How MSPs in Australia can strengthen SME cybersecurity with the Cyber Health Check

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across Australia and New Zealand are struggling to secure their operations. The threats they face are constantly growing in both number in severity, but SMEs often lack the time, resources or in‑house expertise to protect themselves.  

Fortunately, the Cyber Health Check from the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) offers a simple, practical way for organisations to assess their cyber maturity and understand where they can improve cyber protection.

For managed service providers (MSPs), the Cyber Health Check provides a useful tool for demonstrating how modern cyber protection platforms can enable service providers to protect an SME client’s operations. Following is a synopsis of each of the eight essential questions in the Cyber Health Check and an outline of how Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud enables MSPs to deliver stronger, more consistent protection.

Enabling automatic updates is the correct answer here. Keeping software, apps and devices up to date is one of the most effective ways to reduce cyber risk. Updates often include patches for newly discovered vulnerabilities that cybercriminals actively exploit. When organisations delay updates or rely on manual processes, they increase the likelihood of compromise through outdated systems.

How Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud helps MSPs Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud includes integrated patch management that enables MSPs to automate updates across operating systems and common applications. MSPs can schedule patches, approve or deny updates and ensure clients’ devices remain protected without relying on users to act. Those capabilities reduce the attack surface and ensure SMEs stay aligned with ASD recommendations.

Everybody in your organisation should be able to recognise and avoid a phishing attack. Phishing remains one of the most common and successful attack methods. Cybercriminals use fraudulent emails, SMS messages and social media posts to trick users into revealing credentials or downloading malware. Recognising phishing attempts is essential for preventing account compromise and data breaches.

How Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud helps MSPs In case a user makes a mistake, Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud provides advanced URL filtering, email scanning and behavioural analysis to block malicious links and attachments before users interact with them. In addition, its threat intelligence engine identifies suspicious patterns and prevents phishing‑related malware from executing. MSPs can also use Acronis Security Awareness Training to educate clients about common scam attempts detected in their environment.

Passphrases made from four or more random words are harder to guess or crack than traditional passwords. Using unique passphrases for every account prevents attackers from using stolen credentials across multiple services.

How Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud helps MSPs Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud supports strong credential hygiene by enforcing security policies across protected devices. MSPs can combine Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud with clients’ existing identity tools and rely on endpoint protection to prevent credential‑stealing malware, keyloggers and brute‑force attacks.

You should use a password manager. Password managers help users create, store and manage strong, unique passphrases for every account. They reduce the risk of password reuse and make it easier for staff to follow best practices without relying on memory.

How Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud helps MSPs Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud complements password managers by protecting the endpoints and browsers where users enter credentials. Its anti‑malware and anti‑keylogging capabilities prevent attackers from capturing passwords, even if users accidentally interact with malicious content. MSPs can also integrate Acronis with clients’ identity and access management solutions to create a more secure authentication environment.

Multifactor authentication (MFA) is an absolute necessity. It adds an extra layer of protection by requiring more than one form of identity verification. Even if a password is stolen, MFA makes it significantly harder for attackers to gain access.

How Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud helps MSPs Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud supports MFA for access to the management console, enabling MSPs to protect administrative accounts. MSPs can also use Acronis to enforce MFA policies across protected workloads and integrate with identity providers that support MFA. That helps SMEs strengthen access control and reduce the risk of account compromise.

Antivirus is a basic and necessary building block of a cybersecurity foundation. Antivirus and security software detect and block malware, ransomware and other malicious activities. Cyberthreats evolve quickly, so organisations need solutions that combine signature‑based detection with behavioural analysis and real‑time protection.

How Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud helps MSPs Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud includes next‑generation antivirus and anti‑malware, as well as AI‑powered threat detection and real‑time protection against ransomware. Its behavioural engine identifies suspicious activity, isolates infected files and prevents lateral movement. MSPs can manage all clients from a single console, ensuring consistent protection across every device.

Automatic regular backups ensure that you can recover critical information after accidental deletion, hardware failure or cyberattack. You need to store backups securely; ideally, off-site or in the cloud, and test them regularly.

How Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud helps MSPs Backup is a core strength of Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud. MSPs can deliver automated, policy‑driven backups to secure cloud storage, local storage or hybrid environments. Anti‑ransomware technology protects backup files from tampering, and instant recovery features enable MSPs to restore systems quickly to minimise downtime. All of that aligns directly with ASD’s guidance on maintaining secure, reliable backups.

Employees should never share login details. Shared account credentials make it difficult to track user activity and increase the risk of unauthorised access. When multiple staff use the same login, organisations lose visibility and accountability, making incident response far more challenging.

How Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud helps MSPs Acronis supports granular role‑based access control (RBAC), enabling MSPs to assign unique accounts and permissions to each user. This ensures that only authorised individuals can access management functions or sensitive data. MSPs can also audit activity logs to maintain visibility and support compliance requirements.

The Cyber Health Check provides a clear, accessible way for SMEs to understand their cybersecurity posture. For MSPs, it is an opportunity to demonstrate how a unified, natively integrated cyber protection platform like Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud can address every area of the assessment.

By combining backup, anti-malware, patch management, threat detection and security automation in a single solution manageable through a single console, Acronis enables MSPs to deliver stronger, more efficient and more consistent protection to clients across Australia.