Cybersecurity is of critical concern for every company, no matter their headcount or yearly revenue; in fact, many hackers target small and midsize companies, knowing that they likely don’t have the budget for sophisticated threat monitoring. With the tight profit margins that come with more compact operations, it can be difficult to manage the day-to-day needs of the company, much less maintain firewalls and respond quickly to major threats.
This is why many small businesses are turning to virtual Chief Information Security Officers (vCISO), such as those from Getgsi. These are third-party professionals who will manage your cybersecurity needs on a subscription basis, leveraging years of experience to ensure that your company remains safe. While there are many benefits to this option, some of the most pressing include affordability, responsiveness, and experience, as we’ll discuss in further detail.
vCISOs Are Highly Affordable
As a small business, you have many expenses and not enough resources: you need to pay employees, develop marketing campaigns, purchase stock, pay utilities, and finance loans for essential goods. There is likely little left over at the end of the month, and these perilously thin profit margins can make it hard to protect yourself against emerging cybersecurity threats. Fortunately, a virtual Chief Information Security Officer costs a fraction of what you would pay to have an in-house CISO, particularly one that has decades of experience.
The median base compensation for a CISO in the United States is $584,000; when considering things like bonuses, this rises to a shocking $971,000, which is far out of budget for nearly every small business. Even an entry-level cybersecurity professional can cost well over $150,000 a year, and these employees won’t have the necessary experience to protect you from emerging threats.
A vCISO will cost you only a fraction of this, which puts high-quality services within reach for every small to medium-sized business.
You’ll Enjoy Faster Response Times
A vCISO handles the high-level issues necessary for your overall cybersecurity, such as developing an action plan for how to respond to threats and analyzing your current systems to ensure everything works correctly. However, they are backed up by a team of cybersecurity experts available 24/7 for any of your needs; this team will actively monitor your firewalls and site traffic for any unusual activity, and you’ll be able to reach them at any time.
This is of great benefit for small businesses, as they may not be able to afford 24/7 monitoring from an in-house team. If something should happen in the middle of the night – for example, a hacker gets into your system and starts siphoning off data – you may not even know until the morning, by which time thousands of files may have been exposed.
Typically, you can expect a 5-minute response time for a ticket when you utilize vCISO services, which is much better than you could expect should you have only one in-house IT employee.
You Can Benefit from Years of Experience
Returning to the issue of pay, most small businesses could only afford a skeleton crew of IT professionals, and certainly not those with the years of experience necessary to become a Chief Information Security Officer. This means that you may have to settle for piecemeal security projects that have no overarching strategy, as well as lethargic response times that put you at risk. These employees will likely be so busy managing daily affairs that they won’t be able to delve into a comprehensive strategy or fully examine your current system to identify potential vulnerabilities.
When you use a vCISO, you will be working with a professional who has well over a decade of experience in setting up systems for hundreds of clients, many of whom will have similar needs to yours. They will have seen what works and what doesn’t, and they will have comprehensive knowledge of the relevant industry standards that you must adhere to. They will be able to develop a strong multi-tiered security system that will be far more impenetrable to attacks from bad actors, helping you, your employees, and your customers stay safe from emerging threats.
Cybersecurity Is a Must for All Companies, Regardless of Size
It’s tempting to slash your budget as much as possible to ensure profitability, but IT services are a critical element of profitability. Receiving professional expertise and leadership from a vCISO can help prevent expensive data breaches and downtime while also streamlining operations to reduce stress for all employees. By using a virtual Chief Information Security Office, you benefit from expert advice without the staggering cost of an in-house CISO.
As hackers grow more efficient and large-scale data breaches increase in frequency, small businesses must stay competitive by leveraging professional guidance. A vCISO helps bridge the gap between small businesses and large companies, ensuring you have just as robust of security as the larger players in your industry.