Kaseya: Compliance and security top of mind for MSPs

Compliance and security are the top concerns that managed service providers (MSPs) are jostling with as they look for growth and continued strong relationships with customers.

Kaseya’s 2022 MSP benchmark survey shines a spotlight on the current state of the market, and it is clear that the pandemic had an impact and caused problems for those looking to expand their services portfolios.

The survey also underlined where MSPs felt the main pain points were for customers were, with security remaining a major source of sleepless nights, but there were indications that compliance was rising as an area that required greater focus. 

SMEs, in particular, appear to be struggling to keep on top of compliance regulations and 74% of MSPs said this was an issue for the users they served. Kaseya was able to chart a cause and effect from that situation, with three-quarters of those quizzed reporting that they were either offering or considering adding more compliance services.

On the security front, half of the MSPs reported feeling that their businesses were more at risk than a year earlier. Many revealed that a portion of their customers had been attacked in the past year. Being in a position to deal with concerns is still a revenue generator, with half of the market choosing to evaluate the security landscape quarterly and add new options in response to changes.

The benchmark study also covered the opportunities that many felt came with the emergence of hybrid working, with workforce setup, cloud migration and business continuity all being in demand.

The problems reported in the study were all too familiar, as MSPs continued to deal with supply chain issues and high numbers reporting that they had seen problems in fulfilling demand because of issues with product availability.

There were also signs – positive from Kaseya’s point of view, given its heavy investment in a platform approach – that MSPs were looking for integrated solutions. A significant number wanted core applications – RMM, PSA and IT documentation software – to be integrated to help drive profitability.

“With Covid-19 continuing to affect everything from global logistics to the work environment, it’s no surprise that 76% of MSPs said the pandemic affected their ability to expand services within their customer base,” said Mike Puglia, chief strategy officer at Kaseya.

“There is an increased need for the security, business continuity and disaster recovery [BCDR] and remote work support services that are driving revenue growth for MSPs, and we expect the demand for these services to continue in 2022 and beyond. Efficiency continues to be a top priority for MSPs, with more than half saying integration among core applications is either critical or very important to them.”

There is clearly a lot of appetite for finding out the current state of the managed services market, with Ingram Micro Cloud sharing research findings last week that showed many channel players were coming under pressure to innovate and enhance their services proposition.