In the managed service provider (MSP) channel, Forrester tells us that about 25% of service providers are running at break-even, even during great economic times. That means that now, more than ever, it’s critical to be managing cash well. But crisis cash management is different than day-to-day management when profits are high and cash flow is steady. The fundamentals of managing your business don’t change during a crisis regardless of what causes that crisis. Whether the cause is a natural disaster, ransomware attack, keyman illness, or a pandemic-induced recession like COVID-19, there are real, practical, and effective ways to respond to ensure the survival of your business in the short and long term.

We recently shared our excitement about a new research study we commissioned that looked at the trends in managed security and backup among MSPs. That blog provided an overview of the survey’s methodology and a few preliminary data points. In this blog, we will dive into the first main section of the survey which looked at security, and we will discuss how the findings relate to the benefits provided by Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud.

I recently had a great conversation with Jay McBain, Principal Analyst for Channels and Partnerships at Forrester, about how the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 will affect the channel – specifically the MSP Channel. There was a lot of territory to cover: from looking at the current state of the channel to how many in the channel may (or may not) survive the economic hardship to examining the real opportunities the pandemic has created for MSPs. I’ll recap our conversation below and you can watch the full interview as well, but long story short: while many in the channel will struggle to survive, there are also tremendous opportunities ahead.

There is always a lot happening in the world of cybersecurity, so we’ve captured some of the latest highlights in this week’s roundup.