Why and How You Should Add Dark Web Monitoring to Your Service Offering

A large-scale data breach has the power to cripple any organization, including your customers’ companies. Unfortunately, these data breaches usually start with compromised credentials sold to the highest bidder on the dark web. Right now, all that stands in the way of your customers and a massive, costly breach is a few passwords–unless you’re offering dark web monitoring as a service.

Explore this article on why you should offer dark web monitoring to your customers, and learn practical tips on how to close deals on this new offering.

Why is Dark Web Monitoring Essential?

Be honest: You’ve Googled your name, right? Were you surprised by the number of links that popped up? Today, you can find a lot out about people, even through a simple Google search. If that much information exists about someone on Google, just imagine how much information could be out there on the dark web.

Unfortunately, many companies take the “Ignorance is bliss” approach to compromised credentials. Huge breaches happen to other companies, not theirs, right? Wrong. A major breach could happen to anyone at any time. In fact, many of your customers probably have stolen credentials floating around the dark web right now, without even realizing it.

Dark web monitoring is essential for any company that wants to keep its data secure and avoid the far-reaching ramifications of a data breach, like noncompliance fines, loss of business, virtual theft, damaged reputations, and more. In a world where everything is digital, companies need to be vigilant in their data protection. So, it’s crucial they have some protections in place, including a partner to help them scour even the darkest corners of the web, ensuring their credentials haven’t been compromised.

Your customers aren’t the only ones that benefit from dark web monitoring. This added service offers benefits for your MSP, as well. First, it establishes your MSP as more than just an IT break-fix solution. Your business does more than fix computers–you can offer valuable guidance on keeping your customers’ credentials secure. When you offer proactive services to keep their credentials safe, your customers are sure to trust your business.

Secondly, in an age of increasingly common data breaches and the high costs that come with them, offering dark web monitoring as a service can be a competitive advantage for your company. Incorporating this service into your initial sales pitch or as an add-on offering for your existing customers sets your MSP apart from other IT companies that may not even be talking about dark web monitoring. It’s a low-impact offering for you, requiring little time and few resources, that has a great potential for increased recurring revenue.

3 Tips for Closing the Deal on Dark Web Monitoring

Now that we know the why behind selling dark web monitoring as a service, let’s explore the how. Effectively selling this service is easy when you have the right strategy behind it. These three tips make it easy to close profitable deals on dark web monitoring.

While you could monitor the dark web yourself, there are much easier (and more profitable) ways to tackle this service. Look for a solution like Dark Web ID, to help you keep tabs on your customers’ credentials. Dark Web ID offers 24/7 dark web monitoring and will alert you when there are signs your customers’ credentials have been compromised.

With a dark web monitoring solution that you can resell to your customers, you can increase your monthly recurring revenue, without investing any additional time or resources into a new service. All you have to do is add the solution to your service offering, and you have a new competitive advantage and source of revenue.

Once you have the right solution in place, you now face the task of convincing your customers they need dark web monitoring. While you’re familiar with the dark web and the threat it poses, your customers probably aren’t. To them, “dark web” might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie. So, it’s up to you to educate them on the topic. Incorporate a brief lesson on the Dark Web in your sales pitch.

After your customers understand what the dark web is, show them why dark web monitoring is crucial. Talk about recent data breaches, like the massive Wipro breach, and the high costs associated with them. If you really want to drive the point home, you could run a quick search for your customers’ credentials using the dark web monitoring solution you’ve adopted. It’s likely their credentials have been compromised already, which easily demonstrates the necessity of taking action to prevent further compromises.

Monthly recurring revenue–it’s the Holy Grail for MSPs. If that’s the ultimate goal, dark web monitoring can help you achieve it. There are a number of ways you can incorporate dark web monitoring into your service offering, but you need to carefully consider how to present it to your customers that will be both affordable for them and profitable for your company.

When it comes to packaging, you have a couple of options. You can offer dark web monitoring as a built-in aspect of your annual service contract, increasing the cost to reflect the new service. This is a wise option for larger companies with flexible budgets. You could also offer dark web monitoring to customers as an add-on monthly service, a better option for small to mid-size customers.

Then, consider pricing. Today, this is an essential offering. Hackers are becoming more and more savvy when it comes to digital theft. When you effectively communicate that to your customers, they should be willing to pay almost any price to protect their credentials. Communicate that they’re paying a small cost now to avoid the huge costs associated with a data breach in the future. It’s almost like insurance. Think about scaling the price for dark web monitoring based on the number of emails at your customers’ companies. This makes it more affordable for small businesses.

With the right strategy and a beneficial solution like Dark Web ID to back up your efforts, you’ll be closing deals on this new service in no time.

Discover how Dark Web ID could help you grow your business and better protect your customers. Learn more about ID Agent’s Partner Program now.

 This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.