Are you pitching to a client who allows employees to work remotely? Then, there are a few points you should absolutely bring up when speaking with them. 

With the COVID 19 pandemic, the work-from-home or WFH model gained a lot of popularity as a lot of organizations, big and small adopted it to continue being operational despite the quarantine, lockdowns and stay-at-home orders. While the pandemic has faded away, the WFH model is still around, with a lot of organizations realizing that it works well for both–the company and its employees.  However, the WFH model brings with it a lot of IT challenges and risks which MSPs like you should be educating your customers about. This blog discusses the key elements you should be talking about when pitching your IT services to a client that follows the WFH set up. 

Educate your prospects about the IT security threats that they may encounter

Help your prospects understand that when they allow remote access to their data, they are virtually opening up their IT infrastructure to criminals and thieves. It is easy for cybercriminals to get into their system and corrupt it unless they have the right measures in place–which of course, you can implement.

Educate your prospects about the 3Ts of cybersecurity

1. Training to identify potential IT threats such as phishing emails, dubious attachments, and other malware.
2. Teach good password hygiene to help understand what strong passwords look like. Tell them about password best practices such as not sharing passwords, not using the same password for multiple accounts, not reusing old passwords, frequent password updates, etc.
3. Train them on the dangers of public/free Wi-Fi and how it can act as a gateway for hackers and cybercriminals into the system. 

Emphasize on the benefits of having a strong IT policy in place that you can help them draft and implement. A good IT policy that defines certain key dos and don’ts of the BYOD/WFH (Bring-your-own-device/Work-from-home) environment at their organization.

Explain how you can help your clients –

1. Set boundaries and enforce them. Help conduct a monthly audit of all devices used for work
2. Install quality anti-malware software, firewalls and email security systems in place.
3. Ensure strict data access control through role and permission-based access to your networks. Access to your data and network should be strictly on a role-based, need-to-work scenario.

Help your prospects understand how you can make the remote staff set-up almost risk-free so it works well for them. You need to come across as a managed service provider who is in-tune with the changing work culture in the world and are well equipped to handle the challenges posed to a business’s IT infrastructure due to its remote staff setup.