ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
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Conscience The notion that the internet can be a
devices they have, and what type of network architecture they use. “However, resellers can sometimes be driven by margin, meaning they prioritise selling one vendor’s solutions over another because of profit, rather than the solution’s features and efficacy. Instead, customers should ask the reseller to explain why a given solution is recommended, and provide several alternatives with pros and cons that are aligned with their business needs.” Trusted Partner While resellers may be bashed for not supplying their customers with the solutions that are in their best interest, it makes no sense for those resellers to essentially sell faulty goods. One of the unique selling points of the reseller model is the trust that exists between businesses and their sales director, something that Sohin Raithatha, CEO at Redsquid touched on. “It is increasingly important for MSPs such as ourselves to take on the role of a trusted partner, and not just a provider of technology. This is a role we carry out with pride, as we recommend the technology that will keep our customers safe, not just now, but also in the coming years. In the end, many of the risks sit with the end users and this is an area we have a big focus on at Redsquid. “Cyber Security Awareness training is a recommendation we will make to every single company, to make sure their users know how to navigate among the threats that land on their machines every single day.
dangerous place has been around for a while now. With that said, as headlines continue to pop up every month about a new breach, risk, or tactic, questions arise as to how seriously businesses are really taking these threats. “It’s pretty much accepted by at least all medium and large sized organisations, that anti-virus/anti-malware software is a basic necessity for business IT,” said Adam Seamons, Information Security Manager at GRC International Group. “However, I believe there is still a reluctance from SMEs to spend money on IT security, which will likely be exaggerated with the economic situation. “Organisations will no doubt see IT and security as a place to reduce costs and cut corners. I’ve personally seen many examples of small businesses doing things such as using free antivirus software, which is designed for individual use consumers, rather than installing the appropriate business security products.” Role of Resellers With the shift to hybrid working and increasing business costs playing into the hands of hackers, the question shifts to who will help the unprotected? As resellers have a direct relationship with businesses, they may be seen as an obvious place to start to answer that question. Seamons continued to say that impartiality needs to remain at the heart of any security questions businesses have for their supplier. “The focus for resellers is to make money, and while they are an important part of the solution, it’s necessary to recognise that their primary goal is financially driven, and customer security falls secondary. “As a result, it’s critical that organisations look for impartial security advice, rather than being sucked into the industry hype or marketing flash. This is no mean feat, but it’s becoming easier now that government advice is maturing, and there are many security advocates out there that provide sound advice for SMEs.” Corlette agreed, adding that the challenge for resellers is to sacrifice margin to supply the right solution to each of their customers. “Resellers can play a big role in providing the correct solution because they provide advice and guidance as to which solution is the right choice for a given business, based on factors such as their risk profile, what
David Corlette VP of product management VIPRE Security
vipre.com
It is increasingly “
important for MSPs such as ourselves to take on the role of a trusted partner, and not just a provider of technology.
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Adam Seamons information security manager GRC International Group
grci.group
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