Cybersecurity is more important now than ever before, which means it’s time to consider cybersecurity as a service (CSaaS).
If you and your team are just starting to craft your cybersecurity strategy, then you will benefit from a discussion of what a cybersecurity service can bring to the table. If you already have a robust cybersecurity plan in place, then you may be interested to learn all that can be gained from a CSaaS solution.
Before we discuss what cybersecurity as a service is, let’s make certain that everyone is on the same page in terms of cybersecurity itself.
Starting at the beginning, cybersecurity is (as we have explained on our blog) “at its most simple, a series of processes and strategies put in place to protect a business’s critical systems and sensitive information against cyber-attacks and data breaches, i.e. cyber threats. Cyber attacks are increasingly getting more sophisticated as criminals are having an easier time evading traditional security controls, through the adoption of new methods of attack that implement AI and social engineering. Businesses as they adopt newer technology need to also enhance their cyber security efforts to match it.”
At present, cybersecurity is vitally important, as cyber threats and attacks continue to evolve and expand. Builtin.com tells us that “With cybercrime damages projected to exceed a staggering $6 trillion by 2021, it’s no wonder banks, tech companies, hospitals, government agencies, and just about every other sector are investing in cybersecurity infrastructure to protect their business practices and the millions of customers that trust them with their data.”
All of this means that if you run or have oversight for a business of nearly any size or type, you need a cybersecurity solution (like enlisting a cybersecurity as a service provider)
The most important way to handle cybersecurity is to create and implement a detailed plan that
Some companies choose to manage cybersecurity entirely internally, hiring and maintaining a team of cybersecurity experts who work on the plan from creation to maintenance. Other organizations will hire a cybersecurity service to consult in the creation of the cybersecurity plan, and then maintain it with an in-house team. And, finally, others will contract with a cybersecurity company like StickmanCyber, who can provide cybersecurity as a service, managing the entire strategy creation process, and the implementation of all of the aspects of the plan mentioned above.
You may wonder if your IT department can handle your cybersecurity. In a recent article, Forbes explains: “Cybersecurity is still an emerging field, especially for IT professionals who wear many hats. To help your business and IT teams respond to emerging cyber threats, you should invest in training your technical IT and security staff. We’ve seen even well-staffed teams struggle with responding to ransomware incidents in the past year, despite those same teams excelling when responding to everything else.” It’s here where an outside solution can be a huge benefit.
Not every company has the resources for an in-house team of cybersecurity experts. Unfortunately, cyber threats are not deterred by budgetary concerns. If you are not able to staff a round-the-clock monitoring solution, then cybersecurity as a service is made for you.
Cybersecurity as a service providers can help in a variety of ways. They can provide technical services such as:
CSaaS providers can also perform a number of administrative duties like:
As you can see, there are many things that a cybersecurity as a service operation can provide you. Here are a few more reasons to consider outsourcing your cybersecurity to a service provider.
As we said above, staffing a full-scale cybersecurity team is expensive. Generally speaking, a CSaaS option costs less while still providing access to the same levels of coverage.
CSaaS services provide expertise that cannot be easily matched. As Forbes says, “Imagine how overwhelming tasks like contacting authorities, preserving forensic evidence, managing internal expectations, and restoring backups (in the many instances that a decryption key may not work) can be for teams not trained to manage a ransomware incident. These skills and processes are far too complicated and high risk for even seasoned IT professionals to “learn as they go.” By outsourcing, you can reduce a large amount of stress and effort on internal employees.
New changes, like remote or hybrid workplaces and cloud-based operations, have shifted the cybersecurity landscape. As Newsweek describes, “This is why, when it comes to cyber security, employee training and education are always key. If you want people to know how to avoid something like a ransomware attack, then they need to know what one looks like. They need to be trained on what to do if they get a suspicious email from a sender, whether they know the person on the other end or not. They need to understand that things like spoofing are very real and very common. This is all so employees can constantly keep their guard up and avoid situations like those outlined above.” This demands an expert team.
With an internal team, you may have staff who are experts in some things, proficient in others, and completely unprepared for new tasks that may emerge. If your business grows, or if the cybersecurity landscape shifts, it may take your current crew a long time to catch up to growing threats. A CSaaS provider is staffed by experts who are available to help at the drop of a hat. Not only that, some cybersecurity as a service providers can also train the rest of your employees to avoid the threats that Newsweek describes above.
Cybersecurity as a service means your business is provided with unlimited and annual access to multiple cybersecurity resources with different areas of expertise for a monthly subscription fee. Find out more today.