MSP Transform: 'Our job is to collaborate with each other… I know that's difficult, there's a lot of egos in the room'

CRN’s MSP-led event heard leaders get candid on predicted spending shifts and how best to utilise cybersecurity

CRN UK welcomed managed services leaders to its MSP Transform event in London yesterday to discuss the most pressing topics affecting the market.

Speaking on a panel about cybersecurity spending in 2023, Performanta co-founder and CEO Guy Golan urged MSPs to work together in order to better utilise solutions.

He referenced the "10,000 year-old" transportation system to highlight just how young the cybersecurity industry is.

"Cyber is not even 50 [years old]," Golan said.

"Our job is to collaborate with each other. I know it's difficult to share information as much as possible. I know that is difficult, as well, there's lots of egos in the room.

"And at the same time you're in a situation where we are all paving those old Roman roads that will eventually become highways.

"There's so much that needs to be done to formalise cybersecurity in its current shape.

"So from that perspective, have patience, learn from each other, and share with each other."

End user spending to shift to MDR

To wrap up the panel, the three speakers, also including Mark Overton, head of information security at Softcat; and Scott Nursten founder/director of ITHQ, were asked for their predictions on which direction end user cybersecurity spending will go.

"Towards MSPs. I think increasingly it's got more and more complex," Overton said.

"We are now seeing a huge shift of companies towards wanting MDR [managed detection & response] services. So for me, it's a big shift to the MDR side."

Nursten agreed, adding that he forecasts there will be more spending on people and processes given the current skills shortage.

"But more spending on the people and processes than necessarily on tech," he said.

"It's about not trying to sell juicy licences, which are great for the business, but actually trying to help the client focus on actually becoming resilient.

"So if we do that, then I think we'll see spending increase because that education piece will show them the value of not being down, being able to recover quickly or being able to evolve. Whereas if we're just trying to sell them licences and tools, I think we'll see spending slow down, potentially even dip."

Golan added he "absolutely" sees an uptick in MDR spending which he believes will also "seep" through to smaller organisations adopting an MDR approach.

"From my perspective the biggest thing that I will say about how money should be spent - apart from wisely - is to ensure that it should be spent to truly understand the strategic objectives that organisations are posing to themselves in the next 12 months," Golan continued.

"And therefore understand if what I've got meets those objectives and most organisations have them already, they just need to adjust them properly."