he career of Jon Murchison , Founder and CEO of Blackpoint Cyber , started with a fascination of building networks after his curiosity had been sparked .
“ I was intrigued by the idea of either joining the military after college or entering the intelligence community ,” said Murchison . “ Ultimately , I joined the National Security Agency and this experience steered me towards the path of cybersecurity .”
“ As more core IT assets are placed behind single sign-on systems in the cloud , they become prime targets for hackers .
“ We were the first company globally to implement active detection and response on Microsoft 365 and Azure single sign-on . We ’ ve noticed that the volume of attacks on these platforms is five times higher than on-premises attacks , leading to ransomware incidents . Ransomware isn ’ t going away anytime soon .
Jon Murchison , Blackpoint Founder and CEO
Murchison explained that the challenge he likes the most in growing a company is the art and science of building a robust go-to-market strategy for rapid growth .
“ Therefore , securing cloud workflows and single sign-on services should be a top priority .”
MSP strategy
“ We already have an exceptional cybersecurity product that integrates with all Endpoint Detection and Response tools , making it highly effective ,” he said . “ However , the real test lies in managing fast growth without compromising the high standards we ’ ve set for ourselves .
“ The actual task of catching hackers isn ’ t the toughest part ; it ’ s building a world-class organisation . I ’ ve learned that hiring is one of the most crucial tasks I can undertake , particularly when assembling an elite executive leadership team . Even a mediocre strategy can be successful if the right players are on the field . Our strategy is strong and success hinges on execution .”
In 2023 , Blackpoint Cyber secured one of the largest deals in the cybersecurity world – a US $ 190 million investment from Bain and Accel .
“ This was a significant vote of confidence in us – but it also underscored the importance of maintaining solid business fundamentals even amidst rapid growth ,” said Murchison .
Cloud security
We asked Murchison what the single biggest cybersecurity challenge is that his customers need to keep their eye on in the next few years .
“ Undoubtedly cloud security . The COVID-19 pandemic led to a mass migration towards a cloudfirst strategy , leading to a significant increase in authentication authorisations and platforms such as Microsoft 365 , Google Workspace and Azure ,” he said .
With Blackpoint Cyber focused on MSPs – what is its strategy to help them succeed ?
“ First and foremost , we acknowledge the challenges MSPs face – retaining quality IT talent , acquiring new customers , retaining existing ones and navigating the complex cybersecurity landscape ,” said Murchison .
“ We aim to take the heavy lifting of security work off the MSPs ’ shoulders , allowing them to focus on their core competencies .
“ We ’ ve adopted what I call the Green Beret Go-to-Market Model . It ’ s about upskilling the business side of MSPs . They ’ re already great at IT , so we focus on enhancing the business model . Our product roadmap , pricing , packaging and the extensive educational resources we offer through Blackpoint University are all designed to help upskill these companies .”
Investment
When asked what areas Murchison identified as the major areas of investment in the cybersecurity industry he said : “ Security Information and Event Management ( SIEM ) is a failed technology for catching hackers .
“ Yes , you heard that right . Every major company uses a SIEM , yet they continue to fall prey to cyberattacks . SIEMs are excellent for checking compliance boxes , but their efficacy in thwarting hackers leaves much to be desired .
We ’ ve noticed that the volume of attacks on these platforms is five times higher than on-premises attacks .
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