How to Improve Your Security Strategy With a Cybersecurity Consultant

The changing technology careers landscape is impacting the way organizations approach onboarding skilled workers to steer their digital security strategy. It wasn’t long ago that businesses could easily hire IT staff members to keep a network running and develop a viable cybersecurity strategy. But the global shortage of trained technology professionals, coupled with escalating salaries, has put small and mid-sized businesses between a rock and a hard place.

Talent Shortage Impacts Security Strategy Options

A 2022 workforce study indicates the worldwide cybersecurity workforce rose to 4.7 million people, its highest level to date. The bad news is the same study revealed the global shortage of cybersecurity workers hit 3.4 million. That number represents a 26 percent increase from 2021, and industry insiders expect it to balloon.

“Talent shortages are a rising and significant challenge for the successful adoption of emerging technologies. This year, 64 percent of respondents feel that talent availability is the largest challenge to emerging technology adoption, compared with just 4 percent in 2020 and 14 percent in 2019,” according to 2021-2023 Emerging Technology Roadmap for Large Enterprises report.

If large corporations with deep pockets are struggling to hire IT and cybersecurity personnel, where does that leave startups, mom-and-pop operations, and companies with under 500 employees? The short answer is: outsourcing your cybersecurity strategy to a consulting firm. Although necessity may dictate who helps craft and implement a security strategy, working with a consultant has proven the best option for growing businesses.

Cybersecurity Consultant Works with In-House IT Staff

When a small number of technicians are tasked with handling an organization’s IT needs, they tend to become firefighters. These hard-working professionals spend the vast majority of their time putting out technology fires to keep profit-driving endeavors moving. Crashing systems, glitchy desktops, and employees who can’t log into the network eat up entire workdays. While dedicated IT staff members would love to dive into security strategy, they are overwhelmed.

When industry leaders bring in a cybersecurity consultant to develop a defensive posture, it takes a burden off the shoulders of in-house IT staff. Along with stress reduction, your IT workers gain an opportunity to engage with people with a laser focus on emerging threats and the latest cybersecurity strategy. Working together to protect an outfit’s digital assets becomes a cooperative learning experience. As the saying goes: “A rising tide lifts all boats.”

Partnering with a Cybersecurity Consultant Delivers Business Benefits

It’s important to thoroughly vet a cybersecurity consultant before brokering an arrangement. The firm must possess experienced and skilled professionals who are able to craft a security strategy that protects your sensitive and valuable data. A third-party firm must also be invested in ongoing cybersecurity training. Hackers come up with more intricate schemes every day, and your consultant needs to help keep you prepared. That being said, the right consultant provides the following benefits.

• Scalable Cybersecurity: The cost of ongoing education and training for in-house staff members tends to be prohibitive. That’s because a company would be burdened with paying for coursework, conferences, and the person’s salary while they learn. A consultant invests time and money into possessing the latest security strategy knowledge. It’s rolled into the flexible monthly cost.
• New Technology: A cybersecurity consultant stays informed about the latest technologies. This niche knowledge allows a firm to recommend tools that can deter current and future hacking methods. Having the latest technologies in place hardens an organization’s security posture. This, in turn, impedes the attempts of garden variety hackers trying to breach your system.
• Risk Mitigation: It’s important to understand that unscrupulous individuals have no intention of slowing their cyberattacks. The task of a cybersecurity consultant is to recommend a security strategy and ongoing updates to reduce your risk. When an organization possesses robust cybersecurity, digital thieves are inclined to look for easy prey elsewhere. That’s why a hardened security posture is the essence of risk mitigation.

Having an effective cybersecurity program in place is mission-critical for companies across sectors, regardless of size. By working with a managed IT provider with expertise in cybersecurity, small and mid-sized enterprises can implement a security strategy that cost-effectively protects their data.

What a Cybersecurity Consultant Can Do for Your Security Strategy

At CyberTeam, our managed IT and cybersecurity consulting experts have the experience and technology required to protect your company from a hacking incident. We start by conducting a cybersecurity risk assessment to gain a clear understanding of your system’s strengths and vulnerabilities. Schedule a risk assessment and begin the process of improving your defenses.