Nowadays, businesses can no longer afford to relegate cybersecurity to the bottom of the budget. Especially not with the increasing number of cyberattacks, targeting any business regardless of size, security, and privacy regulations surrounding data. What is an MSP and how can it help business owners with their cybersecurity? Here’s why small business cyber security consulting is capital.

What is an MSP and what does MSP stand for?

MSP stands for “Managed Service Provider”. Commonly called “MSP Companies” or “MSP consultants”,  such IT professionals deliver computer support services such as server management, network support cybersecurity, application implementation, and infrastructure management via regularly scheduled managed IT services.

MSPs are especially advantageous for small and medium-sized businesses as they provide companies with a wide range of IT services without requiring the budget for a full team of developers. Indeed, when it comes to MSP cybersecurity, businesses with a small or limited budget have the advantage of partnering with a managed IT services provider (MSP) rather than having to develop a more expensive in-house IT department. Small business cyber security consulting is therefore facilitated and provides many benefits.

Why is the need for cyber security managed services more urgent than ever, and why is an MSP security the intelligent business choice?

Cybersecurity attacks on SMBs – The statistics

SMBs are prime targets for hackers since they see these organizations — which have less security and fewer resources compared to enterprises — as easy marks.

While accounting for 43% of yearly cyber attacks, only 14% of SMBs have a cybersecurity plan in plan in 2023 according to Astra Security. Only 28% of these SMBs evaluated their ability to mitigate threats, vulnerabilities, and attacks as highly effective. 58% of SMBs in the study experienced a data breach in the last year. We can only imagine the data for this year what with constant news of data leaks from major companies.

Most SMBs said attacks against their companies had severe financial consequences. Among them an average of $1.43 million because of the damage or breach of IT resources was spent. Disruption to operations also cost an average of $1.56 million.

With more frequent cyberattacks and increasing consequences, no doubt small and large companies alike need to prepare themselves for this new type of warfare. And MSP cybersecurity consulting definitely have a role to play in your business.

Which Cyber-attacks do you need to protect yourself from

So what types of cyberattacks are the most frequent? According to the study, the order from most to least common cyberattacks are:

  • Phishing/social engineering
  • Compromised/stolen devices
  • Denial of services
  • Advanced malware/zero day attacks
  • SQL injection
  • Malicious insider
  • Cross-site scripting

As you can tell, there is a wide range of cyber-attacks you need to protect yourself from, and simply having a strong password is not enough to ward off hackers nowadays, hence the need for a professional cyber security managed services provider.

Benefits of Cyber Security Services

Comprehensive protection

One of the main benefits of using MSP consultants for cybersecurity is the comprehensive protection against threats, especially for small businesses. MSPs typically offer a range of cybersecurity services such as monitoring, threat detection, and response, as well as regular security assessments to ensure that all vulnerabilities are addressed.

Expertise

By outsourcing cybersecurity to an MSP, small businesses can access the expertise of trained professionals who specialize in this area, without the need to invest in expensive in-house resources.

Cost-effectiveness

MSPs can also provide a more cost-effective solution, as businesses can choose the level of protection they require and pay only for the services they need. According to business.com, the average impact of data breach on organizations with fewer than 500 employees is $3.31 millions. Relying on managed security services can therefore represent savings when compared to the risk of suffering from a cyber attack.

Overall, small business cyber security consulting can offer peace of mind knowing that all critical data and systems are being monitored and protected around the clock by experts in the field.

Why MSP consulting and managed IT services?

Partnering with a cybersecurity MSP is the most effective way to prevent attacks and protect your business from these malicious threats. cyber security managed services usually include a full range of proactive IT managed services that focus on advanced cybersecurity, such as around-the-clock monitoring, data encryption, and backup, real-time threat prevention and elimination, network and firewall protection, security awareness training, and more.

Not only that but because managed IT services are designed to identify and fix weak spots in your IT infrastructure, you’ll optimize the digital backbone of your business processes. You’ll have faster network performance, enhanced business continuity, and disaster recovery strategy, as well as minimal downtime. One of the best things about MSP consulting and managed services is that you get a dedicated team of IT strategy consultants ready to assist you for any technical problems you may encounter. A cyber security managed services provider is much more effective and budget-friendly than having in-house personnel handling all your IT issues.

Being proactive when it comes to cybersecurity is the only way to protect what you’ve worked hard to build. If you’d like to know more about how MSP consultants and IT managed services can benefit your business, just give us a call, we’re sure to help.