SMBsecure

vs. Microsoft 365 built-in security

• ›SMBsecure adds DMARC, device encryption, Cyber Warranty, and misdirected email — M365 has none of these out of the box
• ›SMBsecure provides POPIA-specific compliance reports and ComplianceEZ® framework mapping that M365 cannot generate
• ›Behavioural EDR + NGAV is standard in the base tier; real EDR on Microsoft means stepping up to Defender P2 on top of M365
• ›MXDR SOC adds a managed 24/7 team taking containment action — Microsoft gives an SMB alerts, not analysts
• ›SMBsecure includes the Cyber Warranty (R1M breach cover) — M365 has no financial coverage
• ›No MX record changes, no IT expertise required — M365 security requires significant configuration

vs. Sophos / ESET / Traditional AV

• ›Since the NEXT LAYER release SMBsecure REPLACES signature-only AV — behavioural EDR + NGAV ships standard in the base tier
• ›The comparison is no longer AV vs AV: SMBsecure brings encryption, email security, compliance evidence and a warranty in the same SKU
• ›MXDR SOC gives the customer a 24/7 analyst team; an AV renewal gives them a console nobody watches overnight
• ›POPIA and FSCA compliance require encryption proof and audit-ready evidence — AV cannot provide either
• ›Cyber Warranty provides insurance-grade financial cover that AV vendors do not offer
• ›One SKU and one dashboard replaces an AV renewal plus the three or four products the customer still has to buy around it

Packaging POPIA and FSCA Compliance for Financial Advice Firms

An MSP partner bundles SMBsecure for financial services providers (FSPs) facing FSCA Joint Standard JS01 and JS02 requirements. SMBsecure delivers POPIA compliance reports, device and email encryption, phishing simulation, managed DMARC, and the Cyber Warranty in a single managed service. The partner positions SMBsecure as a complete compliance package — eliminating the need for the FSP to source multiple security products and compliance services separately.

Displacing Signature-Only AV with a Full Managed Security Package

An MSP identifies clients running only Sophos or ESET AV with no device encryption, no email security, and no compliance documentation. Since the NEXT LAYER release SMBsecure replaces that AV outright — behavioural EDR with Next-Gen Antivirus is standard in the base tier — while adding BitLocker and FileVault device encryption, DMARC email domain protection, Outlook email encryption, misdirected email prevention, phishing simulations, and the Cyber Warranty. Instead of selling a layer on top of an AV renewal, the partner replaces the renewal and consolidates three or four separate line items into one SKU.

Selling 24/7 Coverage to Clients With No Internal Security Team

Most SMBs have nobody watching overnight, and attacks land after hours precisely because of it. With EDR now standard in the base tier, the MXDR SOC add-on puts a managed 24/7 team on that telemetry — analysts who triage alerts and take containment action rather than sending a report to be read in the morning. It is sold and supported through CRS as a single line item, so the partner adds a genuine SOC offering to their portfolio without building, staffing or contracting one, and without taking on a new vendor relationship.

Winning SMB Deals with a Cyber Warranty Differentiator

A partner differentiates from competing MSPs by including SMBsecure's Cyber Warranty (R1M data breach, R500K cyber extortion, R250K BEC cover) in every SMB security proposal. For clients that have experienced a near-miss or are renewing cyber insurance, the warranty is a tangible differentiator that competing security stacks without warranty coverage cannot match. The partner's 90-day ASP success plan — including prospecting templates and sales playbooks from CRS — accelerates time to first sale.

Does SMBsecure require MX record changes or complex email infrastructure changes?

No. SMBsecure's PDF email encryption works via an Outlook plugin — no MX record changes, no email gateway migration, and no disruption to existing mail flow. Deployment is designed to take minutes, making it suitable for SMBs without dedicated IT staff or the ability to absorb infrastructure downtime.

What does the SMBsecure Cyber Warranty cover?

The Cyber Warranty provides R1,000,000 in data breach cover, R500,000 for cyber extortion events, and R250,000 for Business Email Compromise (BEC) — covering the most common threats facing South African SMBs. The warranty is included as part of the SMBsecure managed service, not sold separately, giving partners a compelling differentiator in every proposal.

Is SMBsecure suitable for organisations subject to the FSCA Joint Standard?

Yes. SMBsecure includes dedicated compliance suites for FSPs, with POPIA compliance documentation and FSCA Joint Standard JS01 and JS02 readiness evidence built into the service. It is designed specifically to help South African financial advice firms and FSPs meet their regulatory obligations with minimal IT infrastructure overhead.

What phishing protection and email security does SMBsecure include?

SMBsecure includes managed DMARC and MTA-STS email domain protection (preventing spoofing and impersonation of your domain), misdirected email protection (recipient and attachment confirmation before send), monthly phishing simulation exercises, and self-paced cyber awareness training modules. Together these address both inbound phishing threats and outbound data leak risk.

Can SMBsecure be resold by an MSP on behalf of multiple clients?

Yes. SMBsecure includes a 90-day ASP (Authorized Service Provider) success plan with sales playbooks and prospecting templates designed specifically for MSP and MSSP partners. CRS provides the onboarding, enablement materials, and ongoing support to help partners bring SMBsecure to market efficiently and begin generating recurring revenue quickly. New partners typically start with the Internal ASP StarterPack, deploying SMBsecure on their own business first — it proves they practise what they recommend, and it satisfies supply-chain security mandates their customers are increasingly asked about.

Does SMBsecure include EDR and antivirus?

Yes. Following the NEXT LAYER release, behavioural EDR with Next-Gen Antivirus ships standard in the SMBsecure base tier — no upgrade and no separate SKU. Behavioural EDR catches the attacks signature-only antivirus misses, while NGAV runs alongside it for baseline malware coverage on every endpoint. This also makes SMBsecure a replacement for a traditional AV product rather than a layer bought on top of one.

What is MXDR SOC Services, and how is it different from EDR?

EDR is the detection layer and is now standard in the base tier. MXDR SOC Services is the optional managed layer on top of it: a 24/7 security operations centre whose analysts triage the alerts that EDR generates and take containment action on the customer's behalf. The distinction matters because detection alone does not stop a breach — most SMBs have no one watching overnight, so an alert raised at 2am goes unread until morning. MXDR closes that gap, and is sold and supported through CRS as a single line item.

What is the SASE add-on and does it need another agent?

SASE provides secure access that follows the user rather than the network they happen to be on — cloud-delivered secure connectivity and firewalling with no branch hardware, identity-aware access decisions based on the user and device, and web filtering that blocks malicious destinations before a connection is made. It is an add-on to the same Todyl foundation that already powers EDR, so there is no new agent to deploy and no additional vendor relationship for the partner to manage.

Which compliance frameworks does SMBsecure map to, and how completely?

Per ComplianceEZ®'s published control mapping: 9 of 10 FSCA Cyber Joint Standard JS1 and JS2 domains are fully covered with MXDR SOC in place (8 of 10 on the base bundle alone), with formal penetration testing the remaining gap as a separate engagement; 10 of 10 ISO/IEC 27001 Annex A requirement groups with MXDR SOC in place (7 of 10 base alone); and 5 of 6 NIST CSF functions — Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect and Respond. Overall, ComplianceEZ® maps 50+ security controls to more than 800 software control requirements across NIST, CIS and ISO 27001. These are approved regulatory claims sourced from the published coverage sheets, with full detail available on request.

Does SMBsecure include backup or disaster recovery?

No, and we are deliberately upfront about it. Backup and restore are not part of the bundle, which is why the NIST CSF Recover function is the one function that stays partial in our published coverage mapping rather than being claimed as complete. SMBsecure prevents and contains incidents — encryption, MFA, EDR, awareness training and DMARC — and for South African customers the Cyber Warranty responds financially. Customers who need recoverability should treat that as a separate product conversation.

What protection does SMBsecure provide for the human layer?

Most breaches still start with a person rather than a firewall, so end-user protection has been significantly expanded. Alongside managed awareness training and phishing simulations, SMBsecure now includes Company Policy Training so employees are trained directly on their own organisation's policy, Personal Digital Identity Monitoring because a breach of an employee's personal data can be used to scam the business, its clients or its suppliers, and a bespoke Training Evidence Report designed to satisfy auditors. Mobile and BYOD devices are covered under the same protection and policy set.