Blog
Why Cybersecurity Risk Management Solutions Make Sense For MSPs
December 22, 2023
Industry Commentary
Cybersecurity risk management solutions are designed to help organizations identify, assess, and mitigate potential cyber threats. They do this not by stopping the attacks (that’s the task of firewalls, AV, EDR, and all the endless list of security tools), but by reducing the impact of a breach. In essence, these tools accept that no matter what anybody does, a breach will eventually occur; now what? Answer: make sure that the hacker can’t steal anything of value.Typically, a cybersecurity risk management solution consists of the following:
Vulnerability assessment: They scan networks and systems to identify and prioritize vulnerabilities, and provide remediation recommendations.
Loss risk assessment: If vulnerabilities are found, they analyze the data that is uncovered by a potential attack, and quantify the possible financial and reputational harm to the company. Losing the company policy manual is a non-event. Losing the names, addresses and credit card info for the company customer list is a disaster.
Access control and identity management: They then let the business control who has access to sensitive data and systems, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
Data loss prevention: This goes hand-in-hand with access control; they monitor the flow of sensitive data, preventing unauthorized access or exfiltration. Typically they would also encrypt data in flight, eliminating its value to unauthorized parties.
These solutions can be deployed as part of a comprehensive infrastructure cybersecurity plan, depending on the customer’s needs and budget. It is not mandatory to implement all of the above functions. For example, a customer may be satisfied with the vulnerability and loss risk assessment pieces, especially if it is shown that the risk is low.
A Small and Medium-sized Business (SMB) would need to take a fairly methodical approach, if they wanted to do all this by themselves:
Identify their needs: Determine the specific security needs of the organization, including the types of data and systems that need to be protected, and the potential consequences of a breach.
Assess their current security measures: Evaluate the current security measures in place, including firewalls, antivirus software, and access controls, to determine what needs to be improved.
Research solutions: Look for different cybersecurity risk management solutions and compare their features, costs, and vendor reputation.
Evaluate vendor support: Select a vendor that provides strong support and maintenance, including regular software updates, to ensure the infrastructure cybersecurity solutions stay effective over time.
Consider scalability: Find cybersecurity-as-a-service solutions that can scale with the organization as it grows, to minimize the need for future upgrades and migrations.
Get recommendations: Consult with other SMBs in the same industry to learn about their experiences with different solutions, and get recommendations from security experts.
Test the solution: Before making a final decision, test the cybersecurity-as-a-service solution in a controlled environment to ensure it meets the organization's specific needs and requirements.
As can be imagined, most small businesses do not have the time, money or know-how to do all this. So they have two choices: hide their heads in the sand and pretend that they are not at risk (which works well until they get hit and go under!), or hire a security-savvy MSP to do it for them.
While it is true that virtually any MSP is far more qualified and skilled at selecting and implementing a risk management solution than just about any SMB, MSPs are busy people and could also use some help in this area. This is why Uplevel has partnered with Actifile to bring an industry-recognized risk management platform into Uplevel’s as-a-service model. This partnership lets us simplify the vulnerability assessment, risk assessment, and data loss prevention tasks by wrapping it all up into a single solution sold on a subscription basis. Actifile is a data security and encryption cybersecurity risk management process solution designed to protect sensitive information stored on endpoints, such as laptops and mobile devices. It uses encryption to secure the data and provides centralized management and control over the encrypted data.
Actifile provides a range of security features, including encryption of files and folders, device lockdown, and remote wipe capabilities, to help organizations protect their sensitive data from unauthorized access, theft, and loss.
Cybersecurity Risk Management Solutions can benefit enterprises in several ways. First, they can help identify potential risks and vulnerabilities, enabling proactive measures to be taken to protect against threats. Additionally, they can help monitor networks and systems for malicious activity, allowing organizations to quickly respond to any threats. Finally, they can help organizations understand their risk posture and develop strategies to better manage their risks, allowing them to plan for the future and protect their assets.
Uplevel helps with Cybersecurity Risk Management by providing a suite of digital risk protection solutions. It helps organizations identify potential threats and vulnerabilities, monitor their networks and systems for malicious activity, and protect against attacks.
Additionally, Uplevel's Cloud Backup solutions provide businesses with secure, offsite encrypted storage for data and files, and can be set up quickly with a few clicks. Uplevel also offers enterprise-grade security services to help organizations implement the latest security measures, such as penetration testing and vulnerability scanning, as well as consulting services to help organizations understand their risk posture and develop strategies to better manage their risks.
