Traditional defenses struggle to keep pace against sophisticated threats that target businesses of all sizes, leaving organizations vulnerable. This is where AI-powered cybersecurity platforms enter the scene.
These platforms leverage machine learning and AI to automate threat detection, incident response and security analysis. Unlike static, rule-based systems, AI platforms learn and adapt in real-time, identifying complex threats and anomalies that might slip through the cracks of traditional tools. This translates to faster response times, improved threat detection, and ultimately, enhanced security for an MSP’s clients.
But the benefits for MSPs go beyond security. AI platforms reduce manual tasks and free up a team's time to focus on higher-value activities. They also offer scalability and cost-efficiency to allow MSPs to better manage and secure a growing number of clients without adding headcount.
One company that offers an AI-driven cybersecurity platform is InsightCyber, an MSP Expo Silver sponsor. InsightCyber will be in booth #273 at MSP Expo , part of the #TECHSUPERSHOW , taking place February 13-15 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
We had the chance to speak with Cal Jeffrey, director, strategic partnerships of InsightCyber. He talked about AI-powered security and shared his insights on why MSPs should embrace this technology and how it can transform their business and empower their clients.
Here is what Jeffrey had to say:
What recent innovations in your products or services are particularly relevant for MSPs?
InsightCyber provides an AI-based cybersecurity platform for MSPs that is easy to sell, easy to buy, and easy to use. We are a partner-only company with a platform that solves the most advanced cybersecurity challenges in the IT/OT/IoT space.
An innovation that is particularly relevant for MSPs is our platform’s AI-driven workflow. This helps close the cybersecurity skills gap by identifying immediate threats to the business and by providing playbooks with remediation details specific to each threat.
Describe your company's role in the MSP ecosystem and how your company supports MSPs?
Our business model is to grow our MSP partners’ recurring revenue. Our innovative technology enables MSPs to enhance their existing service offerings, enable the rapid roll-out of new services, and improve their customer’s security outcomes.
What are the top 2-3 trends you are seeing in the MSP space and why they are important to MSPs?
The top 3 trends we are seeing are 1.) the emergence of OT customers as a result of digital transformation which is driving IT/OT convergence; 2.) the proliferation of cloud-connected environments; and 3.) increased MSP competition from AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure against traditional MSP service offerings.
MSPs are being asked to support cloud and on-prem solutions across new environments, which is a strain on their business – so we help by supporting both. InsightCyber provides MSPs with AI-driven intelligence for threat hunting as well as threat remediation, which used to be done by people. The business advantage for MSPs is better, more accurate security results without additional headcount, yielding a proactive response to threats.
How are these trends impacting your business?
We feel we have hit the sweet spot. By design, we created a single, seamless AI platform to address each of these issues from the ground up. Our MSP partners and their customers are finding that AI is closing the cyber skills gap by identifying threats and simplifying operations. At MSP Expo, we will demo how the InsightCyber AI platform drives operational efficiency while protecting the IT/OT/IoT aspects of the business through advanced cybersecurity.
Cal Jeffrey
How do your services/products integrate into the MSP landscape, creating symbiotic relationships rather than a mere vendor-client dynamic?
We provide open APIs to our AI. From the beginning, our focus has been on enabling and complementing other vendor’s solutions through our unique specialization.
What emerging technologies (e.g., IoT, 5G, AI, generative AI, etc.) should MSPs be considering and incorporating into their service offerings to help their clients stay ahead in their respective industries?
In our case, we are committed to AI. We have enhanced the ability to provide cybersecurity monitoring and true threat detection/resolution across all emerging network environments. As business owners in IT/OT/IoT ecosystems will tell you, addressing the threats matters more than burning time addressing risks and vulnerabilities.
The technology landscape and business needs are constantly evolving. How does your company's strategy actively encourage MSPs to embrace change and turn it into a strategic advantage?
We are discovering that our AI platform is ideal for MSPs that are embracing new technology to enhance their cybersecurity services. This approach reduces the cycles required to sell their services, and to implement and support solutions to their customers’ security threats. Deploy in seconds; results in minutes.
What key challenges do MSPs commonly face and how are you helping solve them?
One key challenge MSPs face is constantly defending the pricing models for their services. Customers are asking MSPs to prove their value in relation to the monthly or yearly fees they charge. InsightCyber helps MSPs demonstrate that their cybersecurity service is constantly predicting, detecting, and resolving immediate threats to their customers’ businesses and revenue streams.
What sets your solution apart from competitors in the market?
For MSPs, the InsightCyber solution is easy to sell, easy to buy, and easy to use. By leveraging a true AI platform, we significantly reduce the “time to known,” which is the time it takes to identify, verify, and resolve confirmed threats. No sifting through thousands of log entries to find the needle in the haystack.
Please share a success story or two about how your strategies helped MSPs navigate the growth minefield, turning challenges into opportunities.
A global energy company deployed another vendor’s “network visibility” solution. After a year of head scratching and no progress, they deployed InsightCyber to analyze the data. They instantly had visibility into networks and devices they hadn’t seen before, as well as detected malware that had been present since day one of the other solution. This enabled them to decipher the meaning of logs, events, and alerts they had been receiving, which we turned into actionable issues – in seconds. This included the resolution of imminent cybersecurity threats. Stop by Booth 273 to hear the whole story!
How do you see the MSP industry evolving in the next several years and how is your company preparing for these changes?
Over the next several years, MSPs will be asked to offer more onsite services and integrate more tools across more platforms. Of course, people will never be able to have the skills and speed to support this expansion. Margin compression and vendor competition will drive these new technology requirements. Our goal is to speed the detection and resolution of cybersecurity threats, thereby closing the skills gap.
What technological changes/evolution do you expect to see in the coming year and how will those changes impact your business and/or the MSP market?
We expect to see AI being used against AI. That means bad actors may exploit AI to create sophisticated and adaptive cyber threats, utilizing machine learning to bypass emerging AI-based cybersecurity platforms by constantly evolving attack strategies. They may employ adversarial techniques to manipulate or deceive AI systems, identifying vulnerabilities and crafting targeted attacks that can circumvent traditional defense mechanisms.
At the same time, AI-based cybersecurity platforms, such as InsightCyber, leverage innovative AI to detect and respond to evolving cyber threats in real-time. This enhances an MSP’s ability to identify anomalous patterns and adapt to new attack vectors, thereby fortifying digital defenses.
What are you most looking forward to at MSP Expo 2024?
We are looking forward to talking with MSPs to hear their concerns and challenges and to suggest innovations that will future-proof their practices. InsightCyber is a partner-only company with a platform that solves the most advanced cybersecurity challenges in the IT/OT/IoT space, and MSPs are embracing these innovations.
What is your session and why is it a must-attend at MSP Expo 2024?
We are participating in two sessions! Both are must-attend because we will be looking into the latest innovations in AI for cybersecurity and the value they bring:
The first panel session is “How AI is Changing Cyber Security,” Tech Track, Palm B (4 p.m. February 13). I am honored to participate on this panel of experts, as we look at AI's unparalleled capabilities in predictive threat modeling, anomaly detection, rapid-response strategies, automated learning, and more.
The second panel session is "Why Is Today's Cybersecurity Ineffective?,” Cybersecurity Solutions Theater (4 p.m. February 14). I will present our approach to selling cybersecurity solutions that are easy to sell, easy to buy, and easy to use. I will discuss how AI is closing the skills gap and provide a live demo of our AI technology.
Why are you participating at MSP Expo 2024 and what are you highlighting at your booth?
MSP Expo is our crowd! We are here to help MSPs find new ways to drive recurring revenues. We have innovative technology and business models designed specifically for MSPs, technology partners, and resellers that enhance their existing offerings and enable the rapid spin-out of new services.
We will be in booth #273, showcasing our AI-based cybersecurity platform for MSPs that is easy to sell, easy to buy, and easy to use. We invite folks to swing by and ask how our partners and customers are implementing the platform and the business value they are receiving.
Thank you for this opportunity!
Edited by
Greg Tavarez
