The MSP Success Thought Leaders Program invites leaders in the small business IT/MSP industry to share their insights and advice with MSP Success readers.
This article is written by Bob Lee owner and president of CMIT Solutions of North Oakland & Walnut Creek, California
As MSP leaders, we’ve all seen the same shift play out over the last few years: Cybercriminals aren’t just targeting enterprise giants anymore. Increasingly, they’re setting their sights on the small and midsize organizations that keep global supply chains running—and by extension, the MSPs who support them.
Supply chain firms are deeply interconnected, often operating on thin margins and tight timelines, with data flowing through countless systems, vendors, and third-party apps. That makes them prime targets—and makes our job as MSPs both more critical and more complex than ever.
In my own experience, many of the new clients who come to us do so after they’ve felt the pain firsthand: a ransomware incident that stopped operations cold, a vendor compromise that exposed sensitive data, or a compliance issue that suddenly became a business risk. Our job, of course, begins with stabilizing the situation—but the real value comes when we help clients evolve from reactive to resilient.
That’s where MSPs have the chance to lead.
The Supply Chain as an Attack Surface
Supply chain clients often think about risk in physical terms: logistics breakdowns, weather events, or global shipping delays. But digital vulnerabilities within that same ecosystem can be just as damaging—and often, they’re harder to see.
Many of these organizations work as smaller nodes connected to much larger enterprises. If their digital infrastructure isn’t well-secured, they can easily become the entry point attackers exploit. For MSPs, this means we’re not just managing devices and backups—we’re protecting a vital link in a global network.
When evaluating or onboarding a new supply chain client, it’s critical to assess not just their internal setup but their entire vendor web. I’ve seen firsthand that when you don’t, you can risk partnering with a company that’s not meeting industry standards or credible. By putting in the due diligence, you’re positioned as a true risk partner, not just an IT provider. That’s something every MSP should be striving for.
SaaS: The Double-Edged Sword
For MSPs, SaaS is both an opportunity and a trap. It’s what allows our clients to move fast and stay flexible—but it’s also where many vulnerabilities hide.
I’ve seen countless cases where employees at supply chain firms sign up for unsanctioned cloud tools to “make their job easier,” inadvertently creating shadow IT environments. Without strong visibility, those apps can become blind spots filled with sensitive operational or customer data.
The fix isn’t necessarily high-tech. It’s high-discipline. Helping clients clean up these environments isn’t glamorous work, but it’s transformative. It strengthens trust and shows that we understand the operational realities of their world, not just the tech.
Hardening the Environment: Where MSPs Add Strategic Value
One misconception that businesses have—and which I often discuss with my MSP peers—is that supply chain cybersecurity requires massive budgets. In reality, what matters most is strategic sequencing: knowing what to prioritize, and in what order.
While the space is changing rapidly, there are a few imperative areas that MSPs have to emphasize above all others:
- First, verify every user and device, every time. Supply chain companies, with their multiple access points and vendor logins, can’t afford to assume trust. This may seem obvious, but I’ve seen many companies let this slip through the cracks and the results can be disastrous. Once that’s in place, multifactor authentication is also a nonnegotiable. I know staffers can get frustrated at the process here, but especially for logistics, procurement, or ERP platforms that touch critical data, this could mean protecting valuable resources when it matters the most.
- Another pain point I hear from employees is around “redundant” backups and get questions about the necessity. I stand by a comprehensive backup often to safeguard against ransomware or downtime, including remote, offline, and versioned copies. Then there are areas that are on the rise like email and phishing scams.
- Human error remains the leading breach vector across all industries—especially where employees interact daily with invoices, shipping notices, or supplier communications, so this is also an area where increased vigilance is key.
- Last, being prepared for the unexpected is paramount. Regular testing of disaster recovery and continuity plans need to be at the forefront so that when something fails, your client’s team knows exactly what to do.
These aren’t one-time projects; they’re continuous practices. When MSPs position them as part of an ongoing partnership rather than an “upsell,” it builds deeper trust and long-term retention.
Changing the Conversation from IT to Resilience
Our clients—especially those in supply chain—are realizing that cybersecurity is no longer an IT problem; it’s a business continuity issue. As MSP leaders, it’s on us to guide that mindset shift.
The more we help clients build proactive habits, the less time we’ll spend firefighting. That shift requires leadership, not just service delivery.
Some MSPs still wait for the client to experience pain before proposing major changes. But those who lead with education, who demonstrate how disruptions ripple through interconnected systems, will set themselves apart as true strategic partners.
The truth is, there’s no perfect moment to start improving cybersecurity. The longer we wait, the more exposed our clients—and our reputations—become. So start now. Review one client’s vendor network this month. Audit one SaaS stack. Run one recovery drill. Each small step compounds into a stronger defense across the entire ecosystem.
Cybersecurity for supply chain clients isn’t just about protection—it’s about preserving trust, reliability, and business continuity. That’s what defines us as MSPs. It’s how we lead. And it’s what our clients need most from us today.
