Cybersecurity is critical to any tech business—so is standing out from the competition. The GTIA Cybersecurity Trustmark can help MSPs and solution providers do just that. But it’s not a quick fix. Earning the Trustmark is not intended to be easy. By design, it’s a comprehensive journey that results in an assurance that you have met or exceeded the standards set forth by your industry peers. While it’s not an easy check box activity, the path doesn’t have to be hard either. GTIA is here to help.
In fact, several workshops held at ChannelCon 2025 in Nashville, July 29-31, will be dedicated to helping members prepare for earning the Cybersecurity Trustmark, focused on topics like company culture, cyber policies, and data and risk management.
Cybersecurity Trustmark Workshop: Culture and Policies
Presented by Alex Spigel, co-founder and COO at Choice Cyber Solutions and Miles Jobgen, senior director of Cybersecurity Relevancy Programs at GTIA, this workshop will help answer the question of how to ensure proper alignment between the policies that govern your business and the culture of your business.
"Policy and culture are as intertwined as a double-helix,” Jobgen said. “By scaffolding upon one another, a business will always have policies that embed cybersecurity into its culture and a culture that embodies the purpose of its policies."
Participants will receive actionable takeaways to identify gaps between policies and culture, how to address them and recommendations on crafting effective policies.
Cybersecurity Trustmark Workshop: What is Data?
Presented by Marc Menzies, president and CTO at Overview Technology Solutions, participants will learn the many types of data you have within your organization, the risk associated with each type and what to do if you accidentally receive data you shouldn’t have access to.
“Oftentimes we really get focused on the technology, but it’s more than that,” said Dave Alton, chief technology officer of Strategic Information Resources. “Everyone is responsible for that data security access and it’s not data security access on computers, its data security access. Where can they get to the data and what lives there.”
Cybersecurity Trustmark Workshop: Risk Management
Presented by Wayne Selk, vice president of Cybersecurity Programs and executive director, GTIA ISAO, this workshop will take a deep dive into risk management.
“Most businesses fail for two reasons; lack of proper planning and not understanding the risks to their business. This workshop is designed to help the business look at their risk from a different perspective and start creating a plan to mitigate the risk,” Selk said.
Participants will learn to identify and respond to risk, understand the value of dashboards and how to use them, discover the seven types of risk and how they play a role in your operations, and learn how to start conversations about risk with your clients.
10 Reasons Why MSPs Need the GTIA Cybersecurity Trustmark
Here are 10 reasons why MSPs and solution providers should consider implementing security controls:
- - Increased customer trust
- - Competitive advantage
- - Regulatory compliance
- - Business continuity
- - Reduced risk of data breaches
- - Enhanced brand reputation
- - Improved operational efficiency
- - Risk management
- - Increased revenue opportunities
- - Peace of mind
>> Read More: 10 Reasons MSPs Should Enhance Their Cybersecurity Controls
The First Step? Choosing Where to Start
The GTIA Cybersecurity Trustmark journey is based on the Center for Internet Security’s 18 Critical Security Controls. It’s impossible to focus on all simultaneously. Instead, select one control and pick it apart.
Choose one control and dissect it in great detail. This will force you to figure out how to improve the security for that one single component. Choose whichever control needs review and do a deep dive with your team.
“It’s complex and it really does need a conversation with a team. This is so hard to do by yourself. I don’t have enough institutional knowledge to know everything. Period,” said Alton.
That’s where GTIA can help.
“GTIA members on the Cybersecurity Trustmark journey can find everything they’ll need in the Cyber Hub,” said Jobgen. “You can sign up for success calls, browse frequently asked questions and access resources to assist you.”
He notes that there are other peer groups beyond GTIA that have spun up Trustmark support groups as well.
>> Read More: 4 Not-So-Hard Ways to Start Your Cybersecurity Trustmark Readiness Path
Knowing that data and systems are protected by industry-standard security measures helps everyone feel better about their business.
