Cybersecurity is such an important part of today’s organization, impacting nearly every aspect of the company. So, it’s equally important to identify someone in the organization who can monitor cybersecurity trends and make sure that the organization is protected at all times from the latest cybersecurity attacks.
There are a few paths you can take to begin protecting your organization from attack:
- Hire a full-time cybersecurity professional who can serve as your Security Officer.
- Look inside the organization to find someone who is knowledgeable about the cybersecurity space and can grow into a Security Officer role.
Both options could work for your organization, but the first option will turn out to be an expensive hire. It could also take a long time to find someone with sufficient experience that can walk in on Day 1 and begin securing your infrastructure. Alternatively, the second option would shorten the hiring timeline, since it would be an internal hire, but it could leave you vulnerable to attack while that person gains the skills and knowledge to confidently protect the organization.
If neither of those options work for you and your organization, you have a third option available: partner with a cybersecurity firm. This external cybersecurity partner would be working alongside you and your organization to make sure that you’re as protected as possible.
For those organizations that choose to partner with an external cybersecurity partner, there are a few things to keep in mind when hiring a firm:
- They must be able to speak intelligently about the cybersecurity space. Anyone can watch a video or read a blog post, but it takes a true cybersecurity professional to understand everything that’s going on in the cybersecurity landscape and navigate the complex and ever-changing landscape.
- They should come to you with proactive recommendations on how your organization can further protect itself from attack. Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly more complex, and your organization needs to be able to adapt at the same pace to keep hackers at bay.
- They should be able to confidently assess your current infrastructure and cybersecurity protocols, processes and procedures and recommend any necessary and immediate changes.
- They should have a proven track record. This is crucial if you’re in a highly regulated industry that is entrusted with highly sensitive patient or client data. Ask for references and case studies of their clients that would have requirements similar to your own. They should get bonus points for having direct cybersecurity experience in your specific industry. This means that they’re going to know what compliance and security protocols must be in place, how to walk you through a security risk assessment and what reporting must be provided to government agencies to ensure compliance.
- How is their cybersecurity team structured? Do they have several security professionals working on your account, or is your cybersecurity professional a solo practitioner? A security team is more comprehensive and provides greater air coverage and subject-matter expertise, but maybe a solo cybersecurity professional is a better fit for your organization. Just make sure that you’re choosing a cybersecurity partner that can deliver you the appropriate level of protection that your organization needs.
- Look for a partner who has a clearly defined cybersecurity solution already in place that they can walk you through. If they can’t provide you with quick access to materials on their cybersecurity solution, it might mean that cybersecurity isn’t one of the primary solutions that they offer. You’ll want (and deserve) a security partner that is hyper-focused on protecting their clients from tomorrow’s threats.
A strong cybersecurity partner can save you time and money by providing instant access to a complete security team that protects your organization from attack from Day 1. No need to worry about recruiting, hiring, training and retaining a single Security Officer or worry about transitioning an existing resource into being solely responsible for protecting your entire infrastructure from attack. The risk of cyberattacks is real, and the organizations that take the proper steps today to protect themselves are going to be better prepared to weather a cyberattack tomorrow.