What to Look for When Your MSP Provider is Failing to Manage Your Network Effectively

Identifying and Mitigating Crucial IT Vulnerabilities in Modern Businesses:

Maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture is more critical and more challenging than ever before. Businesses are facing an overabundance of cybersecurity threats that can compromises your sensitive data, disrupt your business operations and hurt your reputations.

Even though companies know the importance of implementing stronger cybersecurity measure, many organizations are still overlooking critical vulnerabilities within their IT infrastructure.

Read this blog post to learn about some of the most seen cybersecurity risk and vulnerabilities and learn why it is so vital to address these issues to protect your business.

By learning about these risks and proactively mitigating them, you will be well on your way to strengthening your network and promote business continuity.

Table of Contents:

1. End of Life Firewall on Their Office Network
2.  On-Premises Servers Running an Old Version of Windows Server OS
3. No Advanced Endpoint Protection on Core Infrastructure
4. Open Guest Wi-Fi Network
5. Default Passwords on Core Infrastructure

1. End of Life (EOL) Firewall on Their Office Network

An outdated firewall can expose your business to a tremendous amount of security threats. It is critical to keep your firewall hardware and software up to date to ensure your network is safe. If your firewall has reached the end of its life, it may be time to replace it as soon as possible.

Risks of EOL Firewalls:

1. Security Risks: Firewalls that have reached the end of its product life cycle leaves you vulnerable to new exploits and cyber attacks as they no longer receive critical software upgrades or patches. There have been many instances where cybercriminals have exploited EOL firewalls to cause damage to your reputation or harm businesses financially. Regular updates and patches should be non-negotiable, and you should replace your hardware as soon as possible if that is not an option.
2. Performance Decline: firewalls that are at its EOL cannot keep up with the demand of traffic and may slow your entire operation. Most people expect to you to be able to support remote or hybrid work environments and maintaining your firewalls is a critical component for this to provide you with an optimized workflow and to maintain productivity.
3. Compliance Issues: There are compliance regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA the require your firewalls to be up to date. A proactive managed service provider (MSP) should be monitoring and updating your firewalls regularly to ensure uptime and reduce the risks of security breaches. Meaning your business remains compliant and secure.

READ MORE: Why Firewall Management is Critical for Business Security

2. On-Premises Servers Running an Old Version of Windows Server OS

The use of old operating systems is also a major risk for your network security and efficiency. By keeping your server OS up to date, you are reducing the security and efficiency risks that come with running an old OS:

Risks of using old OS:

• No security patches: Microsoft no longer supports older versions of Windows Server OS which leaves businesses vulnerable to critical unpatched risks. Unpatched vulnerabilities leave you exposed to ransomwares and other forms of cyber attacks.
• Operational inefficiency. An outdated OS can also slow down your applications’ performances which means you are more likely to run into bottlenecks and other inefficiencies.
• Compatibility issues: Many of the latest and more modern software and apps are not compatible with older servers. If this isn’t regularly checked and maintained, you may see more productivity and IT spending challenges. A proactive MSP should be ensuring that your operating systems are up to date and offer you cloud migration strategies to ensure your IT environment is secure and reliable. An MSP should be actively monitoring OS lifecycles as part of their ongoing service delivery.

3. No Advanced Endpoint Protection on Core Infrastructure

A basic antivirus software is not enough to keep your endpoints and core infrastructure safe. You should deploy advanced endpoint protection to protect your business secure from the latest threats. By investing in modern and advanced endpoint security, you are protecting your business from more sophisticated cyber threats that are most damaging to your operations.

Discover how our comprehensive cybersecurity solutions can protect your network and ensure compliance with the latest standards.

Risks of not having proper endpoint protection:

• Sophisticated threats:  Most basic antivirus software is not reliable at detecting and preventing complex cyber threats that are only getting more sophisticated. There are many examples of cyber attacks that have bypassed mainstream antivirus software’s and have caused irreparable damage to businesses. If you are a business that is serious about data security, you should be looking for advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems and making use of AI-driven security measures that are critical for the fight against the latest and most sophisticated cyber attacks.
• Increased vulnerability: By not leveraging advanced endpoint protection, you are leaving your business vulnerable to attacks such as phishing, malware, ransomware, and zero-day attacks. Advanced endpoint protection will integrate seamlessly into modern zero-trust architectures and provide you with enhanced security and peace of mind.
• MSP Shortcomings: A reputable MSP should recommend and implement AI driven EDR & identity threat detection and response (IDTR) solutions that offer behavioral insights and threat hunting-capabilities. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions play an important role in securing remote and hybrid work environments

READ MORE: Understanding Endpoint Security- Protecting Your Business Devices

4. Open Guest Wi-Fi Network

Open guest networks should be considered and open invitation for potential cybercriminals who are looking for ways to exploit your IT architectures’ vulnerabilities. Ensuring that you have the proper security measures in place will help protect your business against unauthorized access and data breaches.

Risks of open guest networks:

• No segmentation: To reduce the risks of unauthorized access, you should be segmenting your guest networks from your core business networks. Segmenting your networks   will protect your business assets and create a more protected network environment.
• Network vulnerabilities:  Open and improperly secured Wi-Fi networks are open doors for cyber criminals who are looking to exploit vulnerabilities for malicious purposes. Proper network management includes regular assessments to identify vulnerabilities to protect your network from unauthorized access.
• Data privacy concerns: If your MSP is not sufficiently addressing the risks of guest Wi-Fi security, you should take it as a ref flag for the overall quality and reliability of the services. An unsecured guest network is a huge risk for data breaches.

5. Default Passwords on Core Infrastructure

You should never be using default password on core IT infrastructure for your business. Doing so opens critical vulnerabilities to your entire IT infrastructure. You should change all default passwords with stronger ones, implement strong password policies and multi-factor authentication where possible to reduce the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.

Risks of using default passwords:

• Easy Targets: Cybercriminals will regularly attempt to exploit default passwords and credentials to get access to sensitive systems and data. There have been many instances where data breaches have occurred because cybercriminals exploit the vulnerabilities of systems that use default passwords. This is why every business needs policies in place for stronger passwords and multi-factor authentication.
• MSP negligence: An MSP that does not enforce and implement stronger password policies should not be trusted and is a terrible job at protecting your business’ IT infrastructure. Implementing password policies and conducting regular audits is a best practice that keeps your business secure. Your MSP should implement strong password policies, enforce regular password updates and monitor for potential breaches on a regular basis.
• 2024 tactic: Check that your MSP is enforcing the use of strong passwords and multi-factor authentication where possible. By doing so, an MSP can significantly reduce the security risks to your business and keep your data safe from unauthorized access.

Strengthening Your Cybersecurity Posture

Addressing these common cybersecurity oversights is crucial for protecting your business from potential threats. Ensuring up-to-date hardware and software, implementing advanced security measures, and enforcing strong password policies are fundamental steps in securing your IT infrastructure. By partnering with a capable and proactive Managed Service Provider, you can fortify your defenses and focus on your core business activities with peace of mind.

Take Action to Secure Your Future

Don’t leave your business vulnerable to cyber threats!

Contact us now to schedule a consultation and take the first step towards a secure future.