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MSPs must train to fill security skills gap
Following moves by Sophos to increase channel expertise, others in the industry agree with the logic of improving
The pressure on managed service providers (MSPs) to fill the security skills gap shows no signs of easing as the pressure on customers continues to rise.
Last week saw Sophos launch its Academy to arm partners with more skills as part of its response to the current landscape, and others in the industry agree the channel is under pressure to plug gaps caused by a lack of in-house expertise at a user level.
Mark Appleton, chief customer officer for Also Cloud UK, said providing the channel with training and support would deliver results.
“Investing in personnel with dedicated, ongoing training needs to be a priority for MSPs and SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] alike, as it not only future-proofs your operations, but also ends up being more cost-effective when working around a tighter budget,” he said.
“Consistent training platforms to support teams can help ease the burden of an initial lack of cyber security knowledge, whilst also increasing the value of the existing team,” said Appleton. “Human staff members remain central to cyber security, so even basic knowledge shouldn’t just be locked behind professionals and integrated as part of every level of each company.”
Appleton said efforts to keep the channel skilled-up could not stop, and that it must adapt to emerging threats and changing customer demands.
“It is essential to ensure initial training for new IT and cyber programmes and to keep that training ongoing,” he said. “IT security is rarely a set-it-and-forget-it issue, but rather constantly needs topping up.”
Pressure on skills
Appleton said the pressure on skills was continuing, and if anything getting worse, because it was difficult to get entry-level staff.
“Talent entering the industry across all sectors finds a higher barrier for even entry-level positions,” he said. “For instance, skills in threat detection, incident response and penetration testing are needed, even for the lowest positions, and those professionals with the right level of cyber experience are now too expensive due to being in high demand.”
Appleton added that the channel could fill that gap, but needed to be proactive in training their own employees.
“This barrier of entry can be easily lowered by MSPs choosing to invest in their existing talent or developing oncoming employees who might lack experience,” he said. “People are an essential resource, but often untapped when it comes to potential.”
Sophos’s Academy gives partners the option to take courses on sales and cyber security 101s, as well as more advanced options, including endpoint engineering and firewall architecture.
“At Sophos, our goal is to empower you as a partner with the essential skills you need to drive business growth and safeguard your customers,” the firm stated. “Our sales and technical courses are crafted to support these objectives.”
