Podcast: Colonial Pipeline hack and the Executive Order, Episode 7

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In the previous episode of the SmarterMSP Podcast, Jason Howells of Barracuda MSP summarized the insights from Global MSP Day, which took place in May 2021. Jason detailed many interesting trends within the “Evolving Landscape of the MSP Business Report 2021” that was published following Global MSP Day.

In the seventh episode of the SmarterMSP Podcast, Chris Crellin, Senior Director of Product Management for Barracuda MSP, stopped by to discuss the recent Colonial Pipeline hack and the Executive Order issued by the United States government in response to the ransomware attack. Chris discussed the goals of the executive order in preventing similar attacks from being successful in the future and what the cybersecurity guidelines and recommendations in the order mean for managed service providers (MSPs) moving forward.

Impact of the Colonial Pipeline hack

The executive order from the U.S. government focuses on five key areas of cybersecurity that need to be strengthened in the aftermath of the Colonial Pipeline hack. Chris dove into each of the areas and also detailed the specific focus of the executive order on zero-trust architecture.

Beyond the government’s reaction to the Colonial Pipeline hack and their resulting interest in implementing zero-trust network access (ZTNA), Chris outlined how other industries will react to the event and noted their similar need for better cybersecurity. Chris also predicted that these other verticals will likely be enticed by the executive order to follow the government’s example and look to implement a cyber-defense that utilizes ZTNA.

Chris provides further insight on why ZTNA is the preferred method of bolstering cybersecurity for frequently targeted verticals, such as government and municipal organizations. ZTNA offers these organizations a level of control and security over there data that is not offered by traditional cybersecurity defenses, which best protects them from popular cyberattacks like the ransomware used in the Colonial Pipeline hack.

Listen to the podcast to hear the advice and insights from Chris himself and learn how MSPs can follow the executive order and implement ZTNA to prevent clients from falling victim to cyberattacks like the one that hit the Colonial Pipeline. You can listen to the podcast on SmarterMSP.com or one of the podcast sites listed below.