WatchGuard's global reseller survey finds ransomware top customer fear for 2017

A global survey by WatchGuard has shown that more than 80% of resellers believe their customers are most worried about ransomware and the effects it could have on their business.

The survey, designed to capture a reseller perspective on the cybersecurity market, gained opinions from more than 1400 WatchGuard channel partner organisations worldwide.

When asked what resellers believe customers are most concerned about in 2017, 83% says that ransomware will be their customers' biggest concern. When hit by a ransom, 16% of resellers believe most of their customers would pay, while 65% believe at least some of their customers would pay.

WatchGuard says that customers' tendencies to give into ransom demands could prove costly to businesses.  Chief technology officer Corey Nachreiner says that ransomware reached 'epidemic' level last year, so it's not surprising that it's a top concern in 2017.

 "On top of cyber extortion, security customers are hearing about tons of other new attacks and threat vectors each day, and they're wondering how best to protect themselves," Nachreiner says.

The survey also found that only 45% of resellers believe that less than half of their customers have resources in place to manage incoming alerts.  This is because SMBs don't have the time or staff to manage network security solutions and threat mitigation.

In addition, 5% of resellers believed all customers have resources in place, while a further 7% believe that none of their customers have resources at all. WatchGuard says the statistics show there is significant room for improvement in this area.

Resellers also believe that 63% of their customers do not understand the difference between Unified Threat Management (UTM) appliances and Next Generation Firewalls (NGFW), while 80% believe that their customers don't even care. Instead, resellers believe customers only want to know that their business is protected.

The survey found that 75% of reseller organisations have seen the most growth in UTM, while 25% have seen the most growth in NGFW.

"As the threat landscape continues to evolve at such a rapid pace, organizations have never been more in need of intelligent, intuitive and reliable security solutions," adds Marc Laliberte, information security threat analyst at WatchGuard Technologies.

"The sheer volume of cyberattacks and competing security products makes it increasingly important for SMBs with resource constraints to be able to rely on trusted counsel from their channel resellers and managed security service providers. It's heartening to see that this survey data underpins the strength of these relationships, and that channel partners are providing the guidance and support SMBs need to protect their employees and customers," Laliberte continues.

WatchGuard says the results show that customers trust channel resellers and MSPs to make informed recommendations about security products and strategies.

 "This survey further validates the importance of the reseller and service provider community for SMBs dealing with cyber security. Organizations rely heavily on the expertise of these channel partners to provide guidance that keeps employees and customers safe from the evolving threat landscape," Nachreiner says.

WatchGuard can help protect your business and its customers from cyber threats. Don't leave it until it's too late, take action and don't become the next statistic. Read more about WatchGuard's security solutions here.