Episodes

Cyber insurance questionnaires are a dime a dozen these days, yet our ability to correctly answer the questions can still be daunting. A Yes/No question doesn't have a Yes/No Answer. You want to answer truthfully, and you also want to ensure that you get the coverage you need. Join me as I sit down with Jim Harryman of Kinetic Group to find some approaches to answering these questions that are both truthful and at the heart of the question's intent...

Over the years the role of an Account manager has evolved and taken on many different names (vcio, BSM, vCTO etc.). Today I sit down with Mike Stewart of Anchor Networks to discuss how much this role has changed. Cybersecurity plays a big role in planning and identifying gaps within a prospect or existing client that it can be a daunting endeavor. Join us as we provide some guidance for any vCIO to be successful in discussing cybersecurity with prospective and existing clients.

We all no there is no magic bullet when it comes to cybersecurity but that doesn't mean it has to be complicated either. I sit down with Eric Hanson of Inland Productivity Solutions to talk about Incident Management, Incident Response and many more plans, policies and programs that are often reduced to acronyms that get very confusing. One of the key things we talk about is getting to the root of the questions our clients, insurance companies and our client's clients are asking before we try to ...

Each week we focus on cybersecurity and there is no shortage of topics. This week I sat down with Nelson Gomes of Medicus IT to discuss HIPAA compliance and Mergers and Acquisitions. As we onboard new clients or deal with clients who are going through M&A then you will definitely want to tune in. We talk about the need for Security Risk Assessments (SRA) and the risks associated with ingesting a new client.

Over the past few weeks, Governance, Business Basics, and Vendor Sprawl have had one standard and constant theme... We all feel like we are drinking from a firehose. We all know we need to focus on governance, risk, and compliance, but we all suffer paralysis analysis. Chad Holstead of BKS and I had a great discussion about getting started with cybersecurity governance. We are all drinking from the firehose; as our conversation progresses, we quickly conclude that we are better together than alo...

We have all implemented tools with the intent to solve or address all kinds of different challenges. After they have been implemented, are they working as expected? I sit down with Brian Weiss of ITECH Solutions to talk about just that. We covered a lot of ground regarding getting tools dialed in and where they need SOC services, and additional layers of security might require 3rd party resources. We also uncovered that not all clients make sense to onboard with today's threat landscape. Surpri...

We recently started a journey down a path that talks about Governance for SMB, picking the right tools/software to run your MSP, and of course, don't forget you can only pick just one... This week I had the opportunity to sit down with Jessica Millhiser of J Mills Consulting to talk about business fundamentals. Almost all of our episodes have focused on Cybersecurity, and I had an aha moment over the weekend; you can't have a security-first mindset if you don't have the fundamentals dialed in. I...

We often take for granted the products and services we use to help reduce overhead and Full-Time Resources (FTE). I sit down with Ismael Amado of IT Ninjas to talk about starting a new MSP right before a pandemic and how important a security-first approach is. Just because the products and services you use aren't associated with cybersecurity doesn't mean they don't directly impact your cybersecurity maturity.

Almost every time I do a security maturity assessment I find that companies are the least mature in Governance. The areas that seem to need the most attention are Policy and Compliance which is to be expected since that is the area we least like to focus on. In this episode, Sarah O'Kelley from onShore Security and I discuss the differences between governance and leadership and how cybersecurity plays into the leadership and health of an organization.

As we prepare for 2022 and the opportunities and challenges it is sure to bring I thought we should take a minute to focus on people. Consumers vs employees, two sides of the same coin, but very different parameters placed on how they interact with the digital world. Join me as I discuss People, Processes, and products, and services with a focus on people. This is a bonus episode as we wrap up the year. Thanks to Joshua Smith of Varonis for taking the time out of his busy schedule to share. I'd...

I think everyone at this point has heard someone talk about Log4j. Even my 8th grader has heard about it as it was featured on CNN10. This week we are doing a special episode featuring Ryan Weeks, in-house CISO for Datto. This is an episode that every MSP should listen to as it focuses on what MSPs should be doing as it pertains to log4j. How an MSP can be proactive and reduce their threat surface and more importantly create a culture within their company to build out vulnerability management an...

Do you ever wonder if you have too many layers in your security stack? Is it possible you have an overlap between one or more of your existing products? While Charles Love and I might have created more questions than answers I think you will find some great suggestions on how to ensure you are managing your security services stack well. Change is hard for all of us but in an evolving threat landscape, we need to be prepared for change!

In our quest to provide the best services to our staff and our clients, it is easy to get caught up trying to solve very large problems. I think we are programmed that way as we like the feeling when we overcome those big challenges. I discuss with Jim Harryman of Kinetic Technology Group how what may seem insignificant or small can directly improve the cybersecurity posture of the infrastructure we are responsible for. Thanks to Eric Hanson of Inland Productivity Solution and a few other unname...

The month of November has focused on incremental changes that MSPs can make to improve their security posture. I sit down with Jay Tipton to discuss why joining a peer group is one of those incremental changes. If you know Jay you know he has been through a lot this last year. The combined consumption of energy drinks (cases) and countless hours (over 500) invested in recovering from ransomware has given Jay some great insights and wisdom to share with all MSPs.

What if you could only pick three security products/services to include in your offering? I sit down with Charles Love of Showtech Solutions to discuss the three picks. Surprise alert... We don't pick the same three.

We are all dealing with objections when it comes to convincing our clients to take cybersecurity seriously. I sit down with Eric Hanson of Inland Productivity Solutions to discuss the opportunities and challenges of positioning cybersecurity products and services with new and existing clients. Join us as we address some of the top objections.

Now that we are in week two of the cybersecurity program we thought it would be helpful for MSPs to have something that they can map their program too. I sit down with Jim Harryman of Kinetic Technology Group to discuss their journey to baseline security with SOC-2 and other frameworks that can help MSPs of all sizes be successful with their cybersecurity maturity journey. Our goals are to give any MSP a level of confidence with supporting evidence of their cybersecurity maturity growth.

Paralysis Analysis are commonplace among MSPs, Businesses large and small when it comes to taking on Cybersecurity. As we come off Cybersecurity awareness month we are tackling cybersecurity and incremental approach to implementing a cybersecurity program. Join me as I discuss a where to start approach with Charles Love of Showtech Solutions.

After we talked about the pre/post-boom I thought we should cover the security services side of being an MSP. Join me with Joshua Smith of Varonis as we talk about understanding what it is that we are trying to protect. Do we understand the risks? Are we talking to the right stakeholders? We are now in season two and just in time for the holidays... Do you know where your data is? Do you have the right tools in place? Thanks to our sponsor MSP-Ignite for making this episode and all of Cybersecu...

What have you done to prepare for ransomware or other incidents that can cause repercussions that impact your business? Do you have a plan in place for post-boom or after an event has happened? This week I am joined again by Eric Hanson of Inland Productivity Solutions to discuss Protect and Detect. What are the tools and services in place for protecting yourself and your client?

Businesses come in all shapes and sizes, and when it comes to cybersecurity, there is no one size fits all. I sit down with William Mulcahey of M6 Managed IT to discuss what it means as a smaller MSP. Some good questions, and while not all of the questions necessarily have answers any of us want to hear, hopefully, it gives some guidance on where to start.

Sitting down with Jeremiah Grossman of Bit Discovery and Jeffrey Smith of Cyber Risk Underwriters to talk about the need to have cyber insurance. What it covers and how relatively inexpensive it is compared to not having coverage at all. Advocating for everyone to buy insurance (cyber insurance). Knowing that the cost of insurance in many cases is far less expensive than trying to satisfy one more security control. Looking at the risk and probability will help you determine how much coverage you...

A few weeks back I attended Blue Team Con in Chicago. Based on one fo the sessions that discussed the culture challenges and shortages of qualified candidates I asked the founders of Blue Team Con to join me to discuss the challenges of finding talent and what to look for. Why are hacker (hoodies) conferences always filled by young people? Why are other events that focus more on the blue team security defense side attended by those in business attire (suits) and seem to be an older age group? Th...

We recently talked about BCDR and making sure there is a plan in place that is communicated. It felt like we left a few things out so this week I sat down with Charles Love again to hash out some of the procedures. Join us as we discuss Tolerance, Expectations, and Categorical identifiers and how each have their own deliverables to ensure the best outcome for all involved. No internet for 15 minutes? No Power for 2 hours? What happens if the power is going to be out for 4 hours or all day? Just ...