Spectra Releases Certification of Resilience for MSPs; Launches Advisory Board

Cyber risk platform Spectra today announced the release of its Certification of Resilience for MSPs, Standards v.1.0, the first-ever cyber resilience certification warrantied to performance outcomes and directly tied to insurance qualification.

Spectra's Certification of Resilience framework aims to address the growing gap between cybersecurity marketing and real-world risk reduction for SMEs and risk opacity from the insurer’s perspective. That means building a bridge between cybersecurity-focused channel partners and cyber insurance providers, said Edouard von Herberstein, founder and CEO of Spectra.

"Spectra was founded three years ago on the premise that cybersecurity and insurance were converging, and it became clear to me that the channel was the answer to all the insurers' problems in cyber insurance -- I believe that in my bones," von Herberstein told ChannelE2E. "So we wanted to connect channel partners and insurers and develop trust, and to do that, we certify channel partners," he said.

As in any industry, there are some good businesses, some are really good, some are exceptional, and Spectra aimed to find a way to identify and then certify those channel partners that cyber insurance companies would trust to cooperate and work with effectively, he explained.

MSPs certified under Spectra’s standards gain access to certified providers who meet resilience requirements, improving win rates and reducing friction in cyber insurance underwriting. Unlike traditional certifications that assess individuals or rely on theoretical controls, Spectra’s Certification of Resilience is company-based, not individual-focused.

"Since it's company-based, you don't have the problem of, say, an individual gets a certification, but then they leave your company for another role and you lose that expertise," von Herberstein said.

The Certification of Resilience also is tied to business outcomes and eligibility for preferred insurers: Certified MSPs become preferred and trusted partners for insurers, brokers, and SMEs. It is also warrantied; Spectra stands behind its certified providers with skin in the game—if an MSP service fails to meet the standards, Spectra refunds the service to the end customer.

Spectra gauges MSPs against industry best practices and standards that are vendor-agnostic and tailored to the services MSPs offer to their customers, said Eric Altamura, COO at Spectra.

"I'll give you a specific example of how we map it to the services that MSPs offer to their customers: If there's an organization delivering a managed backup service, which is pretty common in the industry, we would ask, 'Is that backup service adhering to the 3-2-1 principle? Do you have three instances of data, two isolated backup locations, and at least one version of that which is immutable?' And there are dozens of ways you could accomplish that from a technical perspective. So we're not being prescriptive as to how they accomplish that, just that they're adhering to the standard," he said.

Spectra Forms Cyber Risk Advisory Board

Spectra also announced the formation of the Spectra Cyber Risk Advisory Board, comprised of industry-leading practitioners, national security experts and policymakers. Spectra’s 2025 Cyber Risk Advisory Board brings together high-profile voices in cybersecurity and national defense to ensure the certification evolves alongside the threat landscape and regulatory environment.

The board is chaired by Dr. Michael Sulmeyer, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy and current professor at Georgetown University. Other members include Iranga Kahangama, Former Assistant Secretary for Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk, and Resilience at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and current Fellow at the Center for Long Term Cybersecurity at the University of California, Berkeley. Spectra is also planning to add a third boad member in the near future, Altamura said. 

“We have benefited tremendously from our advisors’ expert insight into the real threats MSPs face, which we’ve incorporated in the latest version of our standards,” said Altamura. “This program isn’t about theoretical compliance; it’s about verified performance aligned with the expectations of customers and insurers. We’re setting a new bar for what it means to be a resilient MSP and backing that with a financial guarantee. The program is designed to empower quality MSPs in the insurance marketplace that often overlooks the critical role of MSPs in providing security and resilience for businesses worldwide.”