Channel, Networking

Going to Market with Cybersecurity: An MSP Guide to Serving SMBs

Despite what is an unfortunately widespread assumption, SMBs aren’t shielded from cybercrime by their size. On the contrary, studies indicate that more than 70 percent of cyberattacks are carried out against small businesses. When Webroot conducted a survey of SMBs in the United Kingdom, 46% admitted they’d be at risk of losing their business if breached. Data from other sources indicates the actual number may be higher still.

Despite these sizable risks, relatively few MSPs tailor their service offerings to this market, opting instead to focus their efforts on an individual or enterprise clientele. We hope to show here that, though SMBs have unique needs when it comes to cybersecurity, it’s worth the effort to cater to those needs.

Here’s how to approach it wisely.

Start with a Plan

As high-profile hacks continue to make headlines, cybersecurity has come to occupy a more prominent spot in the minds of small business decision makers. Given this trend, if cybersecurity isn’t already a facet of your service offering, it deserves a second, sustained look. While most MSPs already incorporate cybersecurity services in their solutions stacks, some still fail to see these offerings for the win-win that are: opportunities to generate additional revenue while increasing overall client satisfaction.

In fact, it’s actually much easier to sell cybersecurity than many MSPs think, especially given the right resources and tools. When working with the right cybersecurity partner, it can even be as easy as selling, deploying, and managing Microsoft 365.

Be Choosy when Selecting Your Cybersecurity Partner

Of course you want to choose a cybersecurity vendor that’s easy to work with. They should be capable of providing both expert support and MSP-friendly solutions. Typically, vendors are determined to cater to both the enterprise and consumer markets, often overlooking the unique needs of SMBs. This is unfortunate, because an enterprise with thousands of endpoints should be expected to have entirely different needs than a local carwash or real estate office. Consumer products, too, are a poor fit for all but the smallest of small businesses. Surely, a market opportunity exists for the often forgotten SMB.

To capitalize on this often underserved segment, shop for a cybersecurity partner that offers:

  • MSP-ready solutions: Products that support multi-tenancy and offer a single pane of glass for management of multiple clients are a must.
  • Ease of use: Solutions should be lightweight, easy to deploy, and not interruptive when scanning. They shouldn’t require a computer science degree to be able to manage.
  • Subscription pricing: Flexible, monthly licensing options with no up-front costs offer the most maneuverability for MSPs and their SMB clients.
  • Partner support: Responsive, hands-on technical support, without extra fees, must be built into the offering.

Find Your Cybersecurity Crash Course

Retooling your solution stack to accommodate an entirely new market segment can seem like a tall order, but MSPs stand to benefit from making the move. And you don’t have to make it along. An education should inform your go-to-market strategy, and there are multiple resources on offer. A little knowledge, both in nurturing prospects and delighting customers, goes a long way in cybersecurity.

At Webroot, our MSP customers are able to lean on industry luminaries with extensive experience serving SMBs. We don’t operate on a model of selling our cybersecurity solutions and wishing our customers luck on their way out the door. On the contrary, continuing to support them over the course the relationship is one of our prime objectives. We make good on this goal with an extensive, and constantly expanding, library of resources. Some of the best ways to discover and learn more about cybersecurity are through the Webroot Community, Webroot Quarterly Threat Reports, and our annual Webroot Threat Report. These are just a few of the publicly-available resources produced by Webroot to assist MSPs before and after they come to Webroot.

Lean on Your Sales and Marketing Resources

What their SMBs often lack in IT admin prowess, MSPs often mirror in terms of in-house marketing resources. Finding leads, nurturing prospects, and closing sales can be vexing for businesses whose strengths lie in IT. As such, a lot of MSPs neglect these essential steps in the sales funnel in favor of word-of-mouth references or a “hope-and-wait” strategy. But what if you could expect a little bit of assistance with these activities from your cybersecurity vendor?

That’s the Webroot way. It’s why we offer a variety of tools and educational resources to help you become a cybersecurity resource for your clients:

Ready to experience how effective and easy to use Webroot’s MSP-ready solutions are? Check out our Webroot free trials: Endpoint Protection | DNS Protection | Security Awareness Training.


Guest blog courtesy of Webroot. Read more Webroot blogs here.