News in the Channel - issue #14

2024 PREVIEW

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Greg Jones , vice president of business development, Kaseya Managed service providers (MSPs) are

so it’s worth looking beyond the usual talent pools to find those hard-working plate spinners who can make a difference to an organisation. Of course, the staff shortage affects MSPs and their clients and is driving further outsourcing, opening up new business opportunities too. We are seeing a lot of consolidation, with bigger players buying mid-sized MSPs and investors increasingly interested in the MSP space. One important learning from 2023 is that the technology sector can change with a moment’s notice, so MSPs and their clients should be prepared for all eventualities. Attracting new business is still a challenge for MSPs. To address this, they should spend some time defining what makes a good customer. Often, the best customers aren’t those with the biggest budgets, but those with hopes, dreams and ambitions. Understanding the mindset and profile of their perfect target customer will make it easier for MSPs to engage with the right prospects. It’s always a good idea to ask for introductions and recommendations, so in 2024, MSPs should integrate sales and marketing topics into their quarterly business review meetings with existing clients.

currently in a good place, and this will likely continue in 2024. The technology industry often does well in times of economic uncertainty: there is huge potential especially for those MSPs that can pivot and spot opportunities to grow. Adaptability and agility are paramount for success. Many small and medium-sized enterprises now consider technology an integral part of their business. They know they can harness technology to drive productivity and profitability and will be looking to MSPs to help them achieve these goals. This is not necessarily about implementing shiny new tools, but rather about improving business processes, automating and doing more with less. Security and co-managed services remain growth areas. Against a backdrop of fast evolving cyber threats, MSPs will need to challenge and leverage all their supplier relationships. They will need to work with vendors as strategic partners and invest the time to boost their own as well as their clients’ cyber resilience. Staffing will be a pain point in 2024. It has become harder to retain good tech talent,

Greg Jones

kaseya.com

Jim Liddle , chief innovation officer, Nasuni The risk of ransomware and sophisticated attacks is ever-growing and will continue to spread internationally in 2024. Preventing the theft, encryption, misuse or exposure of sensitive data will remain a daily concern for organisations indefinitely. Multi-layer protection has quickly become a matter of hygiene and even companies that invested in sophisticated, global ransomware

and critical infrastructure in both countries continue to lack the technology and funding to build adequate data protection and recovery capabilities. Organisations that haven’t addressed their data protection and recovery posture are now risking security and compliance headaches, as regulatory penalties and recovery costs often outmatch ransom payouts. Europe still leads in data governance and regulation with the likes of GDPR, but legislation like the California Consumer Privacy Act is quickly spreading across the US. By delaying investment in protection and compliance solutions until forced to, many large organisations will soon face the possibility of steep penalties, ransom demands and business disruption simultaneously.”

protection products will need a ‘belt and braces’ approach in the form of network, application and access security, coupled with rapid data recovery solutions. Ransomware has typically been more prevalent in the US, with larger organisations and their larger data sets presenting more attractive targets for bad actors. In 2024, we'll see more ransomware incidents in the UK as government agencies, health services

Jim Liddle

nasuni.com/

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