If you’re a regular reader of Resilience Hub, you know that we strongly recommend that MSPs pick a world-class, reliable partner for cyber resilience solutions. That means finding a provider with solid channel chops that also delivers cutting-edge, holistic solutions you can trust to provide true resiliency to your clients.

Since cyber resilience wages a multifront battle with cyberthreats, we often discuss the importance of working with a single-provider solution. Having a single source of truth and responsibility simplifies your life as an MSP. More importantly, it simplifies the process of getting your clients protected – from the sales process itself to scaling up or adding solutions over time.

However, there are some cases wherein the importance of a solution’s efficacy – not just the scope of coverage between complementary solutions – becomes glaringly evident. That’s precisely the case with artificial intelligence (AI) and its machine learning (ML) subset. Since cybercriminals are arming themselves offensively with AI/ML, your clients need more powerful and comprehensive AI/ML-powered solutions in their defensive arsenals. In other words, you need a partner that can arm you and your clients with market-leading, not lagging, solutions.

Here are three traits to look for:

• Global scale. Since threats can emerge from anywhere on the planet and travel at the speed of light, the scope and scale of your cyber resilience partner’s reach matters. Consider threat intelligence, for example. Market-leading solutions maintain databases of every IP address on the planet and identify tens of thousands of malicious IP addresses daily. It’s much harder for bad actors to launch successful attacks – AI or otherwise – against AI/ML-powered defenses that operate with truly global visibility. In fact, some solutions are so advanced they can predict where future threats will emerge.
• Technical ability. The strength of AI solutions is also about the engineering behind them. For example, one way the bad guys are defeating cyber defenses is by using AI to hide their malware in with other, legitimate data. That’s no problem for intelligent streaming solutions that scan and interpret files in real time, packet-by-packet.  
• Cross-vector reach. Since cyberthreats target organizations on multiple fronts, a provider’s AI solution should power defenses everywhere it can make a difference – corporate infrastructure, email, edge devices, all of it. Here again, the benefits of working with a single provider can be considerably greater than the sum of its components – especially if the provider delivers cutting-edge AI-powered solutions.

And, of course, you’ll want to cover the basics you need as an MSP. Your provider partner should have a long, deep and stellar track record in cyber resilience solutions, along with the ability to meet the unique needs of MSPs. Strong support, reliable commissions and a steadfast commitment to protecting your clients should be central to the provider’s value proposition.