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The holiday season often triggers a surge in targeted cyberattacks; MSPs must act now to keep clients secure.
Phishing and social‑engineering attacks spike during holidays; attackers exploit urgency and reduced staffing to succeed. Campaigns mimic retailers, delivery services, and internal requests with time‑sensitive language. Reduced monitoring windows and stretched IT teams make it easier for malicious emails to slip through. Ransomware groups also time attacks when backups or patching may lag. MSPs should anticipate these patterns and harden detection and response accordingly.
Train employees and run realistic phishing simulations regularly; these reduce click rates and improve recognition. Use scenario‑based tests that reflect holiday lures like fake coupons or delivery alerts. Pair simulations with clear remediation steps and immediate coaching for users who fail. Enforce multi‑factor authentication (MFA) and email filtering to reduce successful compromises. Communicate a concise holiday security checklist to clients ahead of peak periods.
Endpoint protection, patch management, and continuous monitoring are critical and non‑negotiable during holidays. Ensure EDR/XDR agents are up to date and SIEM alerts are tuned for noise reductions that can hide real incidents. Lock down privileged access with MFA and just‑in‑time administration to limit lateral movement. Confirm automated backups are functioning and that restore tests have passed. Consider increasing alert thresholds and on‑call coverage for key clients.
Vet vendor security posture and limit vendor access to the minimum required privileges; supply chain issues often spike during busy seasons. Enforce contractual security requirements and require MFA for vendor portals. Monitor vendor access logs and implement time‑bound credentials where possible. Maintain an inventory of external services and their criticality to recovery plans. If a vendor is compromised, swift isolation and communication channels should be predefined.
Have a playbook that covers detection, containment, eradication, and recovery; practice it before the holidays to reduce confusion. Define roles, escalation paths, and communication templates for clients and stakeholders. Pre‑stage forensic tools and preserve logs to accelerate investigations. Keep a verified contacts list for clients, suppliers, and authorities. Test the plan with tabletop exercises to surface gaps.
Automate routine maintenance and monitoring to reduce manual overhead and reliance on specific staff members. Use runbooks and centralized dashboards so any on‑call technician can jump in quickly. Cross‑train team members and document critical procedures for handoffs. Schedule critical patching and backups outside of planned minimal staffing windows when possible. Maintain a small, rotating on‑call roster to ensure fresh eyes during extended breaks.
Clear, proactive communication is essential; tell clients what you’re monitoring and any actions they need to take. Share concise security alerts and an emergency contact process for incidents. Offer short briefings before holiday windows to align expectations and service levels. Use templated emails and dashboards to reduce response time and client worry during incidents. Regular updates after an event build trust and demonstrate your value.
Create short‑term add‑ons like intensified monitoring, holiday phishing campaigns, and emergency response retainers to meet seasonal demand. Price these as outcome‑focused services—reduced dwell time or guaranteed response windows. Bundle awareness training and technical hardening as a single bundled offering for simplicity. Market them early, emphasizing the limited window and measurable protections. Use case studies to show real ROI from seasonal programs.
Retention depends on transparency, speed, and a clear remediation plan; fix the issue and explain what you’ll do to prevent recurrence. Provide a post‑incident report with root cause analysis, remediation steps, and next steps for hardening. Offer a follow‑up program—ongoing awareness training or a security posture review—to rebuild confidence. Align future contracts with defined SLAs and security metrics. Turn the incident into an opportunity to deepen the client relationship with strategic advice.
Competition will intensify and clients will expect measurable security outcomes rather than ad hoc support. Ransomware‑as‑a‑service and more sophisticated phishing will force MSPs to invest in automation and threat intelligence. Specialized vertical offerings and outcome‑based pricing will differentiate providers. Data privacy and compliance requirements will continue to shape services. MSPs who blend technical rigor with proactive client education will stand out.
Consider cyber insurance as part of a wider risk strategy, particularly for clients with regulatory exposure or valuable data. Insurance can offset recovery costs but often requires baseline controls to qualify. Advise clients to align policy terms with their actual threat profile and incident response capabilities. Work with insurers to demonstrate preventive measures and incident readiness. Combine insurance recommendations with technical upgrades to maximize coverage and reduce premiums.
Prioritize a short action list: run a phishing simulation, verify backups, patch critical systems, and communicate a holiday plan to clients. Audit high‑risk accounts and enforce MFA where missing. Confirm monitoring coverage and ensure on‑call rotations are staffed. Share a one‑page holiday security checklist with clients and promote a seasonal protection package. These concrete steps reduce exposure and show clients you’re proactively defending their business.
Learn more about MSP security tooling and seasonal programs at Palisade, including platform capabilities tailored for managed providers.
Most teams see measurable improvement after two to three targeted campaigns; results vary by frequency and follow‑up coaching. Reinforcement and immediate feedback accelerate behavior change. Track click rates and repeat offenders to measure progress. Combine simulations with technical controls for best results. Use simulation metrics in client reports to show value.
Backups are essential but only if they are immutable, tested, and isolated from production systems. Regular restore tests are the only way to verify recoverability. Pair backups with rapid detection to minimize data loss and downtime. Ensure backup retention policies match recovery objectives. Document the restore process in your incident playbook.
Define response SLAs with clients based on risk—critical systems should have immediate or near‑term response windows. For lower‑risk services, agree on extended response times during predictable low‑staffing periods. Communicate these SLAs clearly before the holidays and offer an escalation path. Consider a paid emergency retainer for guaranteed faster response. Monitor SLA adherence and report on outcomes.
Measure outcomes such as reduced phishing click rates, fewer incidents, and faster recovery times; these map to cost savings. Use before/after metrics and case studies to demonstrate tangible benefits. Track client uptime, incident counts, and remediation costs to quantify impact. Present simple dashboards that highlight key KPIs. Package this data into a concise value story for prospects and clients.
Yes—automation reduces manual workload and speeds detection, which is vital when staff are limited. Implement playbooks that trigger containment steps automatically for common threats. Use alert prioritization to avoid operator fatigue and focus human effort on complex incidents. Ensure automation is tested and reversible to prevent unintended consequences. Combine automation with on‑call coverage for oversight.
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