CIO Magazine boldly stated that companies that can't or won't pay big money for top-level security talent run the risk of joining the ranks of Target, Home Depot, and many other big brands that have suffered from damaging security breaches. Certainly, large companies should find room in their budgets to consider adding a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to the C-Suite, but what about SMBs and startups?
Executives from SMBs need an affordable solution to their cybersecurity challenges. They should consider the following six reasons for hiring
- Budgets: SMBs may have a hard time justifying the salary and overhead of another full-time, permanent executive. Since these companies may just need part-time consulting, a vCISO can satisfy their needs and budget limitations.
- Skill gaps: NetworkWorld discussed the widening gap in skills between increasingly sophisticated hackers and tech employees. Without a security-savvy executive, businesses won't even know what skills or technology they're missing.
- Accessibility: It's tough for smaller companies to compete for high-level tech talent that they intend to recruit for full-time positions. For instance, one labor analytics company found that security job postings have increased by almost 75% in the last decade. It's much easier for many companies to bring in a temporary or part-time consultant for these positions.
- Knowledge: One of the best things about bringing in consultants is that they may have experience with similar companies. A vCISO can share lessons learned from other engagements to help your organization avoid the same mistake.
- Risk prevention: Risk managers and insurers are likely to be more pleased with a company that hires a temporary or part-time security officer than a company that is satisfied to do without. Besides reducing the risk of expensive and damaging security breaches, a vCISO may help simplify risk management and even reduce insurance rates.
- Governance and compliance: Many companies, including financial, healthcare, and E-commerce organizations face increasing pressure to comply with regulations that are meant to ensure customer's privacy and security. A vCISO can help establish standards and keep businesses from incurring penalties, bad press, or worse.
It's no secret that many types of companies face increasing threats against their valuable data. Facing these threats requires specialized talent and experience. A vCISO can help SMBs fill the need for a knowledgeable security executive to help prevent becoming the next cybercrime victim.
Another cybersecurity service that is quickly growing in adoption rates is Security-as-a-Service (SECaaS). To learn more about this cloud-based security service offering, here is an easy-to-read infographic we put together.
