Why You Should Bring Your Cybersecurity In-House

Companies often question the value of having in-house departments over outsourcing support. But having robust cybersecurity for your organisation shouldn’t be up for debate, especially in today’s dynamic digital age.

To join in this year’s CyberScotland Week, we have written a series of blogs to help you become more cyber resilient. We’ll cover the pros and cons of both in-house and outsourced cybersecurity and provide guidance on how to build you own robust cybersecurity team.

Pros and cons of in-house cybersecurity

Pros:

Tailored solutions

In-house cybersecurity teams have a deep understanding of the organisation’s specific risks, needs, and infrastructure. This enables them to develop customised security solutions that align closely with business objectives and priorities.

Immediate response and control

With an in-house team, organisations have greater control over their cybersecurity operations and can respond immediately to security incidents. They don’t have to rely on external vendors’ response times or procedures, potentially reducing the impact of breaches.

Cons:

Higher costs

Building and maintaining an in-house cybersecurity team requires investment in hiring, training, salaries, and infrastructure. SMEs may find it challenging to afford the upfront costs and ongoing expenses.

The skills gap

The ongoing tech talent shortage has created a talent deficit, making it more difficult to recruit talent with the specialised cybersecurity and DevSecOps skills required to build an in-house security function. Without the support of a committed recruitment partner, it could take several months to years to fill your vacancies.

Pros and cons of outsourced cybersecurity

Pros:

Access to specialised expertise

Outsourced cybersecurity providers often have a team of specialised professionals with diverse skills and experience in various areas of cybersecurity. This allows organisations to access expertise that may be challenging or costly to develop in-house.

Cost-effective and scalable

Outsourcing cybersecurity services can be more cost-effective for organisations, especially smaller ones, as they can access high-quality security solutions without the need for significant upfront investments. Additionally, outsourcing allows for scalability, with the ability to adjust services based on changing needs.

Cons:

Security and confidentiality risks

Using outsourced cybersecurity providers opens your organisation up to more security risks as it lowers the barriers to entry, increasing the chance of ransomware attacks and data breaches. In terms of protecting your confidential data, it’s paramount that you work with a reputable company with strict processes in place to conceal sensitive information.

Dependency on third-party providers

Outsourcing cybersecurity means relying on external vendors for critical security functions. This dependency can create challenges in terms of communication, urgency, accountability, and coordination during security incidents.

How to better protect your business from cyber-attacks

According to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, 59% of medium-sized businesses, and 69% of larger organisations, reported a cyber-attack in the last 12 months. It’s no surprise that companies are prioritising cybersecurity going forward, investing 51% more in their cybersecurity budget in 2023 to implement resilient protocols to protect their organisation.

Providing you have the budget and resources, building internal cybersecurity expertise is the best way to provide foolproof cybersecurity protection. Organisations can bolster their resilience against an increasingly hostile digital landscape, with a proactive stance, tailored security solutions, and a culture of vigilance, businesses can mitigate the risks posed by cyber threats and safeguard their most valuable assets. In the ongoing pursuit of digital innovation and growth, internal cybersecurity capabilities emerge as a strategic imperative for long-term success and resilience. However, it requires careful planning and investment.

Essential steps you can take to establish robust in-house capabilities

Upskilling your workforce

A cost-effective way of building in-house cybersecurity protection is to upskill your existing technical workforce. In the current market, it can be challenging to recruit cybersecurity professionals, but providing training sessions and workshops led by cybersecurity experts, invest in online training, put your employees through certifications, such as CISSP, CEH or CompTIA – Security + Certification, and ensure your employees are cyber vigilant, you can upskill your current workforce to be more cyber resilient.

Stay ahead of emerging threats

Encourage a proactive approach to threat intelligence gathering and analysis. Invest in partnerships with industry organisations, cybersecurity forums, and information sharing networks to stay informed about emerging threats and trends. This allows you to equip yourself for potential threats and inform your employees of certain scams and entry points to lookout for.

Recruit and retain top talent

The most important method to establishing robust in-house capabilities is to hire, and retain, skilled cybersecurity professionals with diverse expertise in areas such as, threat detection, incident response, and risk management. With the ongoing talent shortage, it can be difficult to recruit workers with the required skills to develop your in-house function, which is one of the main reasons businesses choose to outsource their cybersecurity. Partnering with a recruitment expert is an effective solution to bridging the talent gap and optimising your search.

See how Cathcart Technology can help

Unlike other recruitment agencies, our consultants specialise in a particular field of technology recruitment, offering one-to-one hiring support.

We have consultants dedicated to helping companies grow their cybersecurity functions across the UK and Finland. See how they can help with your hiring plans!

Contact:

Nicole (Scotland)

Imogen (North of England)

Laura (Finland)