Businesses worldwide have been presented with an unprecedented and unprepared business environment as a result of COVID-19 impact. The forecast for all our collective future is cautiously optimistic and this sentiment is quintessential to our rebuilding efforts. Most companies are having to fight against budgetary cuts, operational challenges and dearth in skilled expertise. With the reduction in both revenue and opportunities for new business, many companies are compelled to reduce their spending and operate on a bare minimum.
With more and more business operations being conducted online and remotely(like through the use of VPNs), there is a significant amount of proprietary or critical company data that is being accessed from outside the walls of an organisation. Hundreds and thousands of employees are using digital or cyber channels (such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams) for their communication and for daily activities. This presents an enormous risk to an organisation and is like an all-out-buffet for hackers with the right tools and wrong intentions.
Considering such circumstances, let us look at what is the need of the hour and how Cyber security consulting service companies can help fill this void. The biggest question in front of most companies today (whether they are small, medium or large) is :
“Are we secure and can we protect ourselves from a malicious attack?“
The answer to identifying how to protect an organization against Cyber Security threats is three pronged:
- WHAT – identify the information/data (sensitive, confidential and Personal) that is of significant value to an organisation; the breach or lack of which can seriously impair business
- WHY – understand the risks associated with not protecting the data; would it affect my customer confidence? Or privacy? Can it lead to financial loses?
- WHO – identify the most qualified individual to carry out these operations i.e. SME; can we do it in-house? Or outsource?
Now, points 1 and 2 are questions which most businesses routinely identify and answer. This will be inline with the nature of business and the kind of information that they access or control (e.g. health data, financial data, PII, etc). Let us quickly understand the “Who” in this equation and how this can help in the entire process. You need a qualified individual or a team, that can understand your business process, envision the possible risky scenarios and identify/develop the security parameters needed to protect. They should be able to architect and assist in maintaining your org wide security.
While the use of technology controls and tools will help you set up a protected perimeter in which your data can be used freely for business purposes, you will also need a dedicated team of Information security specialists who can run this whole show and keep updating against technology advancements. This team of InfoSec members would be responsible for maintaining the overall health of all cyber security initiatives within the organisation and thereby enable the business functions to focus on their core competency. Most cyber security consulting companies offer this expertise as an outsourced service and yes, you should take it.
Outsourced Cyber security is a proven model in which small-to-medium sized companies(some larger companies too) can benefit from availing the cyber security services that they need, at a fraction of the cost. Outsourcing model provides the following advantages: Higher Flexibility, Higher scalability, Reduced costs (pay only for what you use and need) and Quicker turn around time.
Under this model, companies do not have to maintain and run a dedicated InfoSec team themselves and worry about the operational expenses. Nor do they have to worry about maintaining skilled labour or knowledge relating to Cyber Security. Companies can work on developing their competitive advantage while still being able to leverage on the services to keep themselves protected proactively. More than ever, outsourced model can now help fill the void of information security that is present in most modern and current day organisations.