Datto research has found that MSPs are reporting attacks on their customer base with 84 percent being hit causing a major clean-up problem.
The Global State of the Channel Ransomware Report found that the impact of an attack was often ten times more costly than the ransom demanded by the criminals, with businesses losing $46,800 on average against payments of $4,300.
More than 92 percent of managed service providers think that the number of ransomware attacks will either stay the same or go up in 2019.
Christian Nagele, interim head EMEA at Datto, said that when an attack hit a customer, there was not just an impact on the security systems and finances but also on the relationship with the MSP that works with that business.
“Ransomware is a security threat that has serious implications for both small businesses, and their MSPs. There can be significant financial and reputational implications of ransomware attacks for the MSP, as it is often the MSP who is held responsible for repairing the damage caused by ransomware, from restoring data to rebuilding systems.
“All too often the responsibility for the ‘clean-up operation’ following a ransomware attack is not overtly covered in the Service contract an MSP has with their customer – so when ransomware does strike, it is often the case that the MSP feels obliged to cover the costs rectifying the situation”, he added.
Datto is advising MSPs to look at the stats and prepare for the inevitable and have a business continuity plan in place that not only helps the customer minimise disruption but also protects them against unforeseen cleanup costs.
