All businesses need cybersecurity personnel to protect them from hackers and malicious actors. However, this can be expensive for small and medium-sized businesses. Some either neglect it or hire one expert to perform all security functions to save money. However, this is not ideal because cyber attackers often upgrade their skills and constantly look for ways to infiltrate a company’s computer network.
Lack of online protection will grant them easy access to a company’s network, and they will steal sensitive data or use ransomware to disrupt their operations. Businesses that hire one cybersecurity expert might also suffer the same fate if the cyber attacker uses a tactic the personnel is unfamiliar with. The potential financial losses and overall business impact from a successful cyber attack might be more than the cost of proactively implementing IT support and cybersecurity measures.
The perfect solution for these businesses is outsourcing IT support and cybersecurity to third-party companies like Shipshape IT. Shipshape IT is a Washington DC cybersecurity company that provides holistic IT support to small and medium-sized businesses in the United States.
Why Businesses Should Outsource Cybersecurity
Modern businesses use the internet for their operations, but it comes with the risk of cyber attacks. Cyber attacks come in numerous forms, each of which can cause a company to shut down their operation for a considerable period. They need a team of cybersecurity experts to detect and eliminate threats before they damage their network.
Many small and medium-sized businesses cannot afford to keep a cybersecurity team on their payroll full-time, so outsourcing the service is a great option. Outsourcing business cybersecurity gives organizations access to teams of cybersecurity specialists at a fraction of the cost of hiring them full-time. Most third-party cybersecurity companies give businesses the choice to end their working relationship without it resulting in a tedious legal battle. This means business owners can work with multiple cybersecurity service providers until they find one that suits them long-term.
Working with these specialists will ensure appropriate security measures are implemented to prevent cyber attacks. It will also facilitate quick incident response because the specialists will know the necessary steps to tackle all the issues that arise. Rapid incident response will prevent business disruption and financial losses and safeguard sensitive data relating to the company and its customers.
Government regulatory bodies mandate businesses to protect consumer data, so outsourcing cybersecurity will help them comply with that directive. Failure to comply with data privacy regulations can attract heavy fines and damage a company’s reputation.
Outsourcing cybersecurity and IT support lets business owners focus on their core operations without worrying about the activities of hackers and other malicious actors. It is not easy to handle all areas of a business effectively, so the owner should focus on serving their customers. The online security company will analyze the organization’s security posture and strengthen it accordingly. They will manage the organization’s IT infrastructure remotely and deploy technical support staff to the site to resolve complex problems whenever they arise.
Experts from an IT support company will offer sound proposals to business owners to help them scale their IT operations efficiently when growing their businesses. Their recommendations will stem from a thorough analysis of the organization’s activities and customer traffic demand. The improved IT infrastructure will support increased consumer activities without unexpected shutdowns that can harm company profits.
Most third-party cybersecurity solutions providers offer 24/7 IT support to their clients. This means their computer experts will monitor their client’s IT systems after working hours to detect suspicious activities. They will spring into action upon detection and implement remediation measures to eliminate the threat. They will also keep a record of this incident and adopt safeguards to prevent recurrence.
Downsides to Outsourcing Business Cybersecurity
Delegating cybersecurity and IT support services is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses but has downsides. Here are some of them:
Exposure to sensitive data
When organizations outsource their cybersecurity, and IT support to third-party companies, they expose some of their sensitive data and give them access to their network. This should not be a problem under normal circumstances, but it makes them more vulnerable to data breaches and misuse. It is best to vet any third-party company before working with them to ensure they do not have a questionable security history. However, reputable companies like Shipshape IT insulate businesses from these concerns.
Insufficient organization knowledge
Third-party cybersecurity and IT support companies mainly focus on keeping business data secure. However, they sometimes lack insight into the company’s daily operations or business nuances, resulting in brief periods of vulnerability to attacks. For example, an organization can lay off multiple employees, but the outsourced security provider might not be informed immediately. This means ex-employees can still access their company account and extract privileged information at will. Fortunately, this can be solved by keeping communication channels open and telling the third-party service provider to make immediate changes when necessary.
Delay during emergencies
IT support service providers usually work with multiple clients. They might have allocated most of their workforce to other businesses when one of their clients has a security emergency. This will delay the incident response, leaving the organization subject to more damage from the cyber attack than necessary. While this is not common, it only takes one instance to put an organization at significant risk.
Endnote
Businesses should outsource their cybersecurity needs to reliable third-party companies because it saves costs and offers expert security protection. Third-party companies like Shipshape IT provide round-the-clock protection from cyber attacks to prevent business disruption. They also offer IT consultancy to business owners and manage the scale-up of their IT infrastructure to match their business growth.
It also helps organizations comply with data protection laws so they are not subject to fines and forced shutdowns. If hackers steal sensitive consumer data, it will cost the affected company their reputation and make them lose customers. In some cases, this can put them out of business.