Are you losing sleep over the looming cyber attacks waiting to pounce on your business? With ransomware running rampant and data breaches being one mouse click away, it only makes sense to be filled with anxiety. So, in trying to keep your business safe, you find yourself at a crossroads: burn money on an in-house cyber security team or lose control by outsourcing?
One of the most frequently asked questions I’ve been asked throughout my extensive career as a cyber security expert is ‘What’s the best way to protect my business from cyber threats?’. I’ve seen firsthand how the right approach – that is both cost-friendly and allows you to maintain some level of control – can make all the difference.
While the best path to protecting your business is not exactly clear-cut, the good news is that you have options. I’ve often found that the hybrid approach to cyber security is the best way forward – and I’ll unpack why in this article. I’m not here to make your mind up for you, but here to lay all the cards on the table. By the end of this, you’ll be able to see if a hybrid strategy is the right fit for your business.
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What This Blog Covers:
The Hybrid Advantage: Balancing Internal and Outsourced Security
When exploring the various ways to keep your business safe, it becomes all too easy to get overwhelmed by the myriad of options at your disposal. Many people think that when it comes to protecting their business from cyber threats, they need to handle everything in-house or outsource it all. But what if I told you that you don’t have to choose between the two?
In the previous blog, I introduced you to the hybrid approach: a combination of internal cyber security and Cyber Security as a Service (CSaaS). This is the sweet spot for most SMBs: it’s about finding the right balance between what you can manage internally and what you should hand off to the experts.
We’re all friends here, so let’s be real: most SMBs have tight budgets, so going fully in-house can be a massive headache. On the other hand, completely outsourcing your security can feel like you’re losing control, and you might end up with a standardised solution that doesn’t fit your specific needs.
This is what makes the hybrid model the best of both worlds: it’s a tailored approach to cyber security that enables you to use your in-house resources where possible while outsourcing to fill in the gaps or get the expertise you need without worrying about building that internally.
Key Considerations for a Hybrid Approach
When we talk about hybrid security, there are essentially two things to consider:
1. On-premise vs. Cloud-based Security:
This is about the physical security measures you have in your office versus cloud-based or Software-as-a-service (SaaS) security solutions.
On-premise
On-premise security is the physical security measures you have in your office, like firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and maybe even a dedicated security operations centre (SOC) (if you’re a bigger company). You’re in control of everything, but that also means you’re responsible for everything: the setup, the maintenance, the upgrades – all of it.
Cloud-based Security
Cloud-based security or SaaS security solutions mean you’re “renting” security services from a provider. This could include things like:
- Cloud-based firewalls
- Intrusion prevention systems
- Data loss prevention (DLP) tools
- Security information and event management (SIEM) systems
The cloud offers some serious advantages, like scalability and flexibility. Plus, a lot of the newer, more advanced security tools are built for the cloud. But again, you don’t have to choose one or the other – in fact, I’d go so far as to say that you shouldn’t.
With a hybrid approach, you can mix and match to find the best fit for your business. For example, you might keep your sensitive data and critical systems on-premise, where you have more control. But you could use cloud-based security tools to monitor your network, analyse threats, and protect your remote workers.
2. Self-Managed vs. Managed Service Offering:
The second part of hybrid security is the self-managed versus managed service offering. This is about deciding what you want to handle yourself and what you want to outsource to a managed service provider (MSP).
Self-Managed
If you have a skilled IT team in-house, you might want to handle the day-to-day security tasks yourself, like monitoring your systems, responding to alerts, and patching vulnerabilities. But you could still outsource more specialised tasks to an MSP, like penetration testing, incident response, or threat intelligence.
Managed Service Offering
On the other hand, if you don’t have a dedicated security team, you might want to outsource most of your security to an MSP. They can provide 24/7 monitoring, and incident response, and even help you develop a security strategy.
Maximising ROI with a Hybrid Model
When we compared internal versus outsourced cyber security, I mentioned that the best approach for your business depends on your unique security needs, resources, and how much risk you’re comfortable with. The hybrid approach is all about being smart and strategic – yielding the following benefits:
Cost optimisation: You don’t have to hire a whole team of security specialists. You can outsource specific tasks to an MSP and focus your internal resources on other priorities.- Get access to specialised expertise: MSPs have experts with skills and knowledge that you might not be able to afford in-house.
- Address the Skills Gap: Speaking of expertise, when a cyber security staff member leaves, it could take approximately six months to get back to the previous level of knowledge and skill after a replacement is hired and onboarded. (That’s a long time to leave your business exposed).
- Improve your incident response: Cyber threats don’t sleep and your business needs to remain protected around the clock. Outsourcing the monitoring of your systems to an MSP can give you the 24/7 coverage you need.
- Focus on what moves the needle: Saving the best for last, outsourcing those labour-intensive cyber security tasks allows your internal IT department to focus on proactive and innovative IT measures that generate more revenue. This essentially gives them the time they need to focus on initiatives that drive the business forward (instead of being banished to ‘keeping the lights on’ from the basement).
Where to Start? Advice on What to Outsource and Keep In-House
Essential Cyber Security Investments
At this point, you may be wondering what you should outsource out of the gate. While this largely depends on what you’re able to expertly handle in-house, here are my top three essential cyber security investments that an SMB (with a limited budget), should look to outsource:
- Managed Detection and Response (MDR): First and foremost, you should outsource the monitoring of laptops and antivirus to a service like MDR, which gives you round-the-clock threat detection and response. The reason this is good to outsource is that SMBs often lack the resources, and their IT staff experience “alert fatigue”.
- Email Security: Email security is a good thing to outsource where you can just because it takes the burden off your team. Email is a major attack vector, so protecting it is crucial. Email security can also create alert fatigue, with some systems generating hundreds of alerts per day. Investigating these alerts can take up a significant amount of time for your IT staff.
- Web Security/Content Filtering: Implementing a web security or content filtering tool, potentially managed by an MSP, can help protect against web-based threats and prevent employees from accessing malicious websites.
Bonus – Don’t Forget Cyber Insurance: Cyber insurance is becoming an essential part of any SMB’s risk management strategy. It can help cover the costs of a cyber attack, such as data recovery, legal fees, and business interruption.
Actionable Steps You Can Take In-House
While outsourcing can be beneficial, there are also things you can do yourself to improve your security posture that are easy on the pocket:
- Employee Training: Anyone worth their salt in the cyber security field is a huge advocate for user awareness training. Teach your employees about phishing scams, password security, and other common threats.
- Regular Security Audits: Identify vulnerabilities and ensure the security tools you currently have are working and that you’re making the most of them.
- Strong Password Policies: Enforce strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Focus on Proactive IT Measures: Remember, outsourcing certain tasks means IT departments can then focus on proactive IT measures that keep your business ahead of cyber threats.
Start Small, Think Strategically
The hybrid approach to cyber security isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, but it offers a lot of flexibility and cost-effectiveness for SMBs.
By carefully considering your needs and resources, you can find the right balance between in-house and outsourced security to protect your business from today’s evolving threats.
I’ve spent years helping businesses of all kinds find the best approach for their unique cyber security needs by consolidating their level of expertise and resources.
Ready to explore a hybrid strategy? Assess your needs, identify gaps, and consider outsourcing MDR, email, and web security to start. Don’t forget employee training and strong passwords! With the right plan, you can protect your business without breaking the bank.
