Listen to this articleStrongarm provides cloud-based, automated, and simple-to-use security that focuses on stopping attacks from damaging small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and speeding the process of cleaning up from an attack. They’re constantly watching attackers set themselves up on the Internet – be it phishing sites, hacked websites, or malware command and control. By monitoring attackers and using their infrastructure against them, Strongarm prevents people from interacting with malicious content. Below is our interview with Todd O’Boyle from Strongarm:
Q: Who are the primary users of Strongarm solutions and what are some of the key challenges you are helping them solve?
A: Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are the primary users of the Strongarm solution. SMBs are an easy target for cybercriminals because they don’t always have the staffing and financial resources needed to effectively protect themselves from cyberthreats. According to SEC.gov, 60% of targeted cyberattacks are aimed at SMBs and half of them go out of business within six months of a cyberattack. Strongarm helps SMBs solve the modern security challenges that bypass firewalls and antivirus solutions. Strongarm protects SMBs from:
Happy Clickers: Every office has a few employees who click on suspicious URLs and emails—no matter how much user education is offered. Strongarm keeps happy clickers from putting their network at risk.
Spearphishing: Spearphishing attacks target users with access to sensitive information, like executives, finance, HR, or admins. Strongarm helps stop spearphishing before the bad guys catch a big one.
Clickless Threats: Attacks like malvertising and exploit kits can infect an entire network without a single errant click. Strongarm helps SMBs avoid today’s sneakiest threats—even before patches are available.
Recommended: Q: Can you describe what Strongarm does?
A: Because 90% of attacks start with a phish, our approach starts with both phishing reporting and phishing protection. By engaging and convincing users they should talk to information technology (IT) staff about phishing attacks, we can better protect the organization. Strongarm provides a way for users to report phishing to us so we can mine details of the attack out of the messages. We then talk with the targeted user to give them details about what the attacker was trying to do so they can better spot phishes later.
Once we know the details about the attacks, we can use the information to protect your organization. If a user mistakenly clicks on a phishing email, we block the attack and then provide the user with some on-demand phishing education. We coach users at the time they click on a phishing link so they will be less likely to click on one next time. We feel that educating users is the best way to protect businesses from both run of the mill and more advanced targeted cyberattacks that wouldn’t get caught by today’s technology.
Q: You’ve recently launched a partner program for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Value-added Resellers. Can you tell us more?
A: The Strongarm Partner Program is designed to help managed service providers (MSPs) and value-added resellers (VARs) offer their small and mid-sized business (SMB) customers high-value security services that go beyond firewalls and antivirus solutions. Information technology (IT) providers of all sizes who were not able to offer their customers advanced security protections and incident response services based on the complexity and burden on their resources, can now protect their clients using Strongarm’s simple, automated and affordable security offering.
The elements of the Strongarm Partner Program include:
– Hands-on setup and deployment support from Strongarm’s security team
– Email support to assist in triaging and investigating potential infections or attacks
– Pre-sales support, including demos, trials and proof-of-concept to facilitate sales
– Marketing and sales support to launch and sell the service
– White label option for MSPs via a customized “block page”
– Access to Strongarm Insights: a domain name system (DNS) reporting tool which shows popular URL requests and categories
Strongarm can help MSPs and resellers win new SMB clients with differentiated, high-value security services that automatically block threats that hit their clients’ networks. Every partner we have deals with ‘happy clickers’ at their clients who repeatedly click on malicious links. Strongarm protects the MSP’s clients from these clicks, and eliminates the need for the MSP to spend time triaging and cleaning up after the event. Strongarm also helps MSPs educate their customers about how to be more careful about whether to open email links.
Q: What is unique about Strongarm and how does it stand out from competition?
A: Strongarm is known for “team and touch.” Our team will talk to customers every time we protect you from a cyberattack, not just when your license is up for renewal. We get to know our customers personally. Strongarm was built from the ground up to be simple and easy to use while most security solutions are complicated with way too many features and complexity than is needed.
Recommended: Q: Can you give us more insights into your pricing plans?
A: Strongarm offers enterprise-level security at a fraction of the price — just $3/user/month for end-customers. When end-customers sign up for a one-year subscription, the cost is $25 per user per year. The pricing of the Strongarm solution for MSPs and VARs is $2 per user per month.
Q: What are your plans for keeping Strongarm on the forefront of technology innovation?
A: We build strong bonds with our SMB customers by talking to them everyday: when we stop a cyberattack from damaging their businesses, when they report a phishing email to us, or when they tell us about the new features they want to see in the next version of our solution. We work to understand our SMB customers’ pain points and combine that with our knowledge about how attackers work. We use this intelligence to drive the capabilities of Strongarm that help SMBs stay ahead of cybersecurity threats.
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