Monday Morning Impact – January 14
Global CEOs Launch Cyber Readiness Program for SMBs
The Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI) has launched its Cyber Readiness Program, designed to educate and equip small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with the tools and resources necessary to address security issues around authentication, phishing, patching, and USB use. The goal is to engage a company’s entire workforce, create a culture of cyber readiness, and build a more cyber secure and resilient organization.
“The internet is an amazing thing that has opened new doors and new opportunities for all. At the same time, it does not have an inherent prioritization of security,” said Ajay Banga, president and CEO of Mastercard and co-chair of the Cyber Readiness Institute. “Since cyber threats treat everyone the same, there are some foundational steps we can take to strengthen all the links in today’s supply chain. And that starts with best practices and proven tools for smaller business owners who do not have the same resources to invest in these efforts.”
The institute cites research showing that 58 percent of data breach victims are small businesses. On top of this, many SMBs report doing very little to protect themselves because they lack the required resources, capabilities, and knowledge to do so.
The Cyber Readiness Program was developed with input from leading security experts at global companies, subject matter experts, and feedback from a pilot program of SMBs. The free, self-guided online program provides resources and tools, including policies, posters, and workforce education materials, that align with each step of the program. A pilot program with 19 small organizations from across the globe and of various sizes has recently been completed.
Channel Impact®
The program focuses on embedding basic cyber policies and processes into a company’s operating culture.
Untangle and Malwarebytes Partner for Layered Security for SMBs
Untangle Inc. and Malwarebytes have announced an agreement integrating Malwarebytes’ Endpoint Protection with Untangle’s Command Center cloud security platform, providing administrators with a single pane of glass to manage security orchestration across the network and connected devices.
The combined solution promises greater visibility into the profile of hosts on the network including operating systems, installed software and security status; data on the most recent Malwarebytes scan; and the ability to initiate a Malwarebytes scan on any host.
“SMBs have limited resources and need an integrated security solution that is centralized and takes the guesswork out of network security,” said Raj Mallempati, SVP of Marketing at Malwarebytes. “By integrating Malwarebytes’ Endpoint Protection with Untangle’s Command Center, we are able to give network administrators at small and medium-sized businesses control and visibility into their environment.”
“Our partnership agreement with Malwarebytes begins an evolution of Command Center towards a full network security orchestration platform,” said Scott Devens, chief executive officer at Untangle. “This integrated solution makes an enterprise-grade, layered approach to security possible for small and medium-sized organizations by providing a simple, seamless approach to threat detection and remediation.”
Untangle Command Center with Malwarebytes is now available. Command Center centralized management is included for Untangle NG Firewall Complete subscribers at no extra cost.
Channel Impact®
Evaluating, deploying, and managing security systems can be a daunting task for small-to-medium businesses. This alliance enables partners to provide enhanced visibility and streamlined operations more efficiently.
Nimble and D&H Team Up to Deliver Simple CRM for Office 365
Nimble has signed a global reseller agreement with D&H Distributing through which allied partners will be able to deliver Nimble CRM with Office 365, Dynamics 365, and Azure services via D&H’s online Cloud Marketplace. Hands-on CRM training and reseller enablement are also available free-of-charge.
Their value proposition includes professional marketing resources, a new transactional service model, dedicated Solutions Specialists, and a webcast training venue. Another aspect of the proposition revolves around readily available reseller engagement events like technology trade shows, roundtable opportunities, training “track” sessions, and hands-on “lab” sessions.
While Microsoft Dynamics 365 is typically better suited for businesses that require an enterprise-level business management system, Nimble is positioned as a proper fit for small business teams needing a more straightforward, SMB-targeted solution. If customers eventually decide to transition to an enterprise CRM, partners can integrate Nimble with Dynamics 365.
“We are excited to partner with D&H Distributing to help channel partners cater to their customers’ evolving journeys,” said Kevin Turner, Nimble’s head of strategic partner development. “Partners embrace Nimble in order to systematize and scale their conversational sales, marketing, and other business processes; in turn, they are well equipped to help their customers to do the same.”
Channel Impact®
By bundling small business solutions with Office 365, partners will have a new means by which to accelerate their digital transformation practice.
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