The MSPVerse – Weekly Managed Services News and Analysis for the Week Ending March 11, 2022

My opinion and analysis of the week’s news and events in a succinct summary format. Feel free to comment.
Google buys Mandiant
Is Google entering the managed security services market? It could be that the acquisition was simply to bolster its security on internal platform products such as Google Workplace. Of course, it could be a prelude to other managed services offerings of its own, or a channel play.
90% of MSPs Hit by Cyber Attack
Sound too incredible to be true? According to N-able, during the last 18th months 9 out of 10 MSPs experienced a “successful” cyberattack. While the article does not say what constitutes a successful cyberattack, the article (and the study) are worth looking at. I applaud N-able for their candor in calling out this statistic for what it is. Whether these are real MSPs, that is another story altogether.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/msps-hit-successful-cyber-attack/
Have MSPs Hit the Salary Wall?
We will be covering this topic very closely in the coming months. As we have seen skyrocketing wages and inflation in the US, particularly in the tech sector, MSPs may be finding a way around paying unusually high prices for staff.
This episode of MSPZone covers some interesting observations that may be a very good sign for MSP business owners.
https://mspalliance.com/have-msps-hit-the-salary-wall/
Are MSPs Facing a Propaganda War?
Another interesting conversation with an MSP led to this episode. A lot of misinformation has been circulating in the last couple of years around managed services and I think I know the reason why. Take a listen and come to your own conclusions.
https://mspalliance.com/are-msps-facing-a-propaganda-war/
CMMC Lowers the Bar for Compliance
CMMC 2.0 may be a good standard but it is not a great concept for driving compliance or best practices. The problem? Same as Fed Ramp. Don’t remember Fed Ramp? Don’t worry, it never caught on.
This article goes into pretty good detail about how CMMC is changing and why. Take a look.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/03/09/dod-cmmc-2-0/?web_view=true
Maryland Ready to Take Action Against Cyber Threats
Following several other states, Maryland appears ready to take action to curb the rise of cyberattacks within the state. Officials said there are several legislative packages already being developed.
While I would characterize these legislative measures as necessary, it appears they are not yet mentioning MSPs by name. Most of the proposed legislation seems to focus around creating stronger collaborative ties between state and county governments. We will be monitoring this for any further developments.
https://www.securityweek.com/maryland-officials-outline-package-tighten-cybersecurity