Cisco Targets MSSPs with New Endpoint Security Portfolio

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Cisco Friday unveiled its first dedicated MSSP security portfolio, offering comprehensive security, visibility and control of customer endpoints without added hardware.

The endpoint security lineup includes Cisco AMP for Endpoints, Cisco Umbrella and Meraki Systems Manager to offer advanced malware protection, internet security, and enterprise mobility management.

Cisco’s Steve Benvenuto

Steve Benvenuto, Cisco’s senior director of global security partner sales, tells Channel Partners his company has witnessed a “significant and growing talent drought in the cybersecurity market,” and organizations are increasingly turning to outsourced services to ensure they remain secure. A key issue MSSPs have been facing is not being able to manage endpoint security without a “huge upfront investment,” he said.

“Traditionally MSSPs have had to sign long-term contracts with upfront costs to deploy solutions,” he said. “This becomes a huge investment on their part, and one many smaller MSSPs can’t afford to make. With us offering a cloud-based SaaS, we’ve eliminated the large investment. We also have a special licensing arrangement for MSSPs that allow them to only pay for what they are using, and no need for a long-term contract.”

AMP for Endpoints prevents breaches and blocks malware at the point of entry, then continues to watch, analyze and record file activity, regardless of the file’s disposition, while Cisco Umbrella blocks requests to malicious or unwanted destinations before a connection is even established. Meraki Systems Manager provides over-the-air centralized management, diagnostics and monitoring for all mobile devices managed by an organization — from iPads and Androids, to Macs and PCs.

Benvenuto said the new portfolio provides opportunities for MSPs that either want to offer additional security or become MSSPs.

“With minimal investment, they can quickly get up to speed,” he said. “We offer a significant amount of training classes to get them on-boarded and proficient in their use and sales of the technology to their customers. We also help them create new value-added services, such as incident response services.”

Cisco’s approach to security is focused on a portfolio in an integrated architecture with Talos threat intelligence shared across the entire portfolio, Benvenuto said. Customers are looking for increased integration and management of security solutions provided by their partners and this portfolio help address this important customer requirement, he said.

“Cisco AMP was integrated into our NetDefend Malware Protector Service and Malware Outbreak Service years ago,” said Rick Chapman, CTO of  InterVision Systems. “We worked closely with Cisco as they developed their next-generation AMP platform. With its multitenant, cloud-based delivery model, AMP for Endpoints aligns with our operational needs and provides flexibility to deliver enhanced security services that increase our revenue and profitability.”