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Helping MSPs Build a Better Business Case for IT Teams

Helping MSPs Build a Better Business Case for IT Teams

Cyber threats are more pervasive and sophisticated than ever. The increasing frequency and severity of cyber attacks necessitate that businesses not only invest in robust cybersecurity measures, but also ensure these measures are resilient enough to adapt to evolving threats.

In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received a record 880,418 complaints, with reported losses exceeding $12.5 billion. This marks a nearly 10% increase in complaints from the previous year. The most frequently reported cyber crime in 2023 was phishing, accounting for over 298,000 complaints. 

In this blog post we explore how Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can help their customers combat these rising costs and the threats associated with them by bolstering cyber resilience with an XDR solution. We also share a return-on-investment calculator designed for MSPs to help IT teams define the costs associated with addressing them.

Understanding the cost of a cyber attack

The financial repercussions of a cyber attack can be devastating. 

A report from IBM states that the average cost of a data breach in the U.S. reached $9.44 million in 2022​​. These costs include not only the immediate expenses, such as incident response and legal fees but also long-term impacts like reputational damage and loss of customer trust. 

For MSPs, quantifying these costs on behalf of IT customers is essential to demonstrating the value of preventive measures. By partnering with UncommonX, MSPs can expand their services, secure their customers and reduce overall cost and complexity.

Benefits of partnering with UncommonX

Expand services
  • Scalable offerings: UncommonX enables MSPs to expand their service portfolio with a comprehensive XDR solution, including asset management, vulnerability management, and the opportunity to add-on 24/7 SOC support. This allows MSPs to deliver more value to their customers by covering all aspects of cybersecurity, enhancing their market competitiveness.
  • Customizable solutions: With a flexible licensing model, MSPs can tailor UncommonX’s offerings to fit the unique needs of their customers, from small businesses to large enterprises. This adaptability ensures that MSPs can meet diverse client demands without needing multiple vendors or platforms.
Secure customers
  • Proactive threat protection: UncommonX’s advanced XDR solution integrates robust analytics and continuous threat monitoring, allowing MSPs to implement proactive security measures that protect their customers from evolving threats. This ensures a secure digital environment, fostering customer trust and long-term partnerships.
  • Comprehensive coverage: By consolidating security tools and services into one unified platform, UncommonX helps MSPs provide complete cybersecurity coverage. This reduces gaps and enhances the overall security posture of their customers, ensuring critical assets remain protected.
Reduce cost and complexity
  • Predictable and scalable costs: UncommonX offers a predictable pricing model with a fixed monthly fee, making it easier for MSPs to manage their budget and avoid unexpected expenses. The scalability of the solution also means that costs grow only as services expand, reducing financial strain on MSPs and their customers.
  • Simplified operations: UncommonX integrates multiple security solutions into a single, easy-to-manage platform. This reduces the complexity of managing different tools and vendors, streamlining operations for MSPs. The result is a more efficient workflow, reduced overhead, and the ability to focus on core business objectives without getting bogged down by technical intricacies.

Calculating cybersecurity return on investment (ROI)

For MSPs, calculating the return on investment (ROI) is crucial when expanding their cybersecurity services. This involves comparing customer costs of potential cyber threats against the investment in cybersecurity measures. 

That’s why we offer MSPs an ROI calculator designed to help articulate the financial logic behind cybersecurity investments, quantifying potential returns by comparing the costs of cyber threats against a customer investment in an XDR for MSPs solution.

Effective ROI calculation 

The calculator uses the following elements to draw a comparison between necessary set-up/operational costs and potential costs associated with a breach:

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Initial costs

Assess the costs for licenses and setup required to deploy cybersecurity solutions.

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Operational costs

Evaluate ongoing expenses related to maintaining and updating cybersecurity measures.

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Potential breach costs

Estimate the financial impact of cyber incidents without robust cybersecurity.

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Analysis

Compare potential breach costs against total cybersecurity investment to highlight ROI.

How to build a business case:

With quantitative data from ROI calculations and qualitative assessments from security frameworks, MSPs can present a compelling business case to their customers that includes:

Cost-benefit analysis:
Present the estimated financial benefits of investing in cybersecurity.

Strategic alignment:
Demonstrate how these investments align with broader business goals.

Risk management:
Illustrate how the investments will mitigate specific risks.

Assessing relative cyber risk to inform ROI

A fundamental component of building an effective business case for IT investment is the implementation of relative risk assessments. These assessments are crucial for understanding the current state of a customer's cybersecurity program and setting realistic, achievable targets for improvement.

At UncommonX, we leverage the structured approach of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to conduct these assessments, providing a clear framework for managing and mitigating cyber risks. In fact, the founder of UncommonX was a contributing author to the original framework.

Through this detailed assessment, UncommonX helps MSPs deliver a prioritized set of recommendations that focus on practical, but impactful improvements, empowering their IT customers to make informed decisions that align with their strategic goals and budgets. 

Getting started is easy

Effective ROI communication with MSP customers can facilitate stakeholder buy-in by demonstrating that the cost of prevention pales in comparison to the expenses associated with recovering from cyber incidents.

By building a solid business case for adopting an XDR solution, MSPs can ensure their customers are better equipped to handle cyber threats while also reducing costs, increasing productivity, and minimizing downtime.

Partnering with UncommonX is easy. We provide an innovative licensing model that allows you to incorporate our XDR solution into your service offerings and easily add a 24/7 SOC for a comprehensive solution. Contact us at hello@uncommonx.com to discover how our partner-centric XDR solution for MSPs can help you efficiently grow your business and deliver unmatched value to your customers.

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