Cyber security resellers: More than a reseller
Never more so has there been a need for cyber security resellers to be trusted advisors, says Robbie Upcroft, McAfee Asia Pacific sales manager, SMB and Distribution.
On a weekly, daily and even second-by-second basis, cyber- criminals find new ways to bypass organisations and get their hands on digital ‘valuables’ – be it account details, sensitive corporate data or passwords that can be sold to the highest bidder.
The landscape is constantly changing and businesses need the right tools and expert advice to navigate this landscape in 2014.
The McAfee Labs Threats Report: Third Quarter 2013 identified the latest wave of efforts from cybercriminals, highlighting developments that both organisations and security experts need to consider, such as signed malware, hacktivism and mobile threats.
This is why channel partners are crucial in helping customers protect against attacks before they happen in today’s ultra-connected digital age.
The volume and sophistication of malware and ransomware is not only a problem for large corporations, but also small to medium operators who are targeted because they don’t have robust security defence.
With increasingly mobile workforces and cloud-based operations, many are unsure what to do about security, but the message is getting through that antivirus software is not enough to protect their business.
SaaS growth
In 2012/13, the New Zealand security market was expected to grow up to 16% according to the McAfee Market Sizing Report, as businesses realised the very real threat posed by cyber-criminals and turned to security providers for advice on how to strengthen their defence against potential attacks.
Most of the growth in New Zealand security reseller market is predicted to come from security software-as-a-service, which is growing at 18% (compound annual growth rate through to 2017).
Resellers can help their customers implement SaaS solutions that protect against viruses, spyware, web threats, and other attacks on PCs, laptops, and file servers, and free their IT staff from complex deployments, upgrades and securitymanagement.
As business owners look to make better decisions about risk, liability, budgets and security strategy in 2014, security providers have an opportunity to be more than a reseller and become a trusted partner and advisor, offering expert advice and quick, nimble service to effectively protect their customers against cybercrime.
