Many companies are misguided by various cybersecurity misconceptions, making it challenging for MSPs to sell their security services. Here's how to address common myths preventing your clients and prospects from prioritizing cybersecurity and pave the way for a smooth and productive sales conversation. These cybersecurity myths may be hurting your...
Mar 13, 2024
Many companies are misguided by various cybersecurity misconceptions, making it challenging for MSPs to sell their security services. Here’s how to address common myths preventing your clients and prospects from prioritizing cybersecurity and pave the way for a smooth and productive sales conversation.
These cybersecurity myths may be hurting your sales
Here’s how to address the most common cybersecurity myths to drive sales and boost your revenue:
1. “Cybercriminals don’t target small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).”
Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Hackers increasingly target smaller companies with limited security resources as enterprises invest in advanced security technologies. Even more concerning is that 82% of ransomware attacks were against companies with fewer than 1,000 employees. Meanwhile, SMBs spend between $826 and $653,587 to address the aftermath of cybersecurity incidents.
2. “We have a firewall and antivirus software. We’re safe.”
These basic protection mechanisms are essential but only one layer of defense. They can’t identify suspicious behaviors, protect you from zero-day attacks, or predict internal threats. Organizations need a comprehensive, layered security strategy using multiple tools and practices, like 24/7/365 monitoring and AI-powered Open XDR (extended detect and response) software, to stay ahead of the game.
3. “Cybersecurity is solely an IT responsibility.”
Comprehensive protection requires all employees to adopt best practices and stay alert. Additionally, most IT departments consist of generalists already stretched thin and don’t have the specialized knowledge to implement the latest security tools and best practices. Business leaders must share the responsibility by providing the appropriate support to their IT teams.
4. “We installed security software a few years ago. We’re fine.”
Cybersecurity is not a set-it-and-forget-it exercise. You must perform ongoing updates, monitoring, and adaptation to strengthen security and protect your organization from evolving threats. It requires ongoing efforts like monthly risk assessment, intrusion detection, and vulnerability management to prevent threat actors from using new techniques to breach your infrastructure.
5. “We use strong passwords and change them often. We’re ok.”
Attackers worth their salt can breach an account with techniques like brute force, credential stuffing, and man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. A multi-layer cybersecurity strategy uses various authentication and monitoring mechanisms, such as location login notifications, identity and access management (IAM), and multi-factor authentication (MFA), to reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
6. “We have cyber insurance. We don’t need to improve our security measures.”
Cyber insurance complements security measures but doesn’t replace them. Even if it covers some (or most) of the financial losses caused by a breach, it doesn’t address the high costs associated with missed opportunities, a tarnished reputation, diminished trust, or frustrated customers. Also, you may not be able to get comprehensive coverage or have to pay a higher premium if you don’t have the appropriate security measures.
7. “We use Macs. Apple devices can’t be hacked.”
While Macs are less targeted than PCs, they aren’t immune. This false sense of security may even make you more susceptible to attacks. Organizations must implement adequate security measures to protect all devices against evolving threats. Moreover, endpoints are only one attack vector — threat actors can infiltrate your system through other means regardless of the devices you use in your company.
8. “The cloud is inherently insecure. We’ll stick with our on-premise software.”
Reputable cloud providers invest heavily in security. When properly configured, cloud solutions are typically more secure than on premises software. Additionally, ongoing cloud security monitoring of all your SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS applications like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Amazon Web Services is critical for ensuring a secure data environment.
9. “Our employees are tech-savvy. They won’t fall for phishing attacks.”
Phishing attacks are increasingly sophisticated — criminals use AI tools to evolve their campaigns and evade detection. Besides ongoing training to help employees recognize the latest threats, you must implement a layered security approach using AI-driven technologies to analyze logs, detect anomalous activities, and automate responses to contain attacks immediately.
10. “We achieved compliance a couple of years ago. We’re safe.”
Meeting compliance requirements is essential but doesn’t guarantee complete security. Most regulations provide general directives without dictating the tools and techniques companies should deploy to achieve compliance. Today’s threat landscape evolves rapidly, and you must implement the latest security stack and processes to address emerging threats and maintain compliance.
11. “We don’t have to worry about mobile devices.”
The rise of the work-from-anywhere culture and the increasing use of mobile devices make smartphones and tablets attractive targets. These endpoints significantly increase an organization’s attack surface, giving criminals numerous opportunities to infiltrate a network. Companies must implement proper access control, endpoint monitoring, and intrusion detection mechanisms to secure their infrastructure.
12. “Cybersecurity tools and services are too expensive for SMBs. We’ll take our chances.”
The cost of a cyber breach is often higher than preventive measures. Extended downtime, loss of customer trust and business, a tarnished reputation, fines, and legal consequences can be devastating — 60% of small businesses that became victims of a cyber attack went out of business within six months. There are cost-effective measures SMBs can deploy to protect their infrastructure without the enterprise price tag.
13. “Cybersecurity is only a concern for certain industries.”
While some sectors that handle personal identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive data (e.g. tech, healthcare, and finance) have strict compliance standards, it doesn’t mean other industries aren’t susceptible to cyber threats. Organizations must understand industry-specific risks and partner with security professionals with the appropriate expertise to implement robust cybersecurity measures.
Sell your cybersecurity services with ease
Addressing your prospects’ pain points, goals, and objections is critical to selling more cybersecurity services. However, many MSPs don’t have the in-house sales and marketing resources to drive sales and maximize revenue effectively.
You don’t have to go it alone.
enhanced.io’s exclusive partner program provides all the sales and marketing resources you need to promote your cybersecurity services. We’ll guide you through package design, pricing, positioning, proposal writing, and more. Learn more and get in touch to see how we can help you supercharge cybersecurity sales.
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