MSP 1337 | Cybersecurity Education & Security Guidance

I don't think there are any MSPs who aren't dealing with backups of data for their clients, whether it is for onsite data or cloud services it has become par for the course.  In this episode I sit down with Charles Love of ShowTech Solutions to talk about pitfalls and obstacles we face with our clients when trying to appropriately size and position a BCDR solution.  We even talk about th...

Security and Compliance go hand in hand, but we live in a world where cybersecurity obligations are still driven by what our clients might require of us.  You don't have to become an MSSP to prioritize cybersecurity in our own businesses and our clients.  We don't have to be experts in cybersecurity controls, but you need to participate and guide your clients on the controls they need to...

Power outages, slow internet, ransomware, and many other scenarios cause a finger to get pointed at someone.  I know I have had a few fingers pointed at me and I know that I have also done my own share of finger pointing.  In recent discussions with other MSPs I came to the following conclusion... Finger Pointing doesn't help!   Eric Hanson of Inland Productivity and I sit down to d...

With T-Mobile, AT&T, and now even Microsoft reporting breaches questions start to come up as to what can be done.  Why is this happening? Don't these companies focus on securing our information?  I have also noticed that many of the answers coming from these large companies is a bit cold and lacks any real empathy towards their customers who have now become potential victims. Join me...

We have all had an opportunity to work with a Microsoft product or two in our careers.  This week I sit down with Charles Love to recap some recent O365 challenges we both faced and better prepared for future migrations, upgrades, and enhancements.  Cybersecurity and O365 don't play nice out of the gate with each other, but that doesn't mean we can't get it locked down appropriately. &nb...

It seems we have covered different cybersecurity frameworks and the challenges MSPs face to become compliant, but until now we haven't talked specifically about HIPAA compliance.  As an MSP you might find that you are a Business Associate and not knowing doesn't let you off the hook. Join Bryan Sullo and me as he fires questions about HIPAA compliance and I try to answer as many of them as I...

It seems that more often than not we talk about Cyber Insurance.  The last two episodes we talked specifically about risk and going back to December 2020, Episode 8 , we talked about cyber insurance and ransomware with Frank Bauer of Vade Security.  A recent voicemail from Eric Hansen of Inland Productivity Solutions prompted a discussion around Cyber Insurance.  Here are the key di...

Last we we discussed client risk and even a bit about our own risks.  Throughout our discussion I kept thinking we need a way to score our prospective or existing clients to help determine those that bring us more risk.  There is one person I know that is meticulous in how he manages the onboarding process and so I am happy to say Charles Love is back to give us some tips on how to creat...

Most of us can relate to a client grading system. We grade client's prompt bill payments, how they treat our techs, demands, or requests that sometimes seem outlandish or impossible. In our ever-changing world of managed services, we are now layering on security service offerings that have potential consequences that may include ourselves when declined. Join me this week as I sit down with Jim Har...

If you haven't seen the NIST definition of Zero Trust, then you have come to the right episode.  I sit down with Bryan Sullo of Clock Tower Technologies to discuss what Zero Trust really means to those of us who operate in the realm of an MSP.  As we go in circles on zero trust, we begin to unpack the cybersecurity stack and compare it to balancing a checkbook.  I'm not sure we have the fu...

Do you ever feel like you aren't the expert?  You are meeting with a prospect or an existing client, and you suddenly doubt your abilities... If you have ever been there and felt like you were just weren't good enough and what do the clients or prospects think when we don't have an answer.   Join me as I sit down with Joshua Smith, former business partner, and a cybersecurity expert hims...

Starting with Communication and what is appropriate?  We will discuss the different types of communication and when they should be used to have effective communication.  When to use Chat, when to use email, when to use phones, and text messaging.  This leads us down the path for incident response and other more urgent communications are getting to the right person and read. I sit do...

As the podcast series has grown to more than 30 episodes it is starting to feel like  Deja vu.  We have topics to choose from that will likely go on indefinitely but is there a pattern to this madness as we work together to go on the offensive.  The threat actors are still getting away with huge ransoms tied to poorly implemented configurations, protections not properly installed al...

Is there hope in the fight against ransomware?  In this week's episode, I sit down with Greg Edwards of CryptoStopper to discuss ransomware and other exciting topics.  It is long past due that we get proactive and take the fight to the bad guys.  There is hope and it isn't a single product or service but more an approach.  If you haven't met Greg Edwards you are in for a treat...

Recently Common Controls Framework put out a survey that asked respondents questions about how well they know the people in their client's companies and the people that work there. I thought I would really like to understand what went behind the questions and what the survey results looked like... So I reached out to Dorian Cougias, CEO and founder of Common Controls Framework. After several conve...

A recent post on Linkedin asked whether you do Table Top Exercises internally or with your clients?  It hit me right between the eyes.  We talk about the need to do them, and I am guilty of not getting past the conversation stage, so I decided to sit down with the guy who posted the question.   Join me this week as I sit down with Art Gross of Breach Secure Now to talk about tableto...

This week I sit down with a former student, Matthew Schroeder, to talk about his take on cybersecurity.  What inspired him to pursue a path in cybersecurity and the opportunities that await.  While we do go down a rabbit hole or two, it is important to know that we are really focused on sharing our cybersecurity passions and answering some questions around automation and people.  Di...

People and Privacy, From one office of twenty or thirty employees to twenty offices of one employee per home office.  2020 was difficult for all of us as we adapted to new working conditions both at home (most of us) and at the office or school, where you might have to follow vastly different protocols to stay safe.   This week I am joined by Raffi Jamgotchian of Triada Networks to talk...

Over the past twenty-plus episodes, we inevitably get around to talking about people. In episode 22, "Cybersecurity Still Comes Down To People", only reinforces the need to hear what my guest, Craig Taylor of Cyberhoot has to say.  We talk about educating the unwilling when it comes to cybersecurity but it is so much bigger than that.  Join us as we discuss the finer points of vendors wh...

Last week we talked about vendor evaluation from an MSP perspective and this week we talk about it from a client or end-user perspective. Join me as I sit down with Jon Munford of New London Community School District to continue the vendor evaluation discussion.  It may come as no surprise but there are three checklist times that are an exact match with last week's episode.  Thanks again...

In this two-part series we are taking a look at vendor evaluation from the perspective of an MSP and then next week we will look at it from the perspective of a client.  While checklists are important one thing that comes up frequently is to make sure that when evaluating a vendor that you are in the right state of mind.  What problems are you trying to solve? Is this a need or a want? &...

Having gaps in your cybersecurity is inevitable, but plugging gaps with products and services doesn't necessarily make you more secure. It may put your business at a greater risk of compromise.  I had the opportunity to sit down this week with Rick Mischka of Short Arm Solutions and one of The Cyber Pro Podcast hosts to talk about some of the emerging trends from the many interviews on their...

Policies are a hot topic as insurance companies ask to see them, clients of clients ask to see them and even our peers are asking to see what policies we might have in place.  Join me this week as I sit down with Joe Ambrosole of Net Connect as we discuss the importance of having policies and how to overcome some of the biggest obstacles as we work through them to get employees' and even clie...

Sitting down with Marcus J. Ranum, Author of "The Myth of Homeland Security" and credited with a number of innovations in firewalls and intrusion detection systems, as well as being a co-founder at Tenable.  We take a look at some of his predictions that date back to 2004 and earlier.  We also look at Cybersecurity through the lens of reliable systems.  If the system can be relied o...

Whether you are required to adhere to regulatory compliance or have voluntarily picked a framework to map your cybersecurity strategy and you inevitably come to crossroads with a vulnerability assessment or a penetration test. Join me this week as I sit down with Kenneth May of Swift Chip Inc. as we dissect when it is appropriate to go beyond a vulnerability assessment.  The repercussions of...