At Kaseya Connect, Os Haque, VP of global channels at CyberFOX, spoke with ChannelPro about cybersecurity trends, partner strategy, and how MSPs can build a better security stack. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
You’re still somewhat new to CyberFOX. What excites you most about the company?
What really stood out on my first visit was the energy. People on the sales floor actually talking, collaborating, and working together. That’s rare these days with remote work. I remember saying, “Your floor has noise! There are actual things going on here.” And they said, “Yes, this is normal.” That energy was a huge draw for me.
The second piece was the technology. I’ve always believed cybersecurity was going to have another wave, especially with AI entering the picture. It’s not just a tool, but a potential threat as well.
CyberFOX’s technology is simple, but enterprise-grade. Everyone can use it. And that combination is powerful, because it opens the door for more organizations to actually adopt and benefit from it.
DNS filtering is a key part of CyberFOX’s offering. How does it fit in an MSP’s security stack?
Os Haque
It really comes down to the layers of maturity in an organization. You typically start with the easiest thing to implement, which is password management. It’s something everyone uses every day and can immediately relate to.
From there, you mature into access management. MSPs need to manage user access so that if something goes wrong, it doesn’t expose the entire system. That’s where you start getting into privilege and elevation controls.
Then you move into the next level of security, which is getting into the nuances of web access. That’s where DNS filtering comes in. It’s part of that deeper layer of security that helps MSPs and internal IT teams continue progressing along that maturity curve.
Simpler tools make your job easier early on, while more mature solutions tend to drive higher satisfaction over time. It’s really a spectrum, and the goal is to support customers across all of it.
What’s your view of agentic AI?
Agentic AI is something that you cannot avoid. It’s deeply embedded in our industry already, and we have to be able to address it.
We look at it from a technology perspective. Are MSPs using it? What’s their strategy? How are their customers using it? Is there a way to govern it and manage it and make sure they’re using it the right way and not creating additional vulnerabilities? It’s no longer just human bad actors. AI agents are vulnerable to making mistakes or getting hacked.
From a product development perspective, we’re making sure we utilize that tech within our products. It’s seeing the data, learning, and automatically building rules. That makes it easy for an MSP to come in, use it for a couple of weeks, and then incorporate it into their security stack. The AI that is built into our technology is designed to accelerate that process.
What makes your partner program different? How does that connect to your community-building approach?
Like our products, the partner program is designed to be easy to understand and execute. It provides a clear framework for measuring success and ensuring mutual value. We work hard to eliminate unnecessary complexity.
We’re always looking for ways to connect and listen to MSPs. We hold these amazing summit events for our prospects and marquee customers. They come in, and it’s not a sales pitch. Attendees learn from different vendors on hot topics like what’s next for MSPs.
We’re not just thinking about us; we’re thinking about that community. Cybersecurity education can still be done better in the industry, and we’re taking a really strong approach to build that out.
What’s ahead for CyberFOX in the months ahead?
We’ve always been a channel company and MSP-focused. We continue to double down on MSPs, but we’re also helping organizations with lean IT teams, like internal IT in mid-market organizations.
We’re expanding our distribution strategy. We’re very close with Pax8 and have technology alliances, and we’re going to work with global distributors to access a whole different ecosystem across SMB, mid-market, and the larger MSP ecosystem.
It’s also crucial to be on hyperscaler marketplaces. That’s going to be a big one for us because we haven’t really done that in the past.
We’ll also make additional technology alliances to fill gaps where we don’t plan to build or buy. But the approach is always to keep things simple and practical.
If you were starting an MSP today, what would your growth strategy be?
I would be looking at automation and figuring out how to build automation into the company. If you’re an MSP, you’re deciding which tools are needed to support customers. AI has to be one of them, not just for operational efficiency, but as part of the security stack.
I also want to focus on having a scaling strategy. How can I pick the best, new tools that are out there…because I want to be as efficient as possible and get to that next tier.
Most importantly, I’m looking at what is top of mind for my customers. How do I help them get to where they need to go? Consulting services are lucrative. That’s going to take you much further than just selling a product.
Jonathan Browning is executive director of content and engagement for The ChannelPro Network. He has been a leader in the IT channel for close to a decade. He’s an avid fan and early adopter of technology and believes that the Managed Services industry is the most important driver of economic growth and human innovation.
Images: Jonathan Browning, LinkedIn
