The 2025 Verizon DBIR Is Clear: Why MSPs Must Deploy SASE for SMB Clients—Now

Each year, the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) offers a sobering look at the evolving threat landscape. The 2025 edition is no exception, and for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), it might be the most urgent wake-up call yet. The report shows that threat actors are getting faster, more efficient, and more creative—leaving traditional network protections hopelessly outdated.

The DBIR’s findings aren’t just statistics—they’re a call to arms. As an MSP, your clients rely on you to secure their environments and enable safe digital growth. The trends outlined in this year’s DBIR prove that SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) isn’t a future consideration; it’s an immediate requirement.

This is where Timus SASE comes in—built for MSPs, designed for the SMBs they protect.

1. Vulnerability Exploits Skyrocket: Patch Lag Is No Longer an Excuse

The DBIR reports a 34% increase in breaches caused by vulnerability exploits, particularly zero-day attacks like MOVEit. Many SMBs don’t patch quickly enough due to limited IT resources or lack of visibility. This is a huge opportunity—and risk—for MSPs.

Why MSPs Need Timus SASE: Timus enforces policy-based access that blocks exploitation attempts even when vulnerabilities exist. Its cloud-native posture checking and automated rule enforcement help MSPs isolate unpatched systems—without waiting for the client to act.

With Timus, your team gets real-time device telemetry and posture enforcement, so you’re not depending on a “hope and pray” patching window to keep bad actors out.

2. Ransomware Is the Costliest Threat—and Still Rising

Ransomware is involved in 44% of all breaches, with an even more alarming 88% of SMB breaches involving ransomware. Attackers are still getting in via weak RDP configurations, poor segmentation, and flat networks.

Why MSPs Need Timus SASE: With Timus’ ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access), lateral movement is stopped cold. Devices are microsegmented and only allowed access based on posture and identity. That means if a single endpoint is compromised, the damage stops there.

MSPs can define granular access controls and instantly revoke access or isolate devices when ransomware behavior is detected—no need to deploy complex NACs or hope VPNs can do the job. RDP instances are isolated behind the Timus wall, so no hacker gets to use RDP to attack the network.

3. Human Error Remains the Root Cause of 60% of Breaches

Humans click bad links. They reuse passwords. They misconfigure apps. These behaviors caused 60% of breaches in this year’s DBIR. And let’s be real—your SMB clients aren’t cybersecurity experts.

Why MSPs Need Timus SASE: Timus reduces the blast radius of human mistakes. Real-time behavioral analytics detect anomalies like unusual logins or data access patterns. You can set automated responses, like auto-isolation or identity re-validation, keeping your clients protected from themselves. Plus, with zero-click, always-on protection from man-in-the-middle attacks wherever the users are accessing the resources from, the traffic remains encrypted. 

Additionally, Timus gives MSPs a centralized view of all users, their activity, and their risk profile—so you can catch risky behavior before it becomes a breach.

4. Edge Device Exploits Surge by 800% – Infrastructure under Siege 

Edge infrastructure, including VPNs and remote access gateways, is under siege—exploits here have increased by 800%. This is a direct call for adopting cloud-native, identity-driven access controls like Timus SASE to remove reliance on perimeter security.

5. Third Party Breaches Now 30% of Incidents —You Can’t Trust by Association

Third-party and supply chain breaches spiked in the DBIR. This means even if your client does everything right, their vendor or cloud app might not—and that becomes your problem as the MSP.

Why MSPs Need Timus SASE: Timus gives you full visibility and control over outbound and third-party traffic. You can create policies that restrict user access by risk level, enforce URL-based web filtering, and monitor shadow IT usage.

Timus SASE gives MSPs the power to control third-party risk from a central portal—without requiring extra firewalls or agents.

6. Credential-Based Attacks Lead the Pack (Again)

Stolen credentials were the most common initial attack vector in the 2025 DBIR. SMB employees are still reusing passwords, and MFA bypasses are increasing. It’s a nightmare for MSPs managing dozens or hundreds of client environments.

Why MSPs Need Timus SASE: Timus integrates multi-factor authentication (MFA) at every layer—user, device, app, and network. With identity-aware access and SSO integrations, you eliminate the risk of “set it and forget it” credentials living in the wild.

For MSPs, this means no more blind spots across client environments. Each identity and each device is continuously evaluated before being granted access, minimizing credential compromise risks at scale.

7. Speed of Attack Is Shrinking—Detection Must Be Real-Time

The DBIR reveals that in many breaches, attackers are compromising systems and exfiltrating data in minutes. The window to detect and respond is rapidly shrinking.

Why MSPs Need Timus SASE: Traditional antivirus and EDR can’t keep up alone. Timus gives MSPs real-time visibility, posture validation, and adaptive access control—from one centralized portal. You can respond faster, contain threats earlier, and ensure uptime for your clients.

Timus’ real-time telemetry for Windows and macOS devices allows MSPs to see exactly what’s happening on client machines—processes, services, disk status, encryption—and act instantly.

From “Nice-to-Have” to Non-Negotiable

Let’s be blunt: The 2025 DBIR reads like a checklist of what SASE solves—and what MSPs can no longer ignore.

• Ransomware? Timus isolates devices and controls lateral movement.
• Human error? Timus provides zero-click, always-on, zero-trust security so you don’t need to rely on humans
• Third-party risk? Timus gives full visibility and policy enforcement.
• Credential misuse? Timus wraps identity in Zero Trust access.
• Patch lag? Timus segments and protects even vulnerable assets.
• Speed of attack? Timus operates in real time, always-on.

Final Word: Your Clients Trust You. Give Them the Security They Deserve.

SMBs rely on their MSPs for modern, secure infrastructure—but the old stack isn’t cutting it anymore. Firewalls, VPNs, and point products leave too many gaps. The 2025 Verizon DBIR is proof that attackers are exploiting those gaps faster than ever.

Timus SASE is built for MSPs—simple to deploy, easy to manage, and designed for the needs of modern SMBs. With built-in multi-tenant dashboards, granular policy control, and instant device visibility, it helps you scale your business and reduce incident fatigue.

Don’t wait for the next breach to become your client’s headline. Equip your team—and your clients—with the security stack they actually need.

SASE isn’t optional anymore. With Timus, it’s finally achievable.

1. Why is SASE critical for MSPs in 2025?

The 2025 Verizon DBIR shows a major shift in how cyberattacks are executed—faster, more targeted, and increasingly bypassing traditional perimeter tools like firewalls and VPNs. MSPs are now expected to provide holistic, zero trust-driven security. SASE combines networking and security into one scalable cloud-native service, giving MSPs the real-time visibility, control, and protection needed for today’s threats.

2. How does Timus SASE help prevent ransomware attacks?

Timus SASE uses Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) to ensure that only verified users and devices can access specific resources—no implicit trust, ever. It also microsegments the network, so even if ransomware lands on one endpoint, it can’t move laterally. Device posture checks and real-time telemetry allow MSPs to spot risky behavior early and quarantine endpoints before the damage spreads.

3. My clients already use firewalls and antivirus. Isn’t that enough?

Not anymore. Firewalls protect the perimeter—but in a cloud-first, hybrid work world, the perimeter is gone. And antivirus is reactive. The DBIR shows attackers move faster than traditional tools can respond. Timus SASE proactively enforces security policies, checks device health, and controls app access dynamically—providing the kind of continuous, identity-based protection that today’s SMBs need.

4. Can Timus SASE integrate with tools I’m already using as an MSP?

Absolutely. Timus is designed for the MSP model. It integrates with common identity providers (like Microsoft Entra ID and Google Workspace), supports SSO, and works alongside RMM, PSA, and endpoint platforms. Plus, with a multi-tenant MSP dashboard, it’s easy to manage all your clients from one place—with granular control over each environment.

5. Is deploying SASE too complex for smaller MSPs or lean teams?

Not with Timus. Unlike traditional enterprise-focused SASE products, Timus is built with MSPs and SMBs in mind. It’s fast to deploy (often in under 30 minutes, not weeks), doesn’t require a huge learning curve, and includes intuitive tools like policy wizards and device posture templates. Lean teams can onboard new clients quickly and enforce enterprise-grade security without the complexity.