Technology Reseller v36

BUSINESS BRIEFING technologyreseller.co.uk 13 across distributed workforces, when they themselves might have limited expertise in this complex and fast changing area. One option that more and more are turning to is partnerships. Almost half (46%) of MSPs surveyed are already partnering with managed security service providers (MSSPs) to boost cyber security/ ransomware preparedness (54%); to reduce the cyber risk faced by their own businesses (47%); to gain a better understanding of security technologies (45%); to increase sales of cyber security solutions (45%); to educate their own staff through experience and exposure (35%); to provide a pathway for their transformation into an MSSP (23%); and to share cyber risk with another organisation (22%). Why Datto Another possibility is to partner with a vendor like Datto. Its flagship Unified Continuity solution for MSPs provides a comprehensive set of data protection and BCDR tools including cloud backup and disaster recovery powered by Datto’s private cloud; ransomware detection and recovery; restore options for any scenario; and protection for servers, files, PCs and SaaS applications – all backed up with expert, single vendor 24x7x365 support. Individual elements meet a range of clients needs, among them: n SIRIS – an all-in-one BCDR solution that enables normal business operations to be restored in minutes with verified backups, local and cloud virtualisation, and flexible restore options, all managed from a single pane of glass. SIRIS can be deployed as an appliance, a virtual appliance or as software-only to protect any physical, virtual, or cloud infrastructure running on Windows, Mac, or Linux. Backups are tested, scanned for ransomware, stored locally, and replicated to Datto’s cloud for as long as required; clients are either ‘moderately concerned’ (32%) or ‘somewhat concerned’ (34%). 4 IT security budgets have increased – for some. One in two MSPs say clients increased their IT security budget in 2020. While that is encouraging, MSPs will need to consider how they engage with those clients that have not increased expenditure. 5 End users are the weakest link. MSPs must persuade clients of the need for mandatory employee security training, as phishing emails continue to be the main source of ransomware attacks, cited by 54% of MSPs, followed by poor user practices, including weak passwords (see box 2). Lack of cyber training (26%) is seen as a much greater vulnerability than lack of funding for IT security solutions (8%). 6 The cost of downtime from ransomware has increased 50x in two years. The average ransom demand fell to $5,600 in 2020, which is just 30% higher than the 2018 figure. Yet, the cost of downtime from a successful attack has sky-rocketed over the same period, from $46,800 to $274,200 – an increase of almost 600%. This figure is made up of a number of factors, including the cost of reduced productivity (62%), business threatening downtime (39%), lost data or devices (28%), lower profitability (24%) and the ransom demand itself (19%). One in twenty MSPs highlighted the risk of ransomware remaining on SMBs’ systems and striking again. Justine Harris, Sales Director of UKI, Datto said: “For many MSPs, this will be the stand-out finding of this year’s report. Whether the massive hike in costs is down to MSPs getting better at calculating the true cost of business downtime, using tools like Datto’s Recovery Time and Downtime Cost Calculator, or whether it reflects the scale and sophistication of modern attacks that crawl across business networks looking for other computers, servers and even SaaS applications to infect, this compelling statistic clearly demonstrates the value of investing in a business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) solution that enable SMBs to return to normal operations as quickly as possible.” Harris added: “It is significant that nine out of 10 MSPs surveyed said that clients with BCDR solutions in place are less likely to experience significant downtime during a ransomware attack.” The power of partnerships The challenge facing many MSPs is how to meet the client requirement for data security on-premise, in the cloud and n ALTO – a plug and play, all-in-one BCDR solution for small environments, which offers the backup and recovery capabilities of SIRIS with cloud virtualisation—local failover is not available on ALTO; n SaaS Protection – for reliable and secure cloud-to-cloud backup and recovery for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), with one-click restore of emails, Calendar appointments, Conversations, Contacts, files, and Sites lost due to human error or encrypted by ransomware. n Cloud Continuity for PCs – Datto’s BCDR solution for Windows 7/Windows 10 PCs and laptops protects devices against ransomware, accidental deletion, hardware failure, theft, and other common causes of data loss. It offers appliance-free backup directly to the cloud and point-in-time rollback and restore of files, folders, applications and system configuration. MSPs can manage multiple clients and streamline deployment remotely via the Datto Partner Portal. Justine Harris, Sales Director of UKI, Datto said: “Ransomware attacks might have declined slightly last year, but as Datto’s fifth annual Global State of the Channel Ransomware Report makes clear, the cost of downtime has increased massively. To counter the risk posed by phishing emails that can avoid detection by traditional security solutions, businesses need to implement a multi-layered approach, encompassing a range of different technologies, foremost among them a robust BCDR solution to keep data safe and ensure a rapid recovery from any breach.” To find out more about Datto’s data security solutions, please click here. To download a copy of the Global State of the Channel Ransomware Report 2020, please click here. Top 10 malware threats n Ransomware (68%) n Viruses (56%) n Adware (53%) n Spyware (44%) n Remote access trojans (19%) Top 10 causes of ransomware n Phishing emails (54%) n Poor user practices/gullibility (27%) n Lack of cyber security training (26%) n Weak passwords/access management (21%) n Open RDP access (20%) – spike caused by WFH and subsided when more robust remote access solutions were put in place n Clickbait (17%) n Malicious websites (14%) n Lost/stolen user credentials (10%) n Lack of funding for IT security solutions (8%) n Lack of executive buy-in for adopting security solutions (8%) n Cryptojacking (16% - down from 31% last year) n Worms (15%) n Rootkits (13%) n Exploit kits (11%) n Keyloggers (11%)