100% MSP or goodbye

Of course, it was a longer process, but in my opinion, the biggest breakthrough or game changer was when we decided to focus 100% on managed services. Ultimately, we communicated our service concept more clearly to all existing customers because we are 100% convinced that this is the best way to offer reasonable security in the modern age and prepare them for current challenges. From our perspective, this was the most crucial factor that provided the most momentum, as it gave us more opportunities, allowed us to fully concentrate on it, and had the greatest impact on the team.

When we talk to the customer, we focus less on individual products and instead illustrate that we function as an external IT department, handling all the issues that arise in their practice. Initially, we concentrate on the core components of a customer’s system: endpoints, servers, network, and firewall. These four pillars are essential, and without them, we cannot proceed. These are our core offerings that customers are required to include. Additionally, there are optional services such as darknet monitoring or managed email that customers can choose to add.

We handle very sensitive data. Unfortunately, the highest protection class according to the European General Data Protection Regulation is not always fully implemented in the healthcare sector. We have adapted our concepts to address this, focusing on the healthcare sector, including telematics infrastructure. This involves special networks that require particular care, such as network separation, and working with medical technology manufacturers to determine who should have remote maintenance access.

Exactly. We also offer three service levels: Basic, Standard, and Premium. Basic includes everything we consider essential, covering most security services. Notably, even the smallest package includes a SOC solution. This means that alarm messages are not handled by our technicians but are instead sent to a service center, in this case, Sophos. There, a forensic expert reviews the reports and conducts their own assessment based on AI evidence, operating around the clock. We lack the resources to provide this level of continuous monitoring ourselves.

Another key aspect is that we once received a message indicating that Firefox.exe was recognized as a threat. We couldn't determine if its size should be 200 or 300 KB, and this is not within our core expertise. Acquiring the necessary additional know-how would not have been economically viable for our company size. Since we believe that round-the-clock security requires such a service, we include it in the Basic package.

The Standard package usually offers a flat-rate tariff, including services. Premium typically involves higher-quality hardware at the workplace or, for servers, additional redundancies for increased reliability.

Yes, one of our biggest challenges was getting the team on board, especially when not everyone is immediately excited about new tools. For instance, when I returned from a trade fair and eagerly presented six new tools, not everyone was thrilled, especially when they hadn't yet mastered the last six.

The key realization for us was to set aside one day a week—Friday—to focus on company development and engage with new services and concepts. This dedicated time allowed us to work together as a team. It was crucial that everyone had the opportunity to contribute ideas, shape concepts, and voice concerns. This inclusive approach helped motivate the team.

In the past, tasks like driving 200 kilometers to check if plug A was properly connected to socket B were necessary but not enjoyable. With the right tools, we can now handle such tasks more efficiently without spending hours on documentation.

We have just launched our managed mail system and we will certainly continue to optimize it. And we are currently tackling the issue of password management and have evaluated various manufacturers.