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4 Reasons Why You Need a Cybersecurity Teamby@elaine-bennett
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4 Reasons Why You Need a Cybersecurity Team

by Elaine BennettJanuary 28th, 2020
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Businesses need to weigh if it makes more sense to hire an external expert for the listed services or build an in-house team to handle such intricate operations. There are many trusted providers that ensure data protection and safe web protocols for companies not unlike your own. But insourcing can often have the same, if not greater perks when done right, as well as the benefits of insourcing cybersecurity. Here are a few key factors to consider when choosing the best cybersecurity option for your own business.

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Modern-day businesses have a vast list of complex issues that they need to resolve paired with a number of preventative tactics they deploy to preserve their business integrity. From perfecting their HR processes, handling customer communication, all the way to marketing, businesses often need to weigh if it makes more sense to hire an external expert for the listed services or build an in-house team to handle such intricate operations. There’s one department where most companies are trying to find the most optimal solution, often failing to realize the benefits of keeping their structure in-house: cybersecurity.

Although there are many trusted providers that ensure data protection and safe web protocols for companies not unlike your own, there’s more to the insourcing-outsourcing debate than the bottom line. Truth be told, cutting costs across the board paired with greater convenience often pushes companies to outsource, but insourcing can often have the same, if not greater perks when done right. If you’re still contemplating the best cybersecurity option for your own business, here are a few key factors to consider.

Increasing employee capabilities

One of the most common issues with business cybersecurity revolves around employees. Talk to many business managers, and they’ll tell you that their own teams are often the ones leading to an increase in security risks and practising unwise digital habits, effectively endangering the entire business’s cybersecurity, unwittingly so. This lack of business-wide awareness on implementing the right security protocols and following certain procedure cannot just vanish with outsourcing cybersecurity – it’s a matter of ongoing education and embedding safe practices into your business culture.

That said, continuously teaching your staff on how they can make better security decisions on a day-to-day basis is even more possible with experts on staff. Having an in-house cybersecurity team empowers you to educate your employees from all departments, show them how to reduce cybersecurity risks with their own preventative measures, a stronger password culture, and regular system maintenance. Over time, your entire employee collective will become educated enough to serve as parts of your cybersecurity initiative.

Powerful business integration paired with agility

The cloud has become the go-to solution for a variety of business processes for companies of all sizes, and cybersecurity is no different. However, the implications of a cloud-based solution on a shared server with limited access to a security response team can be dire for any digital company out there.

Unlike the old-school cloud options, expert private cloud providers actually offer the opportunity to use a hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) that utilizes all the perks of a private cloud while it grants you full ownership and access to your cybersecurity protocols.

On one hand, you can retain the agility and scalability of a cloud-based presence, while you still keep the reins of your data, security protocol implementation, as well as the entire platform that stores and protects your data. HCI is also extremely convenient since it uses minimal hardware infrastructure, and yet it integrates all of your computing, storage, and network needs, with your security preserved. Such an option ensures a built-in firewall, a cloud-based antivirus solution, and effectively enables your in-house team to manage your data and all of your IT and security needs.

Fast and efficient threat response rates

External resources can indeed be very helpful, especially when you’re aiming to add capabilities to your business that aren’t strictly considered essential for your daily operations. But would you say that cybersecurity isn’t essential? Actually, upon experiencing a severe security breach and the delayed response from their external service providers, businesses often shift perspective and start perceiving cybersecurity for what it is – a 24/7 issue. Integrating a powerful cybersecurity solution within your business gives you more control and improved response time.

However, IT experts on staff can be a costly endeavour for a smaller business, so many select a provider with a security service that seems comprehensive enough. It’s only when you actually witness the gaps in your managed service plan that you realize that having an in-house IT team is priceless compared to losing swathes of sensitive customer or proprietary business data. On the other hand, your in-house team can handle issues without delay, on the premises, and keep you apprised of the entire procedure.

Industry-specific expertise 

Finally, although it is a priority to work with cybersecurity experts in their own respect, every industry has unique security needs and specific threats to keep in mind. That simply means that oftentimes, your in-house team will have greater, more relevant knowledge of your cybersecurity than a skilled external expert ever could. That is why so many businesses today choose to build in-house cybersecurity teams who understand the ins and outs of their specific niche and bring their industry-specific skill set into the mix.

In closing

Although companies of all sizes and coming from a wide range of industries will often select a trusted provider and outsource their cybersecurity needs, the conversation on insourcing this particular department should certainly include these benefits before you make your decision. Cost-efficient and convenient solutions are often the ones that we can have direct access to in-house, and with greater digital threats on the horizon, it makes all the more sense to preserve your security by having experts under your wing.