Turning Security Threats into Business Opportunities With the IT Security Assessment Wizard

Our Leeds meetup focused on cyber security, and as our previous blog outlined, a whole host of experts from the industry provided insights into the modern day threat landscape. To learn how to turn these threats into business opportunities, attendees were given a run through of CompTIA’s IT Security Assessment Wizard tool in a breakout session led by Ian Trump, security lead at LogicNow.

CompTIA’s IT Security Assessment Wizard tool is a ready-made tool MSPs can use with clients to determine their security posture. The three-page questionnaire can help build a security profile for clients by characterising common security-related events, outlining everyday protection practices regarding recordkeeping, payment processing and the exchange of confidential data. The wizard produces a comprehensive and comprehensible profile of IT security strengths and vulnerabilities in your client’s business relationship. Furthermore, it can be used with small to large businesses and is a great way to begin conversations concerning cyber security.

Amrik Singh, senior technical manager at Vibrant Networks and Steve Ross, MD at Shackleton, took the stage to present recommendations for using the wizard in a business setting. As a free tool, it can be used to strengthen your position as a security consultant, introducing opportunities to assess a client's other potential vulnerabilities and identify new avenues to further work on their risk profiles. The beauty is that it can be performed in person or off site, presenting a chance to make a strong connection with an important client contact.

The session also highlighted how the tool can be used to assess readiness in regard to security regulation, such as the upcoming EU General Data Protection Regulation, which aims to harmonise data protection laws across Europe. The regulation will mandate every businesses’ responsibility to adhere to laws outlining the safekeeping of their data, with repercussions including severe fines on up to four percent of their turnover. What’s more, it will also obligate MSPs to report SMEs in breach of regulations to the IOC. In light of this incoming legislation, the Security Wizard is a great way to highlight pitfalls in your clients’ security profiles and for you to help them address them.

While the wizard is a great tool for initiating the security conversation, its effectiveness depends on MSPs being properly prepared to use it. MSPs should ensure they are aligned with security vendors, and ideally have their accreditations, as well as all the knowledge and collateral needed to advise clients should they want to further explore security solutions.

The wizard is a great way for MSPs to start the conversation around security, help your clients identify potential vulnerabilities and ultimately open opportunities to grow your business.