Why Scare Tactics Are Necessary To Sell Security

Formerly 'IPED Player for New Site'

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It's no secret that security is a fast-growing revenue stream for MSPs, but selling customers on security is hardly easy money.

Luis Alvarez, president and CEO of Salinas, Calif.-based Alvarez Technology, said his company recently revamped its out-of-date threat management into a complete security practice.

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"What we've discovered is that the threat landscape has gotten so dramatically different than what it was two or three years ago," Alvarez said.

Alvarez said the new practice "can specialize in helping clients mitigate those risks much better, and we can charge more money for that." More money comes down to about $200 to $300 an hour, which Alvarez said attracts regulatory clients in particular.

The challenge is that lots of companies are used to old-hat threat protection that came built in with other service offerings.

"It's easy to have the conversation; it's harder to sell," Alvarez said. "Everybody wants security, but they want it for free."

The solution? Go to the top dogs -- those executives who will be held accountable in the unfortunate case of a security breach.

"Typically, we go in at the C-level or the board level. If we get in at the board and we scare the hell out of them, it's great. They're now looking at their own fiduciary responsibility and understanding that if something bad happens, it's on them, so they're willing to spend the money so that something bad doesn't happen," Alvarez said.

PUBLISHED SEPT. 2, 2015