News in the Channel - issue #7

CYBERSECURITY FOCUS

they can by sharing resources or training sales and technical professionals through robust partner programmes. Therefore, resellers should be taking vendors up on the training and resources that they offer to get the most out of their solutions for their customers. “That said, we also cannot forget that customer budgets are getting tighter which translates into increased ROI requirements, result-oriented purchasing decisions and sometimes longer and more complex decision processes, all of which elongate the sales cycle. It is therefore important for the channel to work with cybersecurity suppliers that offer a high-quality product with a modern approach to maximise time to value.” Tom Herrmann, vice president of global channels and alliances at Synopsys Software Integrity Group, adds that resellers are in a unique position in that they can represent multiple vendors across a broad spectrum of cybersecurity solutions. “They can also be a trusted advisor to businesses in terms of understanding what solutions and services are available in the market, the specific uses cases and what each can address, and which solutions tend to work best suited for a business’ specific concerns,” he says. “Resellers can then bring in the vendors that are experts in their particular area of cybersecurity to further assist with vulnerability identification and remediation efforts. Given their broad exposure to a diverse mix of customers and vendors, resellers are a great resource for customers to increase their awareness and knowledge of the overall threat landscape. “Most companies have only scratched the surface on protecting themselves from cybersecurity threats, and even the ones that can be considered ‘ahead of the pack’ will still find new holes that must be patched on a regular basis as attackers discover new areas to exploit.” Dealing with ongoing threats Sohin Raithatha, CEO of Redsquid, notes that while some organisations understand the risks, many underestimate the number of devices that can be breached. “The widespread adoption of Internet of Things devices and bring-your-own-device policies amplify those risks, and we as MSPs play a vital role in ensuring customer awareness and that appropriate security measures are being used across all businesses,” he says. “As an MSP with a focus on cybersecurity

endpoints in your environment, including those in home offices, remote workspaces and cloud environments, is a vital component of this approach.” Supply chain vulnerabilities Jamie Andrews, senior director international partners at Armis, notes that supply chains are also at risk. “The lateral movement tactics used by threat actors are taking advantage of trusted third-party suppliers to infiltrate larger, more traditionally ‘secure’ targets,” he explains. “By worming their way into a smaller organisation, they can spend weeks or months lurking about undetected on systems and networks. “This puts numerous organisations at risk. Without the right visibility into the devices and assets on their networks, organisations risk inadvertently allowing threat actors to launch large scale attacks. “We’ve also seen several warnings from UK authorities that point to heightened risk of cyberwarfare attacks conducted by Russian nation state actors because of the ongoing war. By not having full visibility into their networks and systems, organisations are much more vulnerable to being targeted by threat actors that are becoming more ideologically motivated and are looking to send a message. “Channel partners that are equipped to help customers address these risks will stand the most to gain now and into the future as these types of attacks evolve.” Trusted partners Jamie adds that the shortage of skilled cybersecurity personnel remains a huge problem. “There is an increased demand for services and solutions from third parties and partners that can offer value, such as MSSPs,” he says. “Good cybersecurity vendors will support the reseller community as much as

Jamie Andrews senior director international partners

armis.com

The lateral movement tactics used by threat actors are taking advantage of trusted third- party suppliers to infiltrate larger, more traditionally ‘secure’ targets. “

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Tom Herrmann vice president of global channels and alliances

synopsys.com

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