We launched phase one of our cybersecurity channel partner ecosystem at the recent IOTSSA Cybersecurity Conference on October 26, 2022, with the goal of resolving the channel’s cybersecurity quandary.
It included four major components of the ecosystem:
- Channel Partners’ Cybersecurity Marketplace
– Explore, discover, and apply to become a partner with verified cybersecurity solutions.
– Create multi-vendor deal registrations and proposals then easily flip into orders with provisioning and management.
– Customize the same online marketplace under your own brand name to sell to your clients.
- Real-time market research platform to survey your customers as often as you like
– Understand what they are looking for.
– Adjust your solution portfolio to meet their demands.
– Expand deeper and wider within each client.
- Content Feed AND Marketing Automation Platform
– Without proper content for end-user consumption, demand generation is lost. Our editorial content team with vendor support will generate a growing library of high-value original content.
– Prospects can be targeted by email and social media with drag and drop content.
– Send prospects personalized content based on real-time market research data.
– Drive traffic to any call-to-action, such as learn more, talk to someone, buy now on your private-label marketplace.
- Peer groups and business tools
– Join an exclusive peer group of up to eight people.
– Utilize tools to help improve your business and benchmark best practices.
– Access masterclasses, coaches, and other business educational content.
These four platforms will have every member quickly up and running to improve their business on several levels. Members can select any or all the components to meet their specific needs.
The conference tackled many big questions on Cybersecurity in the channel…
How could anyone possibly know what they don’t know?
It’s a simple question, but one worth asking. When this mindset is combined with a solid cybersecurity framework, such as Sounil Yu’s (The Cyber Defense Matrix), you will have a solid foundation on which to build. Sounil outlined this framework at the IOTSSA Cybersecurity Conference. Simply put, this can help any MSP/MSSP to quickly understand their client’s cyber defense posture and be able to effectively articulate the risks to their customers. You may want to read a copy of his book. Everyone in attendance received a FREE hard copy!
Matt Lee also discussed the numerous challenges facing channel partners in getting up to speed in their cybersecurity posture and offering. It was a riveting 45-minute discussion with lots of tips for the audience. While the issues can be daunting, Mike suggested that you do your best to take care of today and then tackle tomorrow. A good plan today is better than a perfect plan in the future!
The deck is stacked in favor of hackers. Hackers will continue to win this game in the near future because they have figured out how to stay one step ahead of the defenses and extort money from anyone. They don’t need a gun to force you to hand over money, and cryptocurrency allows for quick and anonymous collection. A heist that can be carried out thousands of miles away without the use of a weapon, disguises or a getaway vehicle.
The value of cybercrime has already surpassed that of illicit drugs. What will happen when hackers begin to leverage AI, Quantum Computing, and Blockchain in the future?
Everyone must own the responsibility to protect themselves and their businesses from cyber attacks.
The perfect cyber storm continues…A panel of cybersecurity experts discussed the challenges testing the strength of your current level of protection. While the average of PEN testing seems to be once per year to once per quarter, it’s probably not enough. We explored the possibility of a 24/7/365 PEN testing service.
Everyone is aware that the pandemic has accelerated businesses’ digital transformation to hyper-speed with a widely dispersed workforce. When you consider the current rise of the Internet of Things as a result of 5G, it’s easy to see why the problem will continue to become exponentially more complicated. In short, much more attack vectors!
If you have all of the resources (people, tools, and processes) at your disposal, you should be fine. However, the vast majority of SMB businesses simply do not have the resources to mount an effective defense. Most experts will tell you that even basic security hygiene is not being implemented on a large scale.
This panel of experts discussed the best ways for channel partners to grow their cybersecurity managed services. Their advice was highly valuable and all channel partners could learn something. We dug into this topic for 45 minutes. We will feature more highlights in upcoming articles and MasterChats.
Our primary focus at this event and for building the cybersecurity ecosystem is to assist channel partners who are assigned with the difficult task of protecting their clients and themselves to do better. Simply put, we are building a strong channel partner ecosystem for those interested in cybersecurity managed services.
The Lions’ Den was fun! (Vendors had 3 minutes to make their pitch.) DataStream was the winner of the Lions’ Den. Redstor took home the Best In Show Award, while Webroot won Best Security Education and the Best Security Solution went to Hornetsecurity.
The event was jam-packed with lots of high-value content and experts on building and scaling cybersecurity services. Check out the full agenda at https://www.iotssa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Lancaster-Agenda-Oct-2022v12.pdf
Stay tuned because there is a lot more to come on the ecosystem and events…
How to get started today:
Begin by registering for the IOTSSA community at www.iotssa.com. It’s completely free to join, and you’ll gain access to some fantastic resources and events. Consider attending one of the eight events we have planned for 2023 to get a first-hand look.
If you like what you see and want to take this to the next step, request a membership prospectus on the IOTSSA channel partner ecosystem. This next level of membership is not free. Details are available in the prospectus.
This was our first event we did since the acquisition of IOTSSA and we are already building more into next events. Lancaster was a smaller market but it’s part of our overall mission to bring cybersecurity conferences to more regions that are less serviced by the industry. It’s important for local channel partners to show their support to the sponsoring vendors to ensure they continue to invest in their local markets.
We look forward to making this event one of your favorite “watering holes” in your cybersecurity journey. In combination with our newly released ecosystem for cybersecurity channel partners, it’s going to be epic. A very big thank-you to all the vendors who supported and the channel partners for attending – your feedback was so valuable!
Next stop will be Phoenix on Feb 16-17, 2023 with already over 150 registrations! Watch for the full agenda when posted in December and register to save your seat now at https://www.iotssa.com/cybersecurity-expo-phoenix/
Always good to hang out with our channel friends with a few beverages :o)!
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