How MSSPs can generate industry buzz (it starts with your team). Cybersecurity providers often assume industry buzz requires a major launch, a large budget or constant press coverage. In reality, some of their best stories are already inside the company. Analysts, technicians and customer success teams solve real problems every day. The MSSPs that stand out turn those experiences into useful, human stories. "A lot of MSSPs talk about the same tools, services and security threats, so the messaging starts to blend together," said Mike Bloomfield, president of Tekie Geek, a cybersecurity-focused MSP headquartered in Staten Island, New York. "The companies that stand out are the ones willing to show their personality, share real stories and let people see the team behind the technology." Tom Boyden, CEO of Utah-headquartered MSSP Legato Security, an MSSP Alert Top 250 honoree, sees the same problem. "Most MSSPs struggle because they sound exactly like everyone else," Boyden said. "The industry is saturated with claims of '24/7 SOC monitoring,' 'AI-powered detection' and 'best-in-class security.' Those capabilities have become table stakes rather than differentiators." For MSSPs trying to build brand awareness and industry credibility, the best place to start may be the people already doing the work. Making your security team's expertise the differentiator. Much of MSSP marketing sounds the same. Providers promote similar services, partnerships and threat warnings, making it harder for any one brand to stand out. "The problem is not a lack of expertise. It is a lack of differentiation," Boyden said. Even giving customer visibility into ticket flows, response actions and investigation notes has become expected. "Customers demand more than a black-box approach to managed security," he said. That is why frontline employees matter. Technicians, analysts and customer success teams see recurring questions, changing threats and real-world security gaps every day. Those experiences can serve as the foundation for driving client interest and industry buzz. "The technicians and support team usually have the best stories because they are speaking with clients and solving real problems," Bloomfield said. MSSPs can capture those insights through short interviews, brainstorming sessions or internal channels, then turn them into articles, webinars or social posts. The goal is not to make every technician a writer. It is to show how the MSSP or security-focused MSP thinks, operates and protects clients. Build thought leadership around outcomes. Thought leadership is more than a visibility play. According to the 2025 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, 95% of hard-to-reach decision-makers say strong thought leadership makes them more receptive to sales and marketing outreach. MSSPs can capitalize by focusing less on products and more on outcomes. "The goal is to align messaging with outcomes, not preach about your service or product," Boyden said. Instead of simply promoting managed detection and response, explain how it helps clients limit disruption, make faster decisions or reduce uncertainty. Content that teaches before it sells can build credibility with prospects, partners and industry peers. Give employees moments worth sharing. Employees are more likely to advocate for an MSSP when they feel proud of what the company has achieved. That pride comes from meaningful recognition, not another request to repost corporate content. "Give employees moments that they genuinely want to share," Bloomfield said. "Celebrate wins, recognize individual contributions and make it easy for employees to share stories in their own voice." For example, the MSSP Alert Top 250 gives security providers one of those moments. Earning a place on the list provides third-party validation, strengthens credibility with clients and partners and honors the team behind the company's growth and security operations. "Awards give your employees and clients something to be proud of," Bloomfield said. "The biggest value comes from sharing the recognition with your team and clients, rather than making the award only about the owner or leadership." MSSPs can amplify that positivity by highlighting the analysts, technicians and customer-facing employees who earned it. The Top 250 becomes more than a badge for the website. It becomes a credible story employees will want to share with clients. "Third-party recognition can give buyers an added level of confidence that an MSSP has scale, market relevance and momentum," said Sundhar Annamalai, chief strategy officer, LevelBlue. "The best way to capitalize on awards and lists is to connect the recognition back to client value...Used well, recognition reinforces credibility. Used poorly, it can sound like a victory lap." Build industry buzz with experts, not corporate spokespeople. Employee advocacy works best when people are allowed to sound like themselves. Identical, prewritten posts may increase volume, but they rarely feel credible. Marketing teams should provide talking points, graphics and guidance, then let employees add their own expertise and perspective. An analyst may explain the technical impact of a threat, while a salesperson focuses on the business risk. Giving employees a meaningful voice can also support retention. Gallup reports that engaged employees are 47% less likely to be looking for another job than employees who are not engaged. One company story can generate several perspectives while making employees feel valued, visible and connected to the MSSP's mission. Participate in the industry, do not just publish. Generating industry buzz requires more than posting company content. That may mean commenting on another expert's analysis, contributing to an industry article or joining a webinar panel. It can also mean congratulating peers and sharing useful resources without expecting an immediate return. Consistent participation builds familiarity. It's important to engage when journalists seek commentary, event organizers look for speakers or when potential clients ask thoughtful questions online. "The most effective leaders use social media to share perspective, react to meaningful industry developments and elevate the expertise of their teams," Annamalai said. "That matters in cybersecurity because trust is personal. Buyers want to know there are experienced people behind the service, not just a brand and a set of capabilities." How MSSPs can generate more buzz in 30 days. Find the stories already happening. Look for employee wins, client successes, community involvement and lessons learned. Match each story to the right format and voice. Turn frontline insights into social posts, case studies, articles or award submissions, then put the right employee in front of the story. Create one strategic collaboration. Develop a webinar, article or educational program with a trusted vendor or industry partner. Prioritize consistency over volume. A few useful posts supported by genuine engagement will outperform a flood of generic updates. Measure more than impressions. Track target-account engagement, media requests, speaking invitations, partner introductions and referral traffic. Show personality and participate. Share a distinct point of view, comment on industry discussions and build relationships instead of only publishing. Keep the team at the center. Success means employees are suggesting ideas, sharing accomplishments and contributing expertise without repeated prompting That human connection becomes even more important as automation grows because it ultimately depends on trust. Salesforce found that 61% of customers believe advances in artificial intelligence make it more important for companies to demonstrate trustworthiness. "Most people do not connect emotionally with firewalls, backups or security software," Bloomfield said. "They connect with protecting their business, keeping their employees working, avoiding embarrassment and being able to sleep at night." The key is to explain security through the human and business outcomes it protects. Industry buzz starts with your team. For MSSPs, generating industry buzz starts with making the people behind the business more visible. By turning employee expertise into useful content, sharing authentic stories and participating consistently in industry conversations, MSSPs can build stronger brand awareness and lasting credibility. The providers that stand out will not be the ones making the loudest claims. They will be the ones showing real expertise, giving their teams a voice and proving what makes their approach different. Jonathan Browning is executive director of content and engagement for The ChannelPro Network. He has been a leader in the IT channel for close to a decade. He's an avid fan and early adopter of technology. He believes that the managed services industry is the most important driver of economic growth and human innovation in today's world. Images: Przemyslaw Iciak - stock.adobe.com, Mike Bloomfield, Tom Boyden

Acronis partners with Legato Security to deliver 24/7 global MDR for MSPs. In today's evolving threat landscape, managed service providers (MSPs) face mounting pressure to go beyond endpoint protection - they must deliver advanced, always-on security that ensures business continuity. To help MSPs meet this challenge, Acronis is partnering with Legato Security to expand the global availability of Acronis Managed Detection and Response (MDR) - offering 24/7 SOC coverage seamlessly integrated into the Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud platform. Why MSPs need to provide advanced security services on top of EDR / XDR. Modern threats are outpacing traditional detection tools. While EDR and XDR provide visibility and investigative insight, they still rely heavily on human expertise to analyze alerts, respond to threats, and perform root-cause investigations. For most MSPs, building and maintaining a 24/7 security operations center (SOC) is neither cost effective nor scalable. That's why more MSPs are evolving their cybersecurity offerings beyond EDR and XDR - by adding managed detection and response (MDR) services. MDR enables partners to deliver enterprise-grade protection, proactive monitoring and rapid response without the need for a dedicated internal security team. With Acronis MDR, MSPs gain access to world-class SOC expertise, advanced detection capabilities, and built-in recovery - all through a single platform. Why MSPs should consider outsourcing SOC operations via MDR. Operating an in-house SOC can easily exceed what most service providers can sustain. It demands specialized talent, 24/7 staffing, and constant tuning of tools and processes. Outsourcing SOC operations through MDR helps MSPs: * Reduce operational costs - MDR is over 10x more cost efficient than building an in-house SOC. * Simplify delivery - Gain full SOC functionality without the complexity of integration or management. * Provide 24/7 monitoring and response - Ensure incidents are contained in minutes, not hours. * Scale services across clients - Deliver enterprise-grade protection to SMB and midmarket clients with minimal resources. * Focus on growth - Offload day-to-day monitoring while maintaining visibility and customer control. With MDR, partners can finally deliver complete security coverage without overextending their teams. What is Acronis MDR? Acronis MDR is a 24/7/365 managed detection, response and recovery service built for MSPs of any size and maturity. Delivered through a trusted network of certified MSSP partners, the service integrates with the Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud platform - combining endpoint protection, advanced threat detection, and recovery in one unified solution. * Continuous monitoring and rapid response from certified SOC experts. * Integrated remediation and recovery capabilities unique to Acronis. * Up to 60% improvement in total cost of ownership (TCO) through platform consolidation. * Flexible service tiers (Standard and Advanced) to fit client needs and partner business models. Unlike traditional MSSPs that only alert you when issues arise, Acronis MDR analysts actively investigate, isolate and remediate incidents, ensuring both protection and continuity. Acronis + Legato Security: MDR, built for MSPs. Acronis MDR by Legato Security is available for partners globally - giving MSPs access to proven MDR expertise and 24/7/365 SOC coverage. Legato Security is a top-tier managed security services provider (MSSP) recognized for its excellence in SOC operations, threat intelligence and managed detection and response. Ranked among the Top 10 Fast-Growth Service Providers by CRN, Legato brings deep operational maturity and a customer-centric approach to managed security. Together, Acronis and Legato Security enable MSPs to: * Deliver around-the-clock protection with fast response SLAs. * Leverage trusted SOC coverage across the globe with CMMC Level 2 Certified and SOC 2-compliant MSSP - Legato Security. * Offer fully integrated MDR services through the Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud platform. * Strengthen client trust and recurring revenue with a unified, cost-efficient security service. This partnership reflects Acronis' ongoing commitment to empower MSPs with advanced, easy-to-deliver security solutions that drive business resilience. Top MDR use cases for MSPs. Acronis MDR helps service providers solve their most common challenges in scaling security services: * Offer MDR without SOC or EDR expertise | Outsource detection and response to Acronis' 24/7 SOC experts and deliver advanced protection instantly. * Security coverage outside business hours | Extend protection to nights, weekends and holidays with continuous monitoring and 60-minute mean time to respond (MTTR). * Partial outsourcing to minimize resource needs | Use MDR for monitoring, analysis and initial containment while your team manages post-incident remediation. * Compliance and reporting | Ensure real-time alerting, rapid escalation and detailed reporting for audits or cyber insurance requirements. * Differentiation through resilience | Combine security and recovery in one service - ensuring clients can recover fast and maintain business continuity. Acronis MDR helps partners amplify security effectiveness, simplify operations and unlock new revenue opportunities - without heavy investments in infrastructure or personnel. The future of managed detection and response for MSPs. The global MDR market is growing rapidly as SMBs demand enterprise-grade protection without enterprise costs. By partnering with Acronis and Legato Security, MSPs gain immediate access to 24/7 SOC expertise, integrated recovery and scalable service delivery designed specifically for the MSP business model. As cyberthreats continue to evolve, Acronis MDR ensures partners can stay ahead - protecting clients, maintaining trust and growing profitably. Ready to see how Acronis MDR can help you scale advanced security services and boost profitability? Talk to its experts today. About Acronis A Swiss company founded in Singapore in 2003, Acronis has 15 offices worldwide and employees in 50+ countries. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is available in 26 languages in 150 countries and is used by over 21,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses.