{"id":49229,"date":"2022-03-29T08:20:49","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T15:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=49229"},"modified":"2022-03-30T00:37:06","modified_gmt":"2022-03-30T07:37:06","slug":"guess-who-security-remote-work-solutions-continue-to-drive-managed-it-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/state-of-the-industry\/2022\/03\/guess-who-security-remote-work-solutions-continue-to-drive-managed-it-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Guess Who: Security, Remote Work Solutions Continue to Drive Managed IT Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Managed IT is suffering something of an identity crisis these days. Bring up the topic of this popular MSP tool and you can almost imagine a comic foil sticking his head around the corner to utter, \u201cDid someone say cybersecurity?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s really not fair to the offering. Managed IT had already developed a reputation within the business community even before the term cybersecurity became popularly coined. Sure, security protocols are nothing new either, but this aspect seems to dominate the conversation more than, say, remote monitoring and management, help desk, BDR, project management, etc. Plus, the cloud (with all things Microsoft) and phone systems are also vying for mindshare in the managed IT conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All kidding aside, it\u2019s not surprising that cybersecurity and cloud solutions have dominated in the pandemic era. After all, the volume of on-premise client projects has given way to locking down the devices of a hybrid worker and ensuring employees can securely enjoy the same experience of working in an office, but from the comfort of their kitchen table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we look at this month\u2019s State of the Industry report on managed IT, our panel of dealers share their insights into the evolving makeup of their platforms\u2014particularly in the last two years\u2014and hash out what\u2019s hot and what\u2019s not when it comes to client requests. And yes, more than one person did say cybersecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Answering Call<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Tom McHenry,
Definitive Technology
Solutions<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Once customers sent their employees home to work, the phone began to ring off the hook for Definitive Technology Solutions (DTS) of Bloomington, Minnesota, as many break-fix IT providers couldn\u2019t keep up with the groundswell of demand. Tom McHenry, vice president of managed services for DTS, notes the dealership routinely onboarded 25-130-seat accounts without a substantive advertising campaign; customer references proved invaluable as DTS registered significant year-over-year growth for 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even prior to the pandemic, DTS mobilized to train its entire imaging sales staff on the basic IT and security stack, and now all reps are certified with partner technology programs throughout the print, IT and phone disciplines. \u201cClients were scared; they had to lay off staff and didn\u2019t know what to do,\u201d McHenry said. \u201cWe gave them sound advice on getting through the pandemic and securing environments, and provided them with solutions that moved them into cloud offerings and Office 365 with OneDrive and Teams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve received a lot of input from the Twin Cities community regarding what they wanted, liked and disliked about their providers and created a full stack around what they were seeking.<\/p>\u2013 Tom McHenry, Definitive Technology Solutions<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

DTS\u2019 managed security division has taken shape within the last 10 years as the dealer evolved its offering through feedback it received during quarterly client reviews. The greatest shifts within the past two years centered on providing a full security stack to end-users now operating outside the comfortable confines of their corporate firewall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve really fine-tuned our security stack to give them a solution on the back end that\u2019s easy to use and maintains secure assets,\u201d McHenry related. \u201cIt\u2019s all about providing that proactive mechanism\u2014monitoring and responding to events as they happen. We\u2019ve received a lot of input from the Twin Cities community regarding what they wanted, liked and disliked about their providers and created a full stack around what they were seeking. Local teams means a lot to them, and that\u2019s why we\u2019ve been hesitant to outsource. Being local keeps us in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ron Hulett,
U.S. Business Systems<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Business Systems (USBS) of Elkhart, Indiana, follows a strategic road map gleaned during client assessments. It devised the primary backbone, infrastructure and security needs that provide improved productivity and broader access to all end-users, coupled with an increased hardening of the environment. Ron Hulett, project manager for USBS, notes the biggest adjustments the past two years have involved a more detailed refinement of the different steps to identify, document, develop and present. To that end, the dealer has invested in more tools to make the process more efficient and easier for communicating and sharing the information needed to complete each step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ideal Clients<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hulett notes the dealer has defined an ideal client profile (ICP) for end-users that meshes with its ideal elements to identify consistency in both their needs and the dealer\u2019s own deliverables. ICPs reveal business commonalities that USBS has demonstrably addressed and enhanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor some (MSPs), their focus may be on shoving in an RMM and some flavor of anti-virus, or offshoring it\u2014so to speak\u2014to a third-party NOC,\u201d Hulett said. \u201cFor us, that seems to be a dead end to low revenue streams, low margins and inconsistent services from the rest of the USBS experience. We want to engage with clients that have a need for more, that perhaps have some unique IP they need to protect or compliances they must maintain, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf successful in our presentation and pitch, we want to come in and basically rip out what they have, put in our stack, and then load up the solutions we trust to have confidence in our ability to deliver on our promise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cautionary Tales<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ICP also helps to weed out the \u00e0 la carte client primarily interested in purchasing support time blocks, anti-virus solutions or a watered-down version of managed IT. Hulett says USBS\u2019 prime prospects are those that recognize the MSP as a subject matter expert. Roadblocks and pushback on spending to mitigate exposure results in an unprofitable engagement. USBS doesn\u2019t relish the idea of being a local Geek Squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hulett is still amazed by the multitude of companies that drag their feet when it comes to hardening their security protocols despite the continued prevalence of high-visibility attacks, believing instead they are simply too small to register on a bad actor\u2019s radar screen. USBS had a front-row seat with a prospect laden with objections; this company\u2019s owner didn\u2019t need \u201call that crap.\u201d The prospect suffered a ransomware attack, made repeat payments to the attacker, then brought in a freelancer (\u201cThey \u2018had a guy,\u2019\u201d Hulett noted) whose solution led to the corruption and encryption of the data. USBS pulled the offer, unwilling to deal with a problematic client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also pretty shocking to see the lack of appropriate care in this area from a lot of IT services companies,\u201d Hulett continued. \u201cNo solid backup or recovery plan, no solid plan or tools to block or sandbox threats. The use of Best Buy-class products that don\u2019t meet compliance standards, but the price is cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If successful in our presentation and pitch, we want to come in and basically rip out what they have, put in our stack, and then load up the solutions we trust to have confidence in our ability to deliver on our promise.<\/p>\u2013 Ron Hulett, U.S. Business Systems<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

With the pandemic drawing particular attention to security issues for remote workers, Houston-based Stargel Office Solutions and its Star Managed Services division have shifted resources and attention to implementing cyber- and data-based protections. In addition, the dealer is offering a refresh program that provides clients with flexibility while freeing up capital expenses, notes TJ DeBello, vice president of sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeBello believes the needs of remote workers have presented a unique challenge for Stargel\u2019s go-to-market strategy, as the number of devices in need of ransomware\/malware support has increased per end-user employee. To that end, the dealer has moved away from an MSP model to an MSSP-focused approach that concentrates on security and the \u201cwhat-ifs\u201d as opposed to day-to-day break\/fix. Stargel helps to close the vulnerability gap through end-user education, phishing campaigns, end-point security and full rollback capabilities. Increased devices under contract could nonetheless pave the way to a growth in the break\/fix component for continued hybrid scenarios, which DeBello believes will lead to more creative pricing structures and increase the dealer\u2019s onsite workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stargel\u2019s guarantee also adds peace of mind. \u201cWe\u2019ve implemented guarantees to pay per infected device if we\u2019re unable to fully defend against an attack or can\u2019t restore data after a ransomware attack,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our goal is to show them a better path forward with no more large capital investments in hardware; we do it through secure cloud-based workflow products all on a stable platform.<\/p>\u2013 TJ DeBello, Stargel Office Solutions<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

While cybersecurity and cloud offerings have flourished for Stargel, the dealer has witnessed a decline in traditional hardware purchases and on-premise servers. Cloud-based offerings from Microsoft, namely Azure and SharePoint, help to replicate that in-office experience for remote workers through continuity across devices, ease of access to business-critical data and stable connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInternal budgets have been constrained by COVID with unforeseen hardware purchases for the remote workers,\u201d DeBello remarked. \u201cOur goal is to show them a better path forward with no more large capital investments in hardware; we do it through secure cloud-based workflow products all on a stable platform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hybrid Platform<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of The Swenson Group (TSG), President Dean Swenson has taken a \u201cbuild and partner\u201d approach to constructing its managed IT platform. As a single-line Konica Minolta dealer, TSG gravitated toward the OEM\u2019s All Covered subsidiary, which is headquartered in close proximity to the dealer\u2019s Livermore, California, base. In that sense, TSG is hedging its bets by harvesting the firepower of a $350 million MSP while also being able to sell clients on the locally provided point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Dean Swenson,
The Swenson Group<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The past two years have provided ample opportunities for TSG to leverage All Covered\u2019s vertical expertise in devising specific solutions that speak to the finance and health care sectors. But it\u2019s cybersecurity, and the confidence in All Covered\u2019s advanced competencies, that has spurred the most leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll organizations are aware and concerned about the growing frequency of attacks,\u201d Swenson noted. \u201cWe ask what their cybersecurity strategy is on every sales call and it usually leads to good discussions. Health care for compliance, helping with policies and procedures, HIPAA concerns, etc., is our secondary focus. Requests for significant on-site support has declined due to the advancements of remote tools and technologies as well as their cost-effectiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Security Lockdown<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evaluating the technology stack and tightening processes has been a priority for Usherwood Office Technology of Syracuse, New York. Security is the top priority. According to Lindsay Usherwood, general counsel and corporate secretary, the dealer has almost completely overhauled its offering to ensure the partners it chooses\u2014whether tech providers or clients\u2014share that same security-first level of thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Lindsay Usherwood,
Usherwood Office
Technology<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSecurity for our managed IT clients is non-negotiable\u2014we always require multi-factor authentication and endpoint detection and response,\u201d Usherwood said. \u201cAll these features are a significant investment for both Usherwood and our clients, but this discipline to prioritize security is what sets us apart from our competitors in the managed IT space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge is dealing with hybrid office environments and maintaining data and device control. Usherwood points out there is an inherent need to know what\u2019s going on in a distributed environment, and the dealer keeps a watchful eye through proactive alerting for user activity such as software downloads or changes to vital settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe stability of both our and our client\u2019s infrastructure is imperative, and the investment into security fits perfectly into our managed IT model,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not a purely defensive posture, however. The hybrid workplace has opened the door for Usherwood Office Technology to promote communication tools such as Microsoft Teams and its integration with the Office Suite, enabling employees to collaborate more efficiently within that ecosystem. Usherwood credits much of the firm\u2019s success to its vCIO and sales teams\u2019 ability to cross-sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stability of both our and our client\u2019s infrastructure is imperative, and the investment into security fits perfectly into our managed IT model.<\/p>\u2013 Lindsay Usherwood, Usherwood Office Technology<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUsherwood offers the total office solution package,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause of this, we have a unique ability to select solutions that enhance a client\u2019s productivity while adhering to our strong core principle of \u2018security first.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With cybersecurity an utmost concern for many businesses, the dealer focuses on vulnerability assessments\u2014such as print security audits and full IT network infrastructure evaluations\u2014and can provide compliance guidance for those customers in regulated industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies really started to get serious about cybersecurity with the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline in 2021, and we continue to see major attacks on businesses of all sizes.<\/p>\u2013 Michelle Shepard, Systel Business Equipment<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Cloud Cover<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scope and confidence behind the managed IT platform of Systel Business Equipment in Fayetteville, North Carolina, among its employees and customers continues to grow as the dealer has expanded its offerings within cybersecurity, network security tools, cloud and application services, help desk and IT projects. This has enabled Systel to gain more traction within existing print device accounts, according to Michelle Shepard, vice president of sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Michelle Shepard,
Systel Business
Equipment<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Both cybersecurity and cloud services have proven to be the biggest growth areas for Systel in the face of growing cyber threats and the need to lock down connectivity for hybrid work environments, she noted. And while cloud services have proven to be a cost savings mechanism, increased collaboration with mobility and scalability have proven to be critical selling points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the start of the pandemic, people were hesitant to make investments in security solutions because they were unfamiliar and seemed unnecessary,\u201d Shepard observed. \u201cCompanies really started to get serious about cybersecurity with the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline in 2021, and we continue to see major attacks on businesses of all sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDespite the overwhelming desire for things to go back to normal, many businesses have adopted hybrid and remote work environments with no intentions of reverting back to the office. The challenge with this is that some businesses still dismiss any mention of managed IT because of the potential costs associated, despite being fully customizable, affordable and scalable to individual business needs.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Managed IT is suffering something of an identity crisis these days. Bring up the topic of this popular MSP tool and you can almost imagine a comic foil sticking his head around the corner to utter, \u201cDid someone say cybersecurity?\u201d It\u2019s really not fair to the offering. Managed IT had already developed a reputation within the business community even before the term cybersecurity became popularly coined. Sure, security protocols are nothing new either, but this aspect seems to dominate the conversation more than, say, remote monitoring and management, help desk, BDR, project management, etc. Plus, the cloud (with all things Microsoft) and phone systems are also vying for mindshare in the managed IT conversation. All kidding aside, it\u2019s not surprising that cybersecurity and cloud solutions have dominated in the pandemic era. After all, the volume of on-premise client projects has given way to locking down the devices of a hybrid worker and ensuring employees can securely enjoy the same experience of working in an office, but from the comfort of their kitchen table. As we look at this month\u2019s State of the Industry report on managed IT, our panel of dealers share their insights into the evolving makeup of their platforms\u2014particularly in the last two years\u2014and hash out what\u2019s hot and what\u2019s not when it comes to client requests. And yes, more than one person did say cybersecurity. Answering Call Once customers sent their employees home to work, the phone began to ring off the hook for Definitive Technology Solutions (DTS) of Bloomington, Minnesota, as many break-fix IT providers couldn\u2019t keep up with the groundswell of demand. Tom McHenry, vice president of managed services for DTS, notes the dealership routinely onboarded 25-130-seat accounts without a substantive advertising campaign; customer references proved invaluable as DTS registered significant year-over-year growth for 2021. Even prior to the pandemic, DTS mobilized to train its entire imaging sales staff on the basic IT and security stack, and now all reps are certified with partner technology programs throughout the print, IT and phone disciplines. \u201cClients were scared; they had to lay off staff and didn\u2019t know what to do,\u201d McHenry said. \u201cWe gave them sound advice on getting through the pandemic and securing environments, and provided them with solutions that moved them into cloud offerings and Office 365 with OneDrive and Teams.\u201d We\u2019ve received a lot of input from the Twin Cities community regarding what they wanted, liked and disliked about their providers and created a full stack around what they were seeking. \u2013 Tom McHenry, Definitive Technology Solutions DTS\u2019 managed security division has taken shape within the last 10 years as the dealer evolved its offering through feedback it received during quarterly client reviews. The greatest shifts within the past two years centered on providing a full security stack to end-users now operating outside the comfortable confines of their corporate firewall. \u201cWe\u2019ve really fine-tuned our security stack to give them a solution on the back end that\u2019s easy to use and maintains secure assets,\u201d McHenry related. \u201cIt\u2019s all about providing that proactive mechanism\u2014monitoring and responding to events as they happen. We\u2019ve received a lot of input from the Twin Cities community regarding what they wanted, liked and disliked about their providers and created a full stack around what they were seeking. Local teams means a lot to them, and that\u2019s why we\u2019ve been hesitant to outsource. Being local keeps us in the game.\u201d U.S. Business Systems (USBS) of Elkhart, Indiana, follows a strategic road map gleaned during client assessments. It devised the primary backbone, infrastructure and security needs that provide improved productivity and broader access to all end-users, coupled with an increased hardening of the environment. Ron Hulett, project manager for USBS, notes the biggest adjustments the past two years have involved a more detailed refinement of the different steps to identify, document, develop and present. To that end, the dealer has invested in more tools to make the process more efficient and easier for communicating and sharing the information needed to complete each step. Ideal Clients Hulett notes the dealer has defined an ideal client profile (ICP) for end-users that meshes with its ideal elements to identify consistency in both their needs and the dealer\u2019s own deliverables. ICPs reveal business commonalities that USBS has demonstrably addressed and enhanced. \u201cFor some (MSPs), their focus may be on shoving in an RMM and some flavor of anti-virus, or offshoring it\u2014so to speak\u2014to a third-party NOC,\u201d Hulett said. \u201cFor us, that seems to be a dead end to low revenue streams, low margins and inconsistent services from the rest of the USBS experience. We want to engage with clients that have a need for more, that perhaps have some unique IP they need to protect or compliances they must maintain, etc. \u201cIf successful in our presentation and pitch, we want to come in and basically rip out what they have, put in our stack, and then load up the solutions we trust to have confidence in our ability to deliver on our promise.\u201d Cautionary Tales The ICP also helps to weed out the \u00e0 la carte client primarily interested in purchasing support time blocks, anti-virus solutions or a watered-down version of managed IT. Hulett says USBS\u2019 prime prospects are those that recognize the MSP as a subject matter expert. Roadblocks and pushback on spending to mitigate exposure results in an unprofitable engagement. USBS doesn\u2019t relish the idea of being a local Geek Squad. Hulett is still amazed by the multitude of companies that drag their feet when it comes to hardening their security protocols despite the continued prevalence of high-visibility attacks, believing instead they are simply too small to register on a bad actor\u2019s radar screen. USBS had a front-row seat with a prospect laden with objections; this company\u2019s owner didn\u2019t need \u201call that crap.\u201d The prospect suffered a ransomware attack, made repeat payments to the attacker, then brought in a freelancer (\u201cThey \u2018had a guy,\u2019\u201d Hulett noted) whose solution led to the corruption and encryption of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49229"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49229"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49360,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49229\/revisions\/49360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}