What does or doesn’t work?

One option to prepare for cyberattacks is cybersecurity training, but this often falls short. Training usually does not offer enough encouragement to keep people from clicking on bad links. Additionally, this training is typically available in companies with abundant resources and where awareness of cyber threats is acute. It’s not usually offered to consumers outside of the workplace.

Another option that is hard to rely on is endpoint solutions. While some endpoint protection apps are a great way to limit the damage that malware and cyberattacks can unleash, they’re only useful when consumers install, update, and use them properly. This generally does not happen and leaves too much room for error. Probably due to the effort involved, and sometimes the cost, mobile subscribers who are offered endpoint solutions for their devices implement them a mere 8 percent of the time. Not only does that not bode well for consumers, but it does also not represent a particularly relevant business opportunity for the CSP.

Just ask your colleagues or friends what protections they’ve installed on their devices against cyberattacks and the answer will most likely be “I don’t know” or “none.” The same is true not only for laptops, but other smart devices as well.

Why rely on CSPs?

CSPs have the power to change the state of cybersecurity for consumers and small businesses. They are well-positioned to serve as the primary protection against cybersecurity threats. They can provide protection to the end-user network, connected devices and the home or business router itself. With network-based cybersecurity services, CSPs can block malware and attacks such as phishing and ransomware attempts inside the network, long before the threats reach the customer’s devices or home network.

Network-based cybersecurity services refer to software solutions that are installed in the CSP’s network and provide services to the CSP’s customers. Because these services are deployed from within the CSP network, the customer does not need to think about installation and maintenance. They just accept the service offering and it starts to work. This is a critical element that has been missing in consumer-oriented cybersecurity. When the customer needs to fiddle with their cybersecurity software, they tend to avoid it in most cases, rendering it less than optimally effective—and that is when they have installed it in the first place, which, as stated earlier, is extremely rare in the case of CSP-offered solutions.

In addition to cybersecurity services such as virus protection and phishing and ransomware attack mitigation, CSPs can offer parental controls, which prevent children from accessing dangerous sites and can even limit their screen time. Given that they already provide their services to home and mobile users, CSPs should find it seamless to provision zero-touch and easy-to-use cybersecurity protection.

With the sophisticated nature of today’s cyber threats, CSPs should take their customers’ security into consideration and be held responsible for keeping networks and their users safe. What’s more, with no-hassle cybersecurity services as part of the core offering, CSPs can differentiate themselves as security providers, and even generate a fair share of additional revenue as well. When consumers have an easy way to protect themselves and all their connected devices from cyberattacks, and CSPs can provide the services that their customers want, there can be a space where everyone wins—except for the cybercriminals.