Yet in an article originally published by DarkReading, Acronis VP of Cyber Protection Research Candid Wüest detailed the significant cyber protection challenges that lie ahead for small and mid-sized companies in 2021. For managed service providers (MSPs) who step up to the plate, they’ll uncover tremendous opportunities in the year ahead. We’re reposting it here so our partners can benefit from his insights.

In our mission to deliver strategies, services, and solutions that provide comprehensive cyber protection, Acronis has been actively looking to develop new data protection and cybersecurity capabilities. Some of these are developed by our team, while others are gained through strategic acquisitions. Today, we’ve added a powerful set of new services and technical expertise by acquiring CyberLynx, a leading cybersecurity consultancy that provides proprietary training, IT security audits, penetration testing, and post-event cyber forensic services.

As I mentioned in my recap of the Acronis Global Cyber Summit 2020, we had a tremendous group of speakers who participated in the Channel and MSP track. In addition to the keynotes and panels that were offered, we asked several MSP thought leaders and influencers to present live workshops during the 2020 Summit.

Wow. I have been involved in creating a lot of events during my career but I’ve never been involved with anything as big – or frankly as historic – as the Acronis Cyber Summit 2020. During the Summit’s three days, we welcomed more than 8,500 professionals who registered to hear 130 speakers and 20 sponsors, which means we may have pulled off what might be the largest security-focused hybrid event ever. As a former managed service provider (MSP), I was thrilled that the Summit’s mission was different than some of the vendor events I’ve attended in the past. That’s because it wasn’t focused on pitching a product, but rather it delivered the information, training, and content to help our IT channel partners grow.