Technology at the Forefront

Many companies are finding that the technology projects that were put on hold, or on the back burner, have moved up to the top of the list of priorities.  This is happening for a variety of reasons.

Working from home is now a necessity, and so are the technical features and security measures that go along with it.  Securing a remote working strategy wasn’t a necessity for most companies; it was a one-off or something that they might look to do for employees one day. One day came without anyone expecting it to be here. Now, you’re likely facing hardware and software issues, as well as the behaviors that need to be in line with company policies, outside of company walls.

BYOD

Let’s start with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), or in some instances, “please tell me that you have something that you can use at home?”.   Ensure that IF your clients are using their own devices, they have at the minimum the identified security software in place and updated.  If they are accessing online services, recommend a password update with criteria that meets strict standards.  You can enforce these habits with regular training programs and exercises like our Catch Phish add on.

Social Media Distancing

Understandably, there will be an increase in social media use, and it may happen during working hours, on personal devices that are also being used for work projects.  Remind clients that security is always important, but especially if they are mixing devices and using the same login credentials for work and personal accounts – they shouldn’t be doing this, but we know it happens.   Those online social media quizzes can reveal more than your favorite color and should be discouraged.

Increased Support

As an MSP, you may not have offered 24/7 support before the COVID-19 crisis, but like your clients, you need to be adaptable.  They need to know that you are there for them at any time, so while you may not have had a clearly outlined process before this, you will need to establish a procedure for reaching you off-hours for the foreseeable future.

The Cloud and Offsite Backup

This could be the ideal time to move your clients to different cloud offerings in regard to software, but also to ensure that their backups are being done offsite as well.  If they’ve been hesitant in the past, there is no better time to sell these strategies than right now.

Do You Have a Plan?

Maybe, maybe not.  Now is a good time to take the time to create a technology plan and recovery strategy for your clients and offer this to them now.  You may find that asking them to sit down and do it is a challenge.  They are busy and perhaps have not committed the time to you, but if you just do it for them, you may find that it cements your relationship with them further by showing how proactive you are, as well as being there when it is time to be reactive.