OpenText updates Secure Cloud for MSPs

Geoff Bibby, senior vice president of SMB cybersecurity marketing and strategy at OpenText

Waterloo, Ont.-based OpenText has announced a significant update to its Secure Cloud security tools for managed service providers. The update, it says, will expand the solutions MSPs can offer and make running their businesses easier.

Geoff Bibby, senior vice president of SMB cybersecurity marketing and strategy at OpenText, said that with the most recent additions, the company aims to improve its platform for MSPs, offer new services, and make it easier to access bundles.

“This is the biggest investment we’ve made in the MSP space, and it helps us future-proof our relationship because they aren’t having to run around piecing together other solutions,” Bibby said of the updated platform.

He said the overhaul of its MSP platform represents 120,000 hours of work time and aims to give MSP customers simpler workflows, a better way to manage tasks, and “a whole contemporary look and feel” to the platform.

“If you’re an MSP with 200 customers, you’ve got a busy life,” Bibby said. “IF we can make it a little easier for them, that’s what we’re trying to do.”

In recent years, the company has added 16 security brands to its portfolio, dating back to the purchase of Webroot and Carbonite before the pandemic. All those brands are available for delivery as part of managed service offerings.

This quarter, it’s adding two new services to its lineup: OpenText MDR, delivered through Secure Cloud and a cyber warranty offering. With a diverse technology portfolio under a single platform, Bibby makes the case for OpenText as a go-to partner for security-focused MSPs.

“We can do all sorts of different things, cloud-to-cloud backup, security awareness training, endpoint security, email security, web,” Bibby said. “There’s a whole bunch out, and we’re adding MDR and cyber warranty, but it’s just the beginning.”

Bibby said the company has a roadmap for bringing a lot more to the platform, hinting at upcoming Microsoft security and intrusion detection additions.

“The OpenText story is getting strong in 90-day increments over the next little while,” Bibby said.

He said the company’s security strategy is at least in part decided by its 18,000 transacting MSPs, who collectively manage “hundreds of thousands of customers” on the company’s security products. Bibby said MSPs are typically not shy about telling OpenText what they need, and OpenText either builds or buys it.

The warranty package is offered in partnership with Cork. The companies previously worked together on a referral basis but will now collaborate to provide customer warranties directly from Secure Cloud. Bibby said MSPs should consider it gap insurance in the cyber security arena, an alternative for customers who don’t want to go all-in on cyber insurance.

“We like that it’s very simple to keep the MSP running should they have a breach. They immediately get a prepaid card to help them cover any financial loss, legal expense, or whatever they may need as a small business to keep running,” Bibby said. “I think a lot of MSPs will find it pretty exciting.”

Robert Dutt

Robert Dutt is the founder and head blogger at ChannelBuzz.ca. He has been covering the Canadian solution provider channel community for a variety of publications and Web sites since 1997.