Should Your Business Outsource Its Network Security?

Organizations live in a world where cybersecurity is an ever-present threat. It is becoming more and more difficult to stay one step ahead of hackers and cybercriminals. The problem with cybersecurity is that it requires a lot of time and resources to keep up with the latest threats. It is not just about protecting your company from hackers, but also about protecting your customers and employees.

“As we all know, cybersecurity is a moving target. Keeping up with the latest attacks and the ability to recover from these attacks is crucial.  IT teams, in-house or outsourced, have had to switch from securing the parameters to securing the cloud infrastructure and devices roaming around the world.  Like most outsourcing solutions, having a team of specialists who keep up with the latest trends is always a great solution”, said David Carreiro, Owner/Chief Executive Officer of CEU Technologies.

This means that you need to hire more people, invest in new technologies, and train your staff on how to protect themselves online. This can be very expensive for businesses that don’t have the budget or the expertise to do this on their own. That’s why outsourcing cybersecurity is a good idea for many companies – it allows them to focus on what they do best while someone else takes care of their security needs. 

Companies can get access to security experts from around the world, who may not be available locally or even in their own country. This means that companies have access to a wider variety of expertise, which can help them better prepare and mitigate risks. “Outsourcing cybersecurity services is highly recommended as once a system is in place and all endpoints are covered, a high-level SOC engineer is needed to analyze alerts and remediation.  This type of support is a dedicated position, and an internal IT department is usually too busy to effectively protect a company”, said Robert Giannini, Chief Security Officer and CEO, GiaSpace. 

“An important factor when deciding whether or not to outsource anything is to recognize that having the correct people in the correct place is the biggest challenge facing businesses today. As companies decide whether or not to outsource their cyber security, a big factor of this is going to revolve around whether there are capable, experienced in-house employees to accomplish this” said Nick Martin, Director of Managed Services at Mainstreet IT Solutions. 

“Outsourcing provides the coverage modern enterprises need. They are more flexible and can provide the 24×7 coverage necessary. Also, they do not quit and leave with all the passwords like your internal IT security could after a long weekend”, said Holden Watne, IT Consultant at Generation IX Technologies.

Reduce the Burden on Your In-House Team

Outsourcing your cybersecurity can be a great way to make sure that you are not only safe but also save a lot of money. It is important to note that outsourcing does not mean giving up control over your data or network, instead, it means giving up the time and resources spent on protecting them.

“Coming from a background in enterprise security, we worked with a large number of Fortune 500 companies and government entities that required ironclad cybersecurity operations. The mix of in-house versus outsourced across these entities was really split fairly evenly down the middle. We offered outsourced cybersecurity operations and they were a big hit with our client base, especially when they realized that the cost and time required to get internal resources up to speed would be too onerous”, said Jeremy Kushner, Chief Executive Officer of BACS IT Consulting. 

“Having an internal cybersecurity department is a lot more expensive to set up and maintain than you might think. You need to hire specialized trained staff to run this department. This specialized staff requires higher pay as well as the need to pay for employment taxes, benefits, retirement plans as well as pay for specialized training. You will also need to purchase necessary cybersecurity software to help maintain the services that this department will be responsible for. With outsourced cybersecurity, you won’t need to hire and train an IT staff and you will only need to pay a monthly service fee, which will end up costing you less in the long run”, said Anthony Buonaspina, BSEE, BSCS, CPACC, CEO and Founder of LI Tech Advisors.

Gain Access to Professional Expertise

As security risks and vulnerabilities continue to increase, the threat landscape has changed significantly. Many businesses and organizations are now emphasizing the importance of professional expertise and skills in order to be able to address these threats effectively.

“In most cases, the company hired to implement and manage these systems will have prior experience and expertise. They will provide much better efficiency and overall results. There will be no learning curve or lag for the in-house IT staff to learn and become proficient in these new systems. An external company specializing in cybersecurity will come in primed, tested, and ready with real-world experience to provide the best outcome for their clients. Choosing the best products and services to protect your business can only come with real-world experience”, said Joe Cannata, Owner of Techsperts, LLC.

To be successful with risk management, you need to have a dedicated team of experts with in-depth knowledge of the way hackers work and their strategies. When you outsource your cybersecurity, your company can partner with a team of experts that have experience in a wide range of sectors.

“Outsourcing is a very effective solution for a variety of reasons. Outsourcing cyber security monitoring and resolution to companies that have specialized in these solutions offer less expensive and deeper solutions than an in-house team. Hiring a company that specializes in cyber security protection will usually translate to lower costs, a fixed monthly negotiated fee, and 24/7 coverage, which is very difficult for a small or medium-sized enterprise to address. Depending on the company that is hired, there is normally a much faster level of response and deeper and broader experience that allows for a better solution. Lastly, this would require a much lower level of investment in tools and staff”, said Ilan Sredni, CEO and President of Palindrome Consulting.

“We outsource our cyber security services to firms that specialize in it, but we maintain a level of knowledge about it so that we can make sure we’re getting services we need and to be able to understand the information they provide to us and the recommendations they make. Our clients do the same with us, they outsource those services to us, which we then outsource, but we try to keep our clients educated so they also understand what’s happening. Someone told me once “you can outsource the task, but not the responsibility”. I think that’s especially true in the cybersecurity world”, said Paul Bush, Principal Consultant at OneSource Technology, Inc.

Does Outsourcing Network Security Increase Risks?

One disadvantage that keeps companies from outsourcing their security functions is the risk of giving someone else control of their sensitive data. “The cons of outsourcing include accountability and it’s possibly riskier. If you work with an outsourced organization of any kind, there is a different relationship. Because they are not an employee, managed IT providers are accountable in a different way. The only recourse you have is to fire the organization. Additionally, it is possibly riskier to partner with an outsourced organization as they may be more exposed because they have multiple clients”, said Watne. 

“Amongst the cons of outsourcing cyber security protection is the simple ideology that you have granted an outside team full access to your network. This translates to having one being very cautious and judicious as to who gets this cart balanced type of access”, said Sredni. To avoid the aforementioned cons, it’s important that one does their research before deciding to outsource with a certain company. Ensure you take the time to get to know your prospective provider and their approach to network management. Make sure they can meet your needs in terms of SLA and security, as these are two key factors in choosing an outsourcing partner. 

Read Also: 8 signs your business should outsource IT