learn, grow, and help others be successful in their endeavors.

One of the things that we want to instill in our partners, is that they aren’t alone in their day-to-day struggles and that we are here to help. That’s one of the many reasons why we started our Barracuda MSP Insiders Community! The hub is available to any Barracuda MSP partner, and it is always growing and changing. We asked Lindsay Faria, the director of partner marketing at Barracuda MSP, what she would tell a new partner joining us about this platform. Lindsay shared:

Domain Name System (DNS) server attacks are becoming a more prevalent threat than ever, and MSPs and their customers need to be prepared. According to a new study by EfficientIP, 77 percent of organizations surveyed reported experiencing a DNS attack thus far in 2018. The global frequency of these attacks is on the rise, as are the costs associated with them. The survey shows that the average cost of a DNS attack in the U.S. alone has climbed 57 percent over the past year to $654,000 in 2018.

Chances are, if you’re talking about cyber security, your SMB customers are probably overwhelmed. Cyber criminals are continually finding more and more ways to infiltrate networks—whether it’s through unsecured IoT devices, phishing emails, or an unpatched backdoor in the network—and your SMB customers are at risk. That’s where you can come in!