Many small and medium sized businesses use managed service providers (MSPs) to remotely manage their organization’s IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, and related business operations. As a result, MSPs have become an attractive target for cyber criminals. When an MSP is vulnerable to a cyber attack, it also increases the vulnerability to the small or medium sized businesses an MSP supports. This page offers guidance to MSPs on how to improve cybersecurity by implementing key security controls that reduces vulnerabilities to cyber attacks.

The NCCoE developed recommendations that will enable MSPs to adopt cybersecurity technologies and techniques to improve security for themselves and their small- and medium-sized business customers. MSPs can apply or customize the recommendations to fit their cybersecurity needs. The publications below offer implementation recommendations, a reference architecture, and details specific technologies/capabilities MSPs should consider deploying.

Quick Planning Tools

Backup Planning: Data loss incidents, whether a ransomware attack, hardware failure, or accidental or intentional data destruction, can have catastrophic effects on MSPs and their customers. The NCCoE developed recommendations to help MSPs conduct, maintain, and test backup files to reduce the impact of these data loss incidents. A one-page summary of these recommendations can be accessed here.