As cybersecurity threats multiply, ensuring protection feels more and more Sisyphean: You are expected to provide top-notch protection, but you don’t receive higher budgets to afford more people or relevant software. Outsourcing becomes your only solution, but should you go for it?
Full disclosure - I’ve been running a software development outstaffing/outsourcing company for over two decades. In general, I am biased, but in this post, I’ll try to be as objective as possible. I am a true believer in outsourcing for cybersecurity because I’ve seen firsthand how strategic investment in outsourcing helps tackle cybersecurity challenges.
Still, outsourcing isn’t the optimal solution for everyone and every case. The decision hinges on multiple factors, from risk management and cost considerations to talent acquisition and scalability. Here’s my breakdown:
Is Outsourcing Cybersecurity the Right Move for Your Business?
Outsourcing isn’t for everyone. It’s a great solution for companies who don’t have the time or the funds to build and manage an in-house security team. However, outsourcing also means ceding some control.
For some, especially those handling highly sensitive data, outstaffing—a model where external cybersecurity professionals work closely with internal teams—may offer the optimal compromise.
Outstaffing offers the option to bring cybersecurity talent directly into your team without the HR overhead. This approach allows you to maintain greater control over projects, with loyal outstaffed professionals working closely alongside your team on high-sensitivity tasks or long-term projects.
Let’s compare between the two models:
- Outsourcing—a full-service cybersecurity team takes charge, ideal for those wanting comprehensive protection with minimal management.
- Outstaffing—external experts work for your and only for you (usually from abroad), bringing their expertise and know how. Outstaffed cybersecurity professionals, employed by a third party, provide flexibility and control without the burden of full-time hiring.
Key Areas to Consider for Cybersecurity Outsourcing
Some cybersecurity functions are particularly well-suited to outsourcing, offering distinct competitive advantages over an in-house approach. Based on our experience it is better to outsource:
1. Continuous Threat Monitoring and Detection
Cyber threats can happen at any time, day or night—not just during business hours. Maintaining an in-house team to monitor for threats 24/7 can be costly and challenging. By outsourcing this function, you get continuous, round-the-clock protection without the overhead of hiring and training a dedicated, full-time team. Remote team will identify and fix before they become major issues, so your operations will be running smoothly.
2. Incident Response and Forensics
In case of a security breach, rapid response is crucial. An outsourced incident response team, often working from different time zones, is immediately ready to contain and manage crises, even while your team is asleep. The outsourced teams usually have experience across different industries, so they are good in hotfixes and have well build strategies and protocols for reaction.
3. Vulnerability Management and Penetration Testing
Outsourcing vulnerability management and penetration testing gives your company a crucial advantage: constant, expert-level security oversight without the long-term cost and effort of building an in-house team. Such teams are usually well-versed in meeting specific compliance standards (like GDPR or HIPAA) and can quickly adapt their testing approaches to your company’s unique needs.
Also, outsourcing allows you to access a team only when needed—whether it’s for quarterly tests or during high-risk times—saving on salaries, benefits, and training costs.
One more perk of outsourcing such point is an option to perform tests outside of regular hours, keeping your systems secure without affecting day-to-day productivity.
4. Compliance and Risk Management
Meeting cybersecurity regulations, such as GDPR or HIPAA, requires specialized expertise. Experienced outsourced team allows you to stay updated on these regulations and can conduct regular compliance audits, ensuring your organization meets industry standards. All these in fraction of the time it would take your team to learn those regulations
To sum up, outsourcing cybersecurity is a strategic move that provides businesses with critical protection and ongoing support. By outsourcing cyber security, you gain access to experts who have a broad understanding of attack vectors and vulnerabilities, knowledge of managing regulatory compliance across different industries, etc.
Outsourcing also gives you additional budget flexibility and when you do it with the right partners, it doesn’t come at the expense of work quality.
Considering cybersecurity outsourcing or outstaffing? Talk to us, and see if we might be this optimal partner.
