Q&A with Kaspersky on what a high performance MSP will look like in five years' time and the emerging cybersecurity trends MSPs should know about

What will a high performance MSP look like in five years' time?

We see MSPs developing different offerings to allow them to better attract and retain customers, based on well-defined services. By expanding their offerings with advanced cybersecurity services such as managed detection and response, proactive threat hunting, and cybersecurity services for very specific needs such as IoT and industrial cybersecurity, MSPs will gradually evolve into MSSPs.

Supporting technologies will allow them to provide scalable, automated managed security services with a pay-as-you-go billing model. MSPs will increasingly leverage services offered by security technology vendors, allowing them to benefit from the innovation and expertise offered.

What security trends will have the biggest impact on the MSP space over the next five years?

MSPs will need to respond to increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, prolonged shortage of cyber security skills and further adoption of cloud services. We believe MSPs will respond by increasingly utilising AI technologies, integration and automation that will allow them to provide low-touch, high quality services to protect their customers.

How are you supporting your MSP partners through the COVID-19 crisis?

At a time when companies are transferring their operations online and many employees are working remotely, cybersecurity is playing a vital role. We are now offering a 30-day free period for all new subscriptions, to help MSPs start protecting new clients.

Our flexible billing plan helps to do business at a time of great uncertainty, when changes may occur day-to-day. We are also supporting healthcare institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic with free full-feature product licenses for six months.

The COVID-19 crisis is extraordinary - it is a time when a programme approach does not work well for all situations. We are in constant contact with our distributors and MSPs to identify and provide proper help and support for each unique situation. Get in touch with one of our account managers for more information.

How has Kaspersky's partner programme evolved in the last 12 months?

The big news is that we launched a license management portal (LMP) - a new, online tool for our MSP partners to manage their subscriptions easily. LMP is integrated with our cloud product consoles. Alongside this, we have introduced a new PAYG (pay-as-you-go) billing plan that provides more flexibility and freedom to our partners.

The other area of focus has been partner enablement and education. We have completely revised our MSP sales and technical training, educational videos, presentations and collaterals to support our MSP partner enablement.

What's your advice for MSPs that want to build a larger business with Kaspersky?

Let's start the journey together; it's fun, interesting and valuable for customers. Security is a fast-growing segment of managed services. And we will support you at each step with our great products, cybersecurity expertise, training and ready-to-use services to help you to become a trusted security advisor for your customers.

What does it mean to Kaspersky to win Best Managed Services Partner Programme?

This is particularly exciting for the company as MSPs are a strategic priority for Kaspersky, which has invested significantly in understanding the market and building an optimal proposal that incorporates a number of significant enhancements for those stakeholders.

The reception of our MSP Partner Programme has been overwhelmingly positive, and to win the award for Best Managed Services Partner Programme helps motivate us to be even better!

This article is part of CPI's MSP Innovation Awards 2020 coverage, celebrating the most disruptive MSPs across the continent and the vendors that support them. Find out more in our MSP Innovation Awards hub