Ep 248 - North Dakota mandates cyber education; MSP recession planning; CaaS dangers MSPs should avoid

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North Dakota Announces Mandatory Cybersecurity Education

 

North Dakota just announced a new educational mandate for grade school students to learn more about cybersecurity. Such a move is not only a smart one, but it is going to have a positive impact on future generations of cybersecurity professionals.

 

• Cyber skills gap acknowledged
• Good example of government leadership and action
• Good news for MSPs (and other employers) in the near future

 

https://www-kxnet-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.kxnet.com/news/state-news/north-dakota-is-first-state-to-approve-required-cybersecurity-education/amp/

 

MSP Recession Planning

 

More talk about a recession here in the United States; it seems inevitable that we are headed into, or may already be in a recession. What, if anything, can you do to prepare? Credit tightening will impact service providers, but more so on the reactive side. VARs, system integrators, break/fix companies, these are the types of IT business models most vulnerable to tight credit markets and will feel the financial pain more acutely compared to an MSP with steady, predictable recurring revenue and cash flow.

 

• Historical impact of recessions on MSPs
• Credit markets tightening, who will suffer most?
• Can MSPs thrive during recessionary periods?

 

CaaS dangers MSPs should avoid

 

Compliance as a Service is getting more attention in the IT channel. With such attention, MSPs (and non-MSPs) are both jumping onto the CaaS bandwagon. But, just as with most things in life, there are right ways and wrong ways to go about developing a CaaS strategy and offering. Here are some helpful tips to get you pointed in the right direction.

 

• Beware of reactive CaaS providers
• Scanning is not compliance
• If you've never been through an external organizational certification or audit, CaaS is probably going to be more challenging for you