According to Norton, cyberhackers exposed over 24 billion passwords in 2022. Many MSP clients don’t know that password managers exist and store their passwords within the autosave feature of their browsers, a spreadsheet, or a physical password log, leaving them vulnerable to exposure and breaches. Especially for small businesses without large teams, cybersecurity may not be a primary focus.
MSPs have an opportunity to educate their clients about the importance of keeping their data secure. Reselling password managers is an easy entry to the cybersecurity conversation. Even in small, bootstrapped organizations with only a few team members, using a secure password manager can positively impact the overall security of the business’ systems and sensitive information. And MSPs must lead the charge in adopting best practices in their own business.
Why password managers are essential for MSP businesses
An MSP may need a password manager for several reasons, including type of clients serviced, volume of clients and compliance and auditing.
Password managers allow for scalability
MSPs handle lots of client credentials, especially for clients with extensive tech stacks spread across multiple sites. Password managers centralize management of these passwords securely. As MSPs take on more clients, it’s impractical and a cybersecurity risk to manage passwords manually. A password manager scales with the business.
Enhanced security
MSPs are attractive targets for hackers due to their access to multiple client systems. Using a password manager ensures that passwords are complaint with best practices, such as creating complex passwords and avoiding accidental or intentional reuse. This lowers an MSP’s risk of data breaches.
Compliance and auditing
Many industries have strict compliance requirements (e.g., CCPA, HIPAA, GDPR). Password managers help MSPs meet these compliance standards with features like role-based access controls and pre-emptive account blocks when the system detects suspicious activity. They’re an important factor in strengthening an organization’s password policies.
Efficient password sharing
Password managers allow secure sharing of passwords among team members. This is crucial for MSPs who need to collaborate on client projects without compromising security. This can also be useful for testing and error replication if an MSP provides white-labeled helpdesk support in a client’s organization.
Integration with existing tools
Password managers can integrate with other tools used by MSPs, such as remote monitoring and management (RMM) platforms and single sign-on (SSO) solutions. This makes it easy to maintain rigorous compliance standards across tools.
Automated password updates
MSPs need their employees to stick to rigorous security standards. Password managers mitigate the risk posed by having the same password for long periods of time. Password managers force password changes or issue reminders to team members about the safety of their passwords. Changing passwords regularly minimizes the impact of a breach if one occurs.
Client trust and satisfaction
Clients need to trust that their MSP will keep their data safe. Using a password manager provides a level of calm to clients and reinforces the importance of robust cybersecurity standards. Clients can feel confident that the MSP can protect their sensitive data.
How Keeper Security helps MSPs keep their passwords safe and secure
What is Keeper Security?
Keeper Security is a comprehensive cybersecurity and password management platform designed with MSPs and their clients in mind. It incorporates a zero trust architecture and provides complete visibility into end-users password habits through a single, convenient MSP-centric dashboard, empowering MSPs with control over their clients’ security.
Keeper Security offers advanced features such as RBAC, multi-factor authentication and detailed auditing and reporting to help MSPs enforce security and compliance requirements, including CCPA, HIPAA and GDPR. These tools enhance an MSP’s security posture and help them manage their clients’ credentials more effectively.
Centralized password management
Keeper provides a multi-tenant console that allows MSPs to manage all client passwords from a single pane. This centralized approach ensures that MSPs have complete visibility into their clients’ password habits, including password reuse and MFA enforcement.
Built for MSPs from the ground up
Keeper supports role-based access controls (RBAC), delegated administration and detailed auditing and reporting. These capabilities help MSPs enforce security and compliance requirements, including CCPA, HIPAA and GDPR.
Integration with leading tools
Keeper integrates with popular tools, such as Microsoft Entra ID for automatic user provisioning and SSO. This makes it easy for MSPs to integrate Keeper Security into their clients’ existing tech stack.
Flexible licensing
Keeper offers flexible licensing options with no annual commitments. This allows for simple licensing adjustments whenever needed. This helps MSPs and their clients grow while keeping initial costs down only to what’s actually needed.
Keeper Secrets Manager
Keeper Secret Manager allows MSPs and their clients to securely store all credentials within the Keeper vault and manage access permissions with RBAC. All secrets in your organization can be consolidated into one unified platform. MSPs can auto-rotate credentials for service and admin accounts, REST-based API accounts, machines and user accounts across an organization’s cloud and infrastructure.
Keeper BreachWatch
Beyond password management, Keeper’s BreachWatch feature provides dark web monitoring to detect when users have exposed passwords. It alerts MSPs when a password has been compromised and helps resolve the breach promptly.
Keeper ConnectSecure
Keeper’s ConnectSecure feature offers secure, agentless access to business applications and infrastructure without requiring a VPN. This means that MSPs can securely manage and access critical systems without the need for additional software or hardware, enhancing overall security and operational efficiency.
Benefits of reselling the password manager you use to your MSP clients
The most obvious advantage to using the same password manager you’re recommending to your MSP clients is that it allows for a deep understanding of the product through daily use. This firsthand experience enables you to provide more effective support and troubleshooting. When an MSP uses the same tool as their clients, they can use themselves as a case study to confidently demonstrate its features and benefits. This can help convince stakeholders on the fence about the value and minimize the friction of reselling password managers to clients.
Having the same system across internal and client accounts also streamlines your operations and simplifies the management of client accounts. It allows seamless, consistent security practices across your organization and clients’ environments. This consistency reduces the risk of security breaches.
How to make reselling a password manager to your clients an easy “yes”
For MSPs, password management may seem like a critical endeavor, but that’s not necessarily the case for clients. So reducing objections in your sales conversations is key. The easiest way to help a client get on board with the idea of a password manager and try one out is to suggest the password manager that an MSP business is already using.
While there are many effective password manager options out there for MSPs and their clients, there is little that will create more trust than telling clients “This is the password manager that we use.” Using the same password manager as the one an MSP is recommending to their clients creates instant trust and credibility. When clients see that an MSP relies on the same solution they’re recommended, it can help reassure them that the product is reliable and effective.
Give the client an explanation of the features that are the most useful for your organization and highlight how those same features can also benefit them and keep their business secure.
Unsure if Keeper Security is the right option for you? An experienced partner can help.
Secure password management is imperative for MSPs. Reputation is everything, so using the right tools that keep client and internal password data protected is important. Sherweb makes reselling password managers and license provisioning for MSPs and their clients easy in our self-service portal.
If you want to see how Keeper Security could help your business go beyond password management and enforce the most up-to-date security standards, then book a demo with us to get started.
