Why the SaaS business model is a good fit for managed service providers

Leveraging SaaS services for your clients is a great way to scale your service offerings. Software as a Service solutions are normally delivered by a license subscription model which fits perfectly with the MSP service model. The overall objective is to be able to quote your clients on a per user/per month basis.

SaaS tools present different risks to your clients’ data than traditional software. As a result, you can enhance your service offering further with rsecurity add-ons.

How to ensure SaaS security with a multi-layered security approach

As an MSP you can deliver security as a service as an add-on for SaaS products to ensure that your users are protected.

Shared data responsibility & SaaS backup

Most SaaS providers design their SaaS infrastructure with built-in redundancy and other high availability measures to ensure that they won’t lose your cloud data.

However, if you have deleted data or fallen victim to a cyberattack, the responsibility to restore that data may fall on your shoulders. Microsoft calls this the Shared Responsibility Model. As an MSP your credibility is on the line to be sure that you’re protecting your clients’ data no matter who is responsible for a data loss. In your clients’ eyes you are solely responsible for protecting their data.

This is why Datto developed SaaS Protection, so you can take full control of protecting data stored within Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.

Learn more about how Datto SaaS protection is your first line of defense against cloud data loss.

Login controls/authentication

One of the major benefits of SaaS apps is that your data is available anywhere. However, this can also make your data vulnerable to social engineering attacks which attempt to gain your login credentials.

There are a few ways to mitigate this threat. One method is to train end users and your own employees about what to look for in social engineering attacks, such as phishing emails. Another is to activate 2FA, or Two Factor Authentication, login on all SaaS applications — more and more businesses are making this login authentication a requirement for access as attack vectors grow and risks to data increase.

Learn More about 2FA Here

Be cautious of SaaS integrations

On the surface, data integration and streamlining the flow of data across business applications seem like obvious steps. However, as you improve data flow you may also be easing access for hackers or increasing possible vulnerabilities from cyberattacks.

It’s essential to always test and verify every application that you integrate to ensure that you’re not increasing exposure to threats.

Advanced Threat Protection for SaaS platforms

Another great way to protect users is with an advanced threat protection (ATP) solution such as Datto SaaS Defense. ATP solutions are designed to stop attacks/malicious emails before users even have a chance to interact with them.

Protecting SaaS data with Datto SaaS Protection and SaaS Defense

With Datto SaaS Defense, MSPs can proactively defend against malware, business email compromise (BEC), and phishing attacks that target Microsoft Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. With Datto SaaS Protection working alongside SaaS Defense, you are able to backup, protect and recover SaaS data whenever necessary.

Source: Datto