Switzerland-based MSP improves cost efficiency in their service offering, and achieves gold status in the #CyberFit Partner Program.
INTRODUCTION
Scibile Network SA is a managed service provider (MSP) based in Switzerland. Scibile delivers IT, web and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions and services to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). With over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, Scibile’s team works closely with clients to ensure every cybersecurity and data protection decision is made based on their clients’ needs and objectives.
Scibile helps businesses of all vertical markets protect diverse IT landscapes and data, including Microsoft Azure Cloud, Microsoft Office 365 and other email and network environments. Scibile’s team also offers IT consulting and services, helping clients with installation, integration, security of information systems and system consultancy.
THE CHALLENGE
Daniel Giacomone, Chief Operating Officer of Scibile Network, described two predominant challenges that Scibile’s business and clients faced. Tool sprawl had emerged over the years as the Scibile team adopted new solutions for each of their clients’ unique needs. Managing disparate tools became inefficient, and without standardized processes, delivering top tier service with the current technology stack was unsustainable for Scibile’s technicians.
Additionally, Swiss companies are traditionally apprehensive to adopt new technologies. According to Giacomone, many Swiss businesses tend to keep existing technologies in place and are generally reluctant to enhance cybersecurity and data protection measures unless affected by a cyber incident or regulatory compliance.
Also, the Swiss government recently passed a new law, Switzerland’s Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP or FADP n-LPD), which is the equivalent of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These new regulations are an additional factor for SMEs to consider when evaluating cybersecurity solutions.
With mounting expectations, Scibile’s clients grew eager to enhance their security posture. Giacomone and his team recognized a strategic opportunity to offer the in-demand security services their clients needed. But to do this successfully, Scibile needed a new cybersecurity and data protection platform that would simplify management and operational efficiency.
KEY CHALLENGES
- New data protection and cybersecurity laws in Switzerland loomed over clients.
- Disparate solutions made it challenging to develop a strategic offering.
- Previous vendors lacked Italian-speaking technicians with knowledge of the DACH region.
- Experienced tool sprawl that hindered efficiency.
KEY REQUIREMENTS
- Needed a consolidated solution to simplify offerings and improve both cost and operational efficiency.
PROTECTED RESOURCES
- Nearly 500 workloads, 35-plus TB of data.
KEY BENEFITS
- Simplified security management with one solution.
- Eliminated time spent on training technicians across various tools.
- Streamlined offerings and packaged services tailored to SMEs.
- Achieved Acronis #CyberFit Gold partner status.
THE SOLUTION
Scibile’s technicians wanted to consolidate and refine the number of solutions that they were using. According to Giacomone, “Amongst the variety of solutions we had, some of them were with Acronis, which worked well for us. So, we decided to explore further because one of our other partners who supplied another solution only had a limited vision.”
Giacomone continued, “Once we got into that world (the Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud ecosystem), we realized that we could tie protection together and package services for our customers.” Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is a natively integrated platform built for MSPs that unifies cybersecurity, data protection and endpoint management in a single solution and centralized console.
“The Acronis products were strategic for us to package; for example, full security solutions for small and medium enterprises. That’s what drove us in the direction toward Acronis.”
Plus, the Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud fully aligns with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, a set of cybersecurity guidelines to help organizations better understand and manage their cyber risk. Additionally, the platform offers immutable backups, disaster recovery, endpoint detection and response (EDR), extended detection and response (XDR), and AI-enabled detection and security capabilities that empower MSPs to help satisfy their clients’ GDPR requirements.
“We use mostly Acronis EDR, Backup, Backup for Microsoft 365 and Email Security. Namely, we package some of these together. Before, we used a variety of tools, and we didn’t have a standard family of tools to cover all the security and backup aspects. They were primarily opportunity based, depending on the client at the time.”
The value of natively integrated cybersecurity and backup not only increased protection but also gave Scibile the flexibility and scalability to standardize their service offering.
“The number one benefit for us is that we can package these different services that are mainly related to security in one offering. And then, we can have one single expertise that allows us to cover the whole spectrum.”
THE RESULTS
Giacomone highlights the unique position of Scibile, which is situated within the DACH region geographically, but operates with Italian-speaking technicians and clients. This creates a service gap, as they fall outside the typical Italian regional support structure. However, since partnering with Acronis, they’ve successfully navigated this by establishing a strong relationship with the Acronis team. This arrangement provides Scibile with Italian-speaking contacts who understand and cater to their specific linguistic, operational and regional needs.
After partnering with Acronis, Giacomone reports that Scibile’s services are more cost effective and efficient in terms of service delivery. These advantages enabled Scibile to reach #CyberFit Gold partner status in only two years.