MySherpa reckons OpenDNS security means more profit

OpenDNS, the a specialist provider of cloud-delivered Web security services, has cut a deal with MySherpa, an MSP operating in the Delaware and Pennsylvania area of the USA, that puts its Umbrella For MSPs cloud security service in to provide MySherpa clients with managed security services.

In particular, MySherpa is using Umbrella for MSPs to protect its customers’ endpoint devices from malware and cyber-attacks, regardless of whether they are on or off the corporate network. Since deploying Umbrella MySherpa, which provides IT management and cloud services to small and medium businesses, states that it has virtually eliminated malware infections and costly disinfection operations, which is boosting margins and profitability for the managed services provider.

“MySherpa is a perfect example of how OpenDNS provides MSPs with a zero-hardware, turn key infrastructure for delivering managed security services”

Prior to deploying Umbrella, MySherpa relied on unified threat management (UTM) appliances to deliver its managed security service. These on-premise appliances were expensive, time-consuming to manage and provided poor protection against malware. In particular, since they don’t monitor outbound connections, malware on its customers’ networks was able to update itself and spread to other computers. This was creating significant clean-up efforts for MySherpa which increased operating costs and lowered margins.

“Since deploying Umbrella, there has been a remarkable decrease in the number of infections,” said Ethan Tancredi, president of MySherpa. “The very few, non-network infections have all been automatically quarantined by Umbrella’s botnet containment technology before they were able to update or spread. Plus, the time spent cleaning malware has drastically decreased. Before, we spent hours, and now on the rare occasion it happens, it’s less than an hour’s time for our staff.”

MySherpa deployed the Umbrella agent across its entire managed customer base quickly, using pre-written scripts. Umbrella uses the DNS layer to deliver security from the cloud that is transparent to users and does not create traffic bottlenecks or add latency to network connections. It prevents endpoints, including desktops, laptops and BYOD devices from connecting to sites distributing malware—whether at the office or roaming outside the network perimeter.

OpenDNS recently announced that it has integrated the Umbrella security service with the ConnectWise professional services automation (PSA) platform. This enables MSPs like MySherpa to centralise security monitoring and reporting within their PSA to further improve efficiency and lower operating costs.

Being able to access actionable OpenDNS security data alongside other customer information within ConnectWise allows MSPs to automate service and account management processes. For example, from one integrated dashboard, MSPs can provide customers instant visibility into network activity and metrics like the number of malware infections prevented and domains blocked.

In addition to providing managed security services, MySherpa uses Umbrella to offer Web filtering as a value-added service. The fine-grained controls, per-computer granularity and centralised management provided by Umbrella enable MySherpa staff to quickly define policies that restrict access to inappropriate or distracting websites.

“MySherpa is a perfect example of how OpenDNS provides MSPs with a zero-hardware, turn key infrastructure for delivering managed security services,” said David Ulevitch, CEO of OpenDNS. “With no appliances to manage and drastic reductions in time spent cleaning malware, Umbrella enables MSPs to grow their business profitably and without dramatically increasing headcount. With our new ConnectWise partnership, we have made it even easier to centralize security and other IT services administration in one system.”