Compliance is becoming a bigger part of the conversation between MSPs and their customers.
Businesses may need Cyber Essentials, be working towards ISO 27001 or have to prove their security credentials as part of a tender. Increasingly, they need support understanding what’s required and keeping on top of it.
For MSPs, that creates an opportunity to extend existing customer relationships and build a valuable recurring service around compliance.
Why compliance is becoming an MSP opportunity
Compliance requirements are no longer limited to the largest enterprises or heavily regulated organisations.
Businesses are being asked to demonstrate how they manage security, whether by customers, suppliers, regulators or as part of the procurement process. Recognised frameworks and certifications can provide that evidence and, in some cases, determine whether an organisation can access new commercial opportunities.
MSPs already see this demand a lot. In a recent MSP Finance Team podcast, Adoptech's Alastair Goodwin and I discussed customers asking their IT providers about certifications including Cyber Essentials and ISO 27001.
For the MSP, the question is whether to refer that requirement elsewhere or make compliance part of the services it already provides.
Why many MSPs hesitate to offer compliance services
The opportunity might be clear, but compliance can appear difficult to deliver.
Frameworks such as ISO 27001 involve policies, documentation, evidence and ongoing management. An MSP without a dedicated compliance team may reasonably question whether it has the expertise or resources to take that work on.
Those concerns are common. Perceived documentation burden and a lack of internal compliance expertise were among the barriers discussed on the MSP Finance Team podcast.
However, offering compliance as a service does not have to mean building an in-house consultancy practice.
With the right platform and specialist support, MSPs can manage the customer relationship while using external compliance expertise to support delivery.
Turn compliance into a managed service
One of the biggest opportunities comes from changing how compliance is viewed.
Achieving a certification can be a defined project, but maintaining compliance is ongoing: policies change, evidence needs to remain current, controls need to be monitored, audits come around again …
Adoptech is designed around this ongoing requirement, helping organisations achieve, monitor and maintain compliance across multiple frameworks while automating much of the associated evidence and administration.
For an MSP, that creates the basis for a repeatable managed service rather than a one-off piece of consultancy.
A compliance offering can support the customer through the initial assessment and certification process, then continue through monitoring, evidence management, policy updates and future audit preparation.
Sell the outcome, not the framework
Successful compliance conversations should start with what the customer is trying to achieve.
A business may need ISO 27001 because an important customer has requested it. Another may need to demonstrate security standards before it can bid for a contract. Others may simply be struggling with the time and expertise required to manage compliance internally.
Those are much more meaningful conversations than selling a list of controls or policies.
For MSPs, this means understanding the trigger behind the compliance requirement.
What are customers being asked for during tenders? Are larger customers beginning to request evidence of security? Are they entering a regulated market? Do internal teams have the time to manage audits and evidence themselves?
Once the business requirement is clear, the value of the service becomes much easier to demonstrate.
Compliance can lead to wider opportunities
Compliance work can also highlight areas where a customer's existing technology or security controls need attention.
A gap analysis may identify technical changes required before an organisation can meet a particular standard. Because the MSP already understands the customer's environment, it may be well placed to carry out that remediation work.
This was another opportunity highlighted in our discussion with the MSP Finance Team: partners can build professional services around technical remediation identified during the compliance process.
The commercial value therefore extends beyond the compliance service itself.
It can create recurring revenue, additional project opportunities and a broader strategic relationship with the customer.
Building a service that can scale
Compliance as a service only works commercially if the delivery model can grow with customer demand.
Trying to manage every policy, piece of evidence and framework manually can quickly create a resource problem.
Automation and standardised processes help remove that barrier.
Adoptech brings multiple compliance frameworks, policies, audit information and evidence into one platform while providing the specialist support needed to guide customers through the process.
This allows MSPs to build a repeatable proposition without needing to increase internal compliance resource every time another customer comes on board.
Making compliance part of the MSP relationship
Managed compliance, including services around ISO 27001, are an opportunity for channel partners looking to expand their portfolios and create new revenue streams.
For end users, the benefit is access to ongoing compliance support through a technology partner they already know.
For MSPs, it is an opportunity to solve another important customer challenge, add recurring revenue and strengthen the relationship beyond day-to-day IT support.
With Adoptech and Brigantia supporting the delivery model, partners can introduce compliance services without having to build the expertise and infrastructure entirely in-house.
To find out more about offering compliance as a managed service with Adoptech, speak to the Brigantia team.
