Pax8 has added software from vulnerability assessment vendor CyberCNS to its lineup of cloud-based security solutions.
The new partnership, which marks the first time Pax8 has offered a vulnerability assessment product to its partners, arrives at a time when out-of-control cybercrime has 87% of channel pros seeking to both defend clients more effectively and add new revenue streams by evolving their security practice, according to a recent Pax8-commissioned report from analyst ESG.
“MSPs are sort of holding the keys to the kingdom now,” says Ryan Walsh, Pax8’s chief operating officer. “Vulnerability assessments are a great way to figure out how well you’re doing.”
Cloud-native and software-based, the CyberCNS solution automatically discovers on-premises, cloud, and mobile IT assets in office environments and work-from-home settings and scans them for missing patches, password policy violations, and other problems using a lightweight, easily deployed agent. The system then continually monitors those assets, watches the network for new ones, and identifies changes that could introduce new defensive gaps.
“It’s not just a one-time scan,” Walsh notes.
In addition to Active Directory and Microsoft 365, the solution checks routers for potential exposure and tracks if end users are connecting to VPN from a secure network.
CyberCNS also has attributes MSPs look for, according to Walsh, such as multitenant management, PSA integration, access to customer-ready reporting, and month-to-month subscription pricing at rates low enough to keep multi-component layered security bundles within reach of SMB budgets.
“Every dollar matters when you’re adding something to that stack,” Walsh says. “We’re hypersensitive to that.”
In addition to better protecting customers and adding a new, high-value service to their security offering, Walsh adds, CyberCNS also helps MSPs verify that their clients meet the IDENTIFY requirements of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
“That’s a great value proposition for a partner to take to that end customer,” Walsh says, noting that cyber insurers increasingly demand proof of compliance with security best practices like NIST’s before issuing coverage.
Already at record highs last year, ransomware attacks are up 148% through the third quarter of 2021, according to SonicWall. Increasing awareness of such risks has businesses worldwide poised to spend over $150 billion on security and risk management solutions this year, according to Gartner, and MSPs collecting up to 40% of their recurring income from security services, according to ESG.
“It’s a great revenue opportunity,” Walsh observes.
Other recent additions to the Pax8 line card include web threat protection vendor Isoolate, Apple device management vendor Addigy, and Microsoft Teams telephony provider Qunifi.
