vCISO platform vendor Cynomi recently announced the launch of its new vCISO Academy, an education and enablement resource hub for service providers interested in developing enhanced security offerings.
The new academy is a collection of free resources available online. In a press release announcing the launch, Cynomi called the hub the first of its kind and touted tools, training and knowledge as the benefits to be found within it. Channel Insider spoke with Cynomi CEO and co-founder David Primor to learn more about the program and other recent moves made by the company.
vCISO demand continues to increase, but partner capabilities lag behind
Cynomi’s 2024 “State of the Virtual CISO” report showed gaps between MSPs and MSSPs wanting to bridge into vCISO offerings but lacking the ability to actually create and sell them. Primor said the Cynomi team saw that as a sign that many channel partners were unsure of where or how to begin, but saw the growth potential in doing so.
“In 2023 there were a lot of MSPs and MSSPs saying ‘oh yes, we want to do this,’ but in 2024 we didn’t see that same amount of organizations actually start to offer vCISO, so we realized pretty quickly it was easier for businesses to express interest than to actually execute on that interest.”
Academy resources designed with MSPs and MSSPs in mind
Primor said he and his team developed the academy after months of learning from their existing partners what information would be beneficial for organizations new to the space.
“Cynomi’s maturity and growth really expanded this year, and we have hundred of MSPs and MSSPs already using us, and we really learned through them and through our [State of the vCISO] report that actually a lot of businesses needed to better understand this world,” Primor said, noting that he and the Cynomi team wanted to identify what the most impactful knowledge and training would be to present to other organizations.
This echoes a broader sentiment shared by the Cynomi team to focus their efforts on the channel as a community growth and support opportunity. In September longtime channel leader Tim Coach joined as the company’s first Chief Evangelist of Community and Channels, a move Primor described as important to the vendor’s ability to understand their customers.
“Our team has always included people with security and operational experiences, including those who have done CISO-level work, but we needed someone to better understand all that goes into running an MSP or MSSP,” Primor said. “We are a technology vendor, not an MSP ourselves, but we want to understand the business needs of our partners.”
According to Primor, the academy resources are also helpful to his team in ensuring their active customer base are organizations equipped to best utilize the platform in their offerings. MSPs and MSSPs who express interest to Cynomi in their product but are not actively offering vCISO will be guided to participate in the academy before entering a service agreement or product contract.
“Ultimately, anyone can buy our tool, but if they don’t understand how to use it and how to offer vCISO services, then that isn’t a solid relationship for us or for that partner. We want MSPs and MSSPs to understand what they’re signing up for, and be able to build it successfully, and then use our tool to do it effectively.”
As companies continue to prioritize security, vCISO offerings are growing in popularity. Read more about providers who have built vCISO programs to best serve their clients.