Meet Charles Weaver
Charles Weaver is the CEO of MSP Alliance, the industry's leading certification and standards body for managed service providers. Charles has spent years studying the risk landscape facing MSPs and has developed the CyberVerify certification program to help providers demonstrate their security and compliance posture to clients, insurers, and regulators. His perspective on MSP risk management is informed by data on actual claims, regulatory trends, and the evolving expectations of cyber insurance carriers.
What We Cover
What is the three-legged stool framework for MSP risk management?
Charles introduces a simple but powerful framework: every MSP needs three things to be properly protected. First, appropriate insurance coverage. Second, strong and current contracts. Third, independent certification that verifies their security and compliance practices. Remove any one of the three legs and the stool falls over. Charles explains why each element reinforces the others and why having only one or two creates a false sense of security.
Why is insurance alone not enough to protect an MSP?
Charles shares data on the types of claims hitting MSPs most frequently and explains why insurance policies are increasingly requiring evidence of contract quality and security practices before paying out. Carriers are getting smarter about MSP risk, and policies with broad exclusions are becoming more common. An MSP that relies solely on insurance without strong contracts and verified security practices may find its claims denied when it matters most.
How do Monjur's contracts and MSP Alliance's CyberVerify work together?
Rob and Charles discuss how attorney-supervised, continuously updated contracts from Monjur and CyberVerify certification from MSP Alliance complement each other as part of a complete risk strategy. Monjur ensures contract language is current, compliant, and enforceable. CyberVerify provides independent verification that the MSP's security practices meet industry standards. Together, they satisfy two of the three legs and make the insurance leg significantly stronger by demonstrating due diligence to carriers.
Can risk management be a competitive differentiator for MSPs?
Charles argues that MSPs should stop treating risk management as a cost center and start treating it as a competitive advantage. Clients, especially in regulated industries, are asking harder questions about their MSP's legal protections, insurance coverage, and security certifications. The MSPs that can demonstrate a complete risk management posture win deals that their less-prepared competitors lose. In a crowded market, verified protection is a differentiator that is difficult to fake.
Why This Matters for MSPs
Legal and cybersecurity risks for MSPs are rising faster than most providers are updating their protections. The three-legged stool framework gives MSP owners a clear, actionable structure for evaluating their risk posture. If you have insurance but outdated contracts, you are exposed. If you have great contracts but no third-party certification, you are missing a layer of credibility. If you have certification but weak insurance, a single claim could be devastating. The MSPs that treat risk management as a strategic investment, not an administrative checkbox, will be the ones positioned to grow with confidence.
About the Show
Talk Tech with Rob Scott is a podcast series from Monjur where CEO Rob Scott sits down with MSP industry leaders to explore the strategies, tools, and trends shaping managed services. New episodes are published regularly on YouTube. Subscribe to stay ahead of what is next in the MSP channel.
