There was lots of new data released this week that MSPs can use to help with decision making around business strategies and services. Service Leadership’s Compensation Report found that top-performing MSPs are paying employee LESS than bottom performers. The SaaS Application Security Insights (SASI) Report from SaaS Alerts identified opportunities for MSPs to fill cybersecurity gaps for their SMB customers. And Kaseya’s MSP Benchmark Report revealed how cybersecurity, AI, and automation are impacting MSPs’ opportunities and workflow.
Here’s some other channel news that MSP Success doesn’t want you to miss.
People
Syncro Names MSP Veteran Dee Zepf as Chief Product Officer
Newly appointed Syncro CEO Michael George has named fellow Continuum alumna Dee Zepf as chief product officer to spearhead product strategy and development initiatives. During her tenure at Continuum, Zepf was VP of product and partner success.
Prior to joining Syncro, Zepf served as VP of product at Sense, and before that she was senior vice president of product at Hydrow, overseeing the software product strategy and user experience. Earlier in her career, Zepf served as senior director of product management at Care.com, IBM, and Bowstreet where she led product management for high growth product lines.
“Dee was the visionary behind Continuum’s Intellimon product, which leveraged AI to enhance technician efficiency and automate issue resolution,” said George, in a press statement. “Her leadership will be instrumental as we continue to innovate and empower MSPs with cutting-edge technology.”
Partner Programs
Barracuda Enhances Its Global Partner Program
Barracuda Networks, a provider of cloud-first security solutions, announced enhancements to its Partner Success Program, which it launched in December 2023.
The enhancements include new discounts and rebates for top-tier partners and the expansion of internal offerings to create more opportunities for partners to maximize their revenue. The new rebate program is structured around the customer success framework of the LAER model: land, adoption, expansion, and retention and renewal. In addition, newly redesigned compensation models aim to support long-term business growth for partners by putting them in a better position to recruit new customers and enable and secure their businesses, according to the company.
Finally, Barracuda is providing access to four new partner technical certification courses and expanded technical enablement resources. This includes making it easier for partners to build customized, trackable links to the Barracuda Email Threat Scanner and access reporting on their customer scans.
Partnerships and Alliances
FutureSafe Adds Cork Cyber Warranty to Heimdal Solutions
FutureSafe, a managed security service provider (MSSP) for MSPs, and the U.S. distributor of Heimdal’s unified security platform, is partnering with cyber warranty company Cork. Through the partnership, FutureSafe will bundle Cork’s cyber warranty with the Heimdal platform. FutureSafe is the exclusive U.S. distributor for Heimdal.
“The success of our partners is everything,” said Jason Whitehurst, founder and CRO of FutureSafe, in a press statement. “One of our long-held dreams has been to enable MSPs to protect their SMB customer’s technology investments from malicious compromise while at the same time ensuring business survival following a breach or attack. Heimdal is a single-agent, single-console cybersecurity offering that provides full asset security coverage. … Now, with Cork, this unique solution is protected with a game-changing warranty.”
CrowdStrike Falcon XDR Will Now Include Dell MDR Services
Dell Technologies and CrowdStrike are expanding their partnership to deliver Dell’s Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services with the AI-native CrowdStrike Falcon XDR platform. Dell MDR is now available for global customers with the CrowdStrike Falcon XDR Platform as a direct solution and through channel partners.
Markets
Global PC Shipments to Grow 2% in 2024
Led by the arrival of AI PCs and the start of a commercial refresh cycle, the global PC market is forecast to grow 2% this year, according to IDC. The market research firm expects shipments to reach 265.4 million units. With the availability of AI PCs, IDC expects an annual CAGR of 2.4% through 2028. Commercial PCs will represent the majority of shipments.
SASE Market Grows 31% to over $8 Billion
Market research company Dell’Oro Group’s 4Q 2023 SASE and SD-WAN Quarterly Report reveals that the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) market grew 31% to $8.4 billion. Driving the growth, according to Dell’Oro, is the increasing necessity for secure cloud and remote work solutions.
The six leading SASE vendors—Zscaler, Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Symantec/Broadcom, Fortinet, and Netskope—accounted for 65% of the market revenue, according to the report, highlighting a consolidation trend and suggesting the market’s move towards maturity.
“As enterprises worldwide navigate the complexities of remote work and cloud integration, the preference for comprehensive SASE solutions becomes more pronounced,” said Mauricio Sanchez, senior research director, enterprise networking and security, at Dell’Oro Group, in a press statement. “The market growth in 2023 highlights the importance of SASE in modern cybersecurity strategies and reflects the industry’s confidence in these platforms to provide robust, scalable protection.”
At the same time, the report finds a slowdown in the SD-WAN market, growing 28% this year to surpass $3 billion. That’s down from the past six years of over 30% growth.
Services
MSPAlliance Rolls Out New Tools For Its Cyber Verify Compliance Program
MSPAlliance, a global industry association and certification body for the cybersecurity, cloud computing, and MSP industry, added new tools to its Cyber Verify compliance program for MSPs and cloud providers.
Cyber Verify, built by MSPs exclusively for MSPs, is a program designed to help MSPs achieve compliance, gain MSP operational maturity, improve cybersecurity, and deliver compliance-as-a-service (CaaS) solutions.
New features include an assessment tool, multitenant and MSP managed controls, built-in CaaS and vCIO support, updated framework mappings, capabilities for tracking External Service Providers, and a white labeling option.
The CaaS enhancements introduce a new Managed Control system, facilitating seamless integration of end-user customer controls with MSP-delivered controls. This integration simplifies the documentation, testing, and securing of the supply chain connecting the two organizations.
