Cybersecurity firm Acronis is rolling out a security and compliance platform that MSSPs and MSPs can use to protect clients’ Microsoft 365 environments, a widely used service that has become a favorite target of threat actors.
Acronis Ultimate 365, unveiled this week, gives security services providers a single multi-tenant solution for managing cybersecurity, backup, and compliance, delivering broad protections to organizations and giving themselves another revenue source.
The solution falls in line with the trend among both enterprises and MSSPs, which traditionally had to manage and integrate multiple security point products. They are now shifting to adopting more integrated security platforms.
“The issue of tool sprawl is a growing challenge for MSPs and MSSPs,” Acronis CISO Gerald Beuchelt told MSSP Alert. “As organizations increasingly outsource their cybersecurity, they often face a fragmented approach with multiple tools that don't work together leading to operational inefficiencies, complicated onboarding, security gaps, and higher costs.”
The shift towards “natively integrated platforms like Acronis Ultimate 365 is important for MSPs because it reduces the time MSPs have to spend on managing multiple solutions,” Beuchelt said.
A Popular Target
Microsoft 365 offers organizations a broad range of cloud-based Microsoft productivity tools, from widely use apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote to OneDrive cloud storage, Teams for collaboration, security features, and AI-based offerings like Copilot and Designer.
According to cloud solutions company Medha Cloud, 3.7 million companies were using Microsoft 365 in 2023, with market research firm Statista estimating that more than 1 million of those were the United States. Such wide use makes Microsoft 365 an attractive target of cybercriminals, Beuchelt said.
Social Engineering Threats
Threats against Microsoft 365 users often involve social engineering attacks, such as phishing schemes, he said.
“Further, vulnerabilities due to misconfigurations as well as a lack of proper multifactor authentication, weak password or authentication policies, or overly permissive user permissions are also common attack vectors that bad actors use to gain unauthorized access to Microsoft 365 environments,” Beuchelt added.
Such attacks on Microsoft 365 users mirror what Acronis is seeing in the broader cybersecurity field. In their report earlier this month on cyberthreats during the second half of 2024, Acronis researchers noted a 197% year-over-year increase in the number of email attacks they detected, and that almost half of Acronis users were targeted by email-based attacks in the last six months of the year.
An Integrated Platform
Acronis Ultimate 365 includes backup, extended detection and response (XDR), security for email and collaboration apps, email archiving, security posture management, and security awareness training. Having all this integrated into a single platform not only reduces the tool sprawl, but also simplifies operations for MSSPs and MSPs and reduces the workload on their technicians.
“Best-of-breed solutions, while often high performing, can require a larger number of technicians to manage the specialized tools for each function, increasing operational complexity,” the CISO said. “In contrast, integrated solutions streamline processes and consolidate management into a single platform, allowing MSPs to manage more endpoints with fewer technicians.”
A Boost for MSSPs
For the service providers, it also accelerates the time to revenue, enabling them to more quickly onboard clients, makes contract negotiations easier, and reduces the need for extensive staff training, according to Acronis. In addition, the platform’s predictable pricing model means MSSPs and MSPs can more easily meet the varying needs of customers.
The platform also is a significant step for Switzerland-based Acronis’ portfolio, Beuchelt said. Until now, its Microsoft 365 support focused primarily on backup, disaster recovery, security, and ransomware protections. Acronis Ultimate 365 is a more complete solution for MSSPs and MSPs, he said.
