SolarWinds’ Head Geek on IT Trends Report: MSSP ‘Opportunities Ahead’

SolarWinds on Wednesday released its annual IT Trends Report 2021: Building A Secure Future.

Among the most important findings? More than three-quarters (76%) of technology professionals view external security breaches as their organizations’ biggest risk exposure. The growing number of cyberattacks rank high among those types of hacks. At the same time, lingering effects from the COVID-19-fueled shift to remote work continue to pose problems. The policies governing employees’ behavior stood out as experts’ top risk concern.

In terms of the external breaches, SolarWinds came across some data managed security service providers will want to know: IT experts at mid-size organizations (27%) have a greater sense of high-risk or extremely high-risk compared to their enterprise (26%) and small business (18%) counterparts.

“This is an opportunity area for MSSPs to get in front of mid-size companies,” Thomas LaRock, head geek at SolarWinds, told Channel Futures. LaRock is a well-known programmer and developer; he joined SolarWinds in 2013.

Meanwhile, 80% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that technology represents the best way for organizations to manage, mitigate and resolve risk issues.

“This is good news for MSSPs, who would be able to provide the technologies necessary to mitigate risk,” LaRock said.

To that point, vendors throughout the cybersecurity industry are responding to those IT trends, unleashing a plethora of platforms. Most are reacting to high-profile attacks such as the one SolarWinds endured in December and others invited by pandemic-related security gaps.

‘Prioritizing Intentional Investments in Technology’ Is Key

SolarWinds’ Thomas LaRock

Speaking of COVID-19 and IT trends, technology teams are prioritizing their investments to accommodate unprecedented demands, SolarWinds said. In specific, that looks like more money and infrastructure going into security and compliance (36%), network equipment (33%) and cloud computing (27%).

“Security is front and center for everyone right now, which is also good news for MSSPs,” LaRock said. “MSSPs are in a growing market, and the IT Trends Report underscores the opportunities ahead.”

SolarWinds’ Sudhakar Ramakrishna

Sudhakar Ramakrishna, president and CEO of SolarWinds, agreed with LaRock.

“Technology professionals today are under even greater pressure to ensure optimized, secure performance for remote workforces while facing limited time and resources for personnel training,” he said. “When it comes to risk management and mitigation, prioritizing intentional investments in technology solutions that meet business needs is critical. More than ever before, tech pros must partner closely with business leaders to ensure they have the resources and headcount necessary to proactively address security risks. And more importantly, tech pros should constantly assess their risk management, mitigation and protocols to avoid falling into complacency and being ‘blind’ to risk.”

Each of those areas, of course, are categories where MSSPs can — and should — take the lead.

Securing the Security Provider

Finally, in addition to releasing its new report, SolarWinds addressed the elephant in the room: the sort of irony of the company discussing security after it was the target of a widespread attack last winter.

“To address the industry-wide ramifications of the SUNBURST cyberattack and help strengthen its own security posture going forward, SolarWinds has introduced an initiative to become Secure by Design,” SolarWinds said.

That initiative consists of “further securing” its internal environment, enhancing product development, and ensuring the security and integrity of the its products, SolarWinds said. On top of that, the company is teaming with Chris Krebs and Alex Stamos, Facebook’s former chief security officer. Krebs, former federal cybersecurity chief, and Stamos co-founded the Krebs Stamos Group. They will work with SolarWinds to craft best practices for bulking up SolarWinds’ security posture and policies.

In May, SolarWinds appointed three new executives focused on improving customer trust.