Emerging IT Service Providers Transform Role to Cybersecurity Instructors
In today's digital age, the importance of IT security has never been more critical. However, many breaches occur due to employee naivety and ignorance of best IT security practices. This is particularly true in businesses where the IT department is outsourced, with the average worker often unaware of these IT security basics.
This gap in knowledge can be addressed by Managed Service Providers (MSPs), who are increasingly finding themselves in the social security business. The shift from a traditional 'break-fix' approach to focusing on the business as a whole offers a springboard to a position as an outsourced Chief Information Officer (CIO).
Alistair Forbes, GM of LogicNow, highlights this evolution as a desirable goal. Service providers targeting retail or healthcare, for example, need to understand the difference between PCI compliance and HIPAA compliance and how IT security services will impact these regulations. They must also comprehend the dramatically different needs of a 'critical' business operation.
The lack of an internal IT department in outsourced businesses leaves IT security education unresolved. Service providers can bridge this gap by offering IT security education to their clients, rather than just managing IT security tools. By increasing client awareness, they can reduce the likelihood of breaches.
Neil Campbell of Dimension Data underscores this growing trend, suggesting that there is a shift towards MSPs focusing on IT security education and managed security services. Service providers should talk in terms of service costs versus downtime loss when selling managed security services to end customers.
Understanding IT security basics like what not to click, which updates to install, and how to spot illicit emails is crucial. Service providers need to make managed security relevant to the end customer's business and market, understanding specific business needs and relating the technology and service to the nuances of the individual industry.
The broader requirements of managed security - employee education and policy management - are inherently consultative, advisory, and emphasize more than just technology selection. This shift in focus can provide service providers with the opportunity to offer a wider range of services and position themselves as more than just technical service providers.
While there is no clear single MSP in Germany identified as offering the most comprehensive and specialized IT security education service for customers, specialized IT security trainings are available from organizations like the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Informationssicherheit AG, CBT Training & Consulting GmbH, and qSkills GmbH & Co. KG. These trainings may be integrated into specialized educational offerings but are not labeled as traditional MSPs.
In conclusion, the evolution of MSPs into IT security educators and outsourced CIOs is a significant development in the IT industry. By focusing on client awareness, understanding business needs, and offering a broader range of services, MSPs can position themselves as valuable partners in the digital age.
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