Angus Shaw is the sales director of Brigantia, a UK-based, value-added cybersecurity distributor. Part of the management buyout team that acquired Brigantia in 2016, and he’s played a pivotal role in establishing Brigantia as a top name in the UK cybersecurity space.
An Interview With Angus Shaw
Cybersecurity Changes MSPs Should be Aware of
For him, Angus says the biggest change is that the government is working to raise awareness of Cyber Essentials. And that means no matter what your position in the channel, you have a responsibility to educate SMBs on cybersecurity.
“There’s a lot more news coverage about cyber scams. So we need to make sure our end users understand the risks. That might be via paid adverts, or a quick chat with someone who’s left their laptop unlocked on a train.
“Because the attackers aren’t going away. And AI is only going to make it worse. So the responsibility we have as experts is something I feel strongly about and try to live every day.”
How Brigantia Find the Right Cybersecurity Vendors for MSPs
As Brigantia build a reputation for introducing smaller vendors to the UK market, they find cybersecurity vendors approach them all the time. But Angus explains that while there are plenty of companies to choose from, they keep their portfolio limited to prevent conflicts.
“So we have a vendor for each specific cyber concern or MSP need. But there are some layers we don’t have a vendor for. And that’s either because we haven’t found the right business, or it’s not commercially viable.
“But we want to commit 100% to each vendor we work with, so we’re selective. We pick the right person for patching, security awareness and so on. That way we can match up the right vendor to the MSP.
Understanding the Master MSP Model
The master MSP is what we would call outsourcing and strategic alliance partnerships in the UK. Angus explains that Brigantia’s involvement in promoting the master MSP model came from bringing US-based cybersecurity awareness training company KnowBe4 to the UK.
“They hadn’t focused on awareness training 100% at that time. But we explained the opportunity, because it was still a relatively new offering for MSPs. So we helped them to offer the solution to MSP clients on a monthly billing basis.
“Although they did incredibly well, we soon realised that the product wasn’t being used enough, because it was just too big. The MSPs didn’t have the time to manage it or learn how to use the tool. So we launched an outsourced MSP to manage it all. It’s gone from strength to strength, and we’re hoping to replicate that for other vendors too.”
Angus’ Advice to MSPs who Want to do Cybersecurity Themselves
While it’s tempting to want to keep everything in-house and provide all your services yourself, that’s not a very good idea. Angus explains: “Take a step back and ask if you’re really delivering the best possible service to your clients.
“Sometimes an MSP needs to lose a client before they realise that they’re not doing the best job. So be honest and ask yourself what could you do better? If cybersecurity isn’t your area of expertise, then outsource it to someone who IS an expert.
“Because the reality is, you won’t grow your MSP the way you want otherwise. You’ll end up being acquired or lose out to competitors who are more streamlined and efficient than you are. Outsourcing is how they do it, and you should too.”
How to Stand out From the Crowd
At Brigantia, consistency is essential. Angus explains that they have a very simple approach to customer service that works well for them: “If the phone rings, you answer it. And we make sure wherever possible that the caller speaks to the same person each time.
“It sounds obvious, but so many competitors don’t. Their clients don’t get consistency on deliverability and they don’t get a designated account manager. So we provide that, and it really builds trust.
“Our vision is to be the leading trusted cybersecurity distributor to MSPs. And customer service and building relationships is key to that. We sign more new partners every day, and they sign on with more vendors. So that approach works for us.”
How Brigantia Uses Cybersecurity to Differentiate from Old-School Distributors
‘Old-school’ distributors have been successful, but their MSP clients sometimes suffer, says Angus. “For example, a very small MSP we met lost a deal because of the way their distributor behaved. It was terrible to hear the consequences on his business.
“We want Brigantia to be everything those distributors are not. For instance, we do that with the phone calls. And we differentiate ourselves from the bigger distributors who have a breadth of service. We add value with our deep knowledge of critical services like cybersecurity.
“Traditional distributors don’t add enough value to their clients. We work to give tangible benefits to both the vendors and the MSPs. And of course, those old-school distributors will struggle as hardware is less in demand. Things will only get harder for them.”
How to Connect With Angus Shaw
- Brigantia
- Follow Brigantia on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to Brigantia’s channel on YouTube
- email Angus
- Connect with Angus on LinkedIn
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Mentioned in This Episode
- Cybersecurity accreditation: Cyber Essentials
- Unified cybersecurity platform: Heimdal
- Cybersecurity awareness training: KnowBe4
- Dark web monitoring: Trillion
- Browser-based cybersecurity: Island
- AI-powered browser security: Conceal
- MSP growth hub: ITE Growth Forum
- European channel experts: IT Europa
- 365 security monitoring: Octiga
- Pax8
- Technology reseller: Giacom
- MSP event organiser: The Network Group
- DMARC email security: Sendmarc
- Password manager: Keeper
- MSP peer group: The Tech Tribe
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Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
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