A defensive football coach I know teaches young linebackers to “follow the elephants.” If the other team’s big-skill blockers (guards and tackles on the offense) are moving down the line of scrimmage, chances are these massive athletes are headed toward the point of the play. But why follow them?
Because it stands to reason that the sought-after ball carrier will be nearby, protected by their wall of thick humanity. Hungry linebackers are like hunters who “gotta eat,” and tackling the agile, fleet-footed opponent is their reward. Following the big fellas is a sound strategy but, please, stay out of their way!
In the business field, people often follow money trails. And, among most dealer owners, it comes as no surprise that managed IT and cybersecurity business opportunities are ripe for picking. Globally, the managed services market last year was valued at nearly $350 billion (USD) and is expected to triple by 2033, exceeding $1 trillion, projects Straits Research, India. The share on the North American continent, which accounts for the largest managed information technology (IT) marketplace, is estimated to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 12% during the forecasted period. Increasingly, dealerships desire a piece of that ample, expanding pie.
However, as we reported in February’s “Mastering the MSP Model,” adding IT offerings is not easy. The necessary shift can be mind bending for traditional office tech dealers which are accustomed to leasing and servicing copier/printer equipment. Several owners have been burned by infotech experiences gone bad; many others don’t buy managed IT’s profit pitch, claiming margins are onion-paper thin. The former could have gone about implementing managed services the wrong way or, perhaps, they were prematurely impatient.
Those with more patience and willingness to take the plunge wonder if a teammate/partner is required. Can they go it alone like a golfer, gymnast, wrestler or other athletic participant in an individual sport? Read on as we share MSP and network security best practices as well as success stories. Scott Cullen offers up some managed IT sales training advice for dealers, while fellow longtime contributor Noel Ward delves into the impact of MSP on financing and lease structures.
Powering Up Cybersec
On the “white hats” side of IT security, Bolt.new is sponsoring the world’s largest “Hackathon” on May 30. The AI-coding app is luring aspiring non-developers (non-devs) and so-called vibe coders by giving away more than $1 million in prizes. On the web’s darker side, hack attempts now could add up to more than 2 million daily. A partner at an intellectual property law firm in Chicago confirmed that its network engineers deal with the hassle of between 25,000 and 30,000 hack attempts per day. Threats bring opportunities. I point out eye-opening cybersecurity market valuations and tackle some of the biggest mistakes dealers make when launching cybersec businesses.
“With cloud-based solutions and hybrid work models on the rise, the need for strong cybersecurity has never been greater,” explained Anna Grubb, sales vice president of ECI Software’s Field Service Division. Microsoft’s pending end-of-support date for Windows 10 this coming fall may add lighter fluid atop smoldering embers, presenting additional security concerns for dealers and their customers. “Staying ahead of cyber threats requires a proactive, multi-layered security strategy to protect sensitive data, ensure business continuity, and maintain customer trust,” Grubb asserted.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a primary reason for such a big uptick in illicit activity. Ignore the advancing technology at your own peril, cautioned Bernard Marr, a futurist, board advisor, and author. “Artificial intelligence is changing the game when it comes to cyber-attacks and cyber-defense,” Marr wrote recently for Forbes. “Increasingly, criminals can use commonly available tools to launch sophisticated phishing scams, going as far as digitally replicating faces and voices to trick security systems. They can also use AI-powered networking attacks that adapt in real time to evade security systems.”
Technology is a two-way street, of course. Legitimate businesses can use AI, too, to counter such attacks. “AI-based monitoring, detection of anomalous network activity, and automated defense systems should be included in every business’s cybersecurity tool kit,” Marr continued. Is it in yours? Beginning on page __, Scott Cullen shares tips on how to protect your dealership from hackers. CR writer Kate Gragg addresses the best ways to manage mutual partner expectations when protecting customer data (page __). On the MFP side, Cullen begs the question: “How Safe is the Latest Generation of Imaging Devices?” (page __).
Buckle up. Cybersec resiliency expert Jeffrey Nickle, PhD., takes the threat scenario a step further. He contends that a silent frontier is emerging—where artificial intelligence intersects with physical security. “Physical systems are becoming the next attack surface,” warned Nickle, a 15-year veteran who came from Ernst & Young and now serves as senior security manager for Johnson & Johnson’s pharma/medical acquisitions and divestitures. “Modern generative AI is no longer confined to phishing scams or code generation,” he writes of its encroachment. “It is beginning to manipulate environments, mimic behaviors, and bypass building access controls in ways never before possible.”
