Is The Channel Prepared For Cyberattacks?

By Dede Haas, CA-AM, Channel Sales Strategist, DLH Services, LLC

Award-winning, high-tech sales professional and founder of DLH Services, LLC (www.DLHServices.com), Dede Haas creates channel sales solutions for vendors and their channel partners. Here, Haas explores cyber defense with two members of The ASCII Group, a 1,300-member organization of North American VARs, solutions providers, and MSPs offering services to help its members grow their businesses.

LYNN SOUZA is CEO of Kyber Security and a Channel Executive editorial advisory board member. Her 20+ years of experience in technology leadership and presidency at Connect Computer set the foundation for her to become one of the few female CEOs of a cyber security company on the East Coast.	JASON MCNEW is an Air Force veteran who worked for the White House Communications Agency/Camp David for more than 12 years. He is now based in the private sector as the founder and CEO of Stronghold Cyber Security, helping small to midsize businesses create a culture of security.

QUESTION 1: Do you think today’s cyber security vendors have created applications that are able to handle the challenges presented by hackers?

SOUZA: I think what exists today is not adequate to protect corporations from breaches and cyberattacks. We are seeing a handful of companies that have developed some great software to combat cybercriminals, and I do feel hopeful for the future. However, currently, I do not think the cyber security vendors we have been trusting for years to protect corporations have kept up with the threats or are adequately protecting us against hackers. In fact, some of the software that is supposed to protect us actually makes it easier for hackers to breach systems.

MCNEW: I do, and there’s a lot of them out there. The problem is that many of them are expensive. The biggest thing to consider is that the objective of a cyber security program is risk management, and to that end, you have to pick the right products. What I see in a lot of cases is that people and businesses aren’t making appropriate choices. It’s a matter of going out and finding them and seeing how they apply to you, then implementing the proper tools to reduce your risk in such a way that it’s not overly costly.

QUESTION 2: With devastating security breaches on the rise – Equifax and Uber being the most recent – how do you assure your customers their data is safe, especially in the cloud?

SOUZA: I think any good cyber security person will tell you nothing is ever 100 percent safe. We look at security from the hacker’s perspective of all the myriad of ways they could infiltrate or breach either the cloud or your corporate network. Our clients feel both comfortable and optimistic about their security with our approach.

MCNEW: In the past, we’ve always said that networks fall into two categories, those that have been breached and those that are going to get breached. Now, the same is true of your identity. Your identity has either been stolen, or it’s going to get stolen. So, your working assumption should be that you need to have a plan in place to react to identity theft. Your data is not safe. Your identity is not safe in the cloud, period. That’s it.

About The ASCII Group, Inc.

The ASCII Group is a vibrant reseller community of independent MSPs, VARs, and other solution providers. Formed in 1984, ASCII has more than 70 programs that provide turnkey cost-cutting strategies, innovative business building programs, and extensive peer interaction. ASCII members enjoy benefits such as marketing support; educational information; group purchasing power; increased leverage in the marketplace; and multiple networking opportunities. These programs enable ASCII members to increase revenue, lower operating costs, and grow service opportunities. ASCII is the oldest and largest group of independent information technology (IT) solution providers, integrators and value added resellers (VARs) in the world. Learn more at www.ascii.com.

 Original article in the Mar/Apr 2018 issue of Channel Executive Magazine.