Pros and Cons of In-House vs Outsourced Cybersecurity

In today’s business world, state sponsored cyberattack and criminal hacking is an ongoing and existential threat to your business. Hiring the right people makes the difference between surviving a hacking attempt and losing your business. 

You know you need a world class cyberdefense, but should it be in-house security, a third party, or a hybrid.

All these options are valid and the one you choose depends on your business, budget, and knowledge base. Researching before making this important decision is vital. Look at the pros and cons before leaping.

In this article, we’ll help you make your choice by diving into the following: 

• Pros and Cons of In-House Cybersecurity 
• Pros and Cons of Outsourced Cybersecurity 
• Blending In-House with Outsourced Cybersecurity 

Pros and Cons of In-House Cybersecurity 

Finding and hiring security professionals is a time consuming and expensive endeavor. It is a big investment that uses time and resources you may need for others of your business. However, if you have the money, it is a good ongoing investment in your future.

Here are some pros and cons of in-house cybersecurity: 

Pros: 

• More Control – an in-house cybersecurity team gives you more control over your defense. You can look for and hire staff with industry certifications and extensive expertise.
• Confidentiality – Business activities are kept internal and confidential. You don’t have to worry about a third-party having access to important information.
• Familiarity with Business-Specific Activities – An in-house department will eventually gain knowledge of business operations and tailor security solutions to your specific needs.
• Integration with Existing Cybersecurity Systems – You determine what tools and solutions integrate well with your existing systems and train your security staff on them.

Cons: 

• More Expensive – Creating an in-house team and providing them with the right tools can be expensive. It’s a necessary investment that you cannot avoid. 
• Skill Shortage – In today’s job environment, the shortage of skilled security professionals shows little sign of easing. It could take months before you find the right, credentialed individuals to staff your cybersecurity team. 
• Time-Extensive – When you do find the right professionals to staff out your cybersecurity department, it will take some time to get operations running. In the meantime, your network is still vulnerable.

Pros and Cons of Outsourced Cybersecurity 

Many businesses find outsourcing to be a good alternative to creating a cybersecurity department from the ground up. Finding the right cybersecurity partner enables them to access a wide range of both experience and expertise. Technology continually develops and the certifications needed to manage and secure your networks can be costly to maintain in-house; an outsourced managed service provider absorbs those expenses. As with anything outsourced, you do give up a small bit of control and can be bound by a service agreement.

Here are the pros and cons of outsourcing your cybersecurity to a third-party provider: 

Pros: 

• Scalability – As your need grow or decrease, your managed security service provider or managed service provider can scale up or down depending on your needs. Look for a pricing model with a fix monthly fee.
• Low Entry Costs – While creating an inhouse department can be expensive, an MSP or MSSP offers a low entry cost and immediate effectivity. You can say they hit the ground running with systems in place to defend your network.
• Established Experience and Expertise – One of the reasons it’s difficult to find experienced cybersecurity professionals to hire is that many are already part of an MSP or MSSP team. These service providers invest in long-term employees with certifications from industry leading software suppliers. This gives the provider a stable team of pros with establish experience and expertise.
• 24/7 Protection – An outsourced MSP or MSSP often has offices across the country, taking advantage of the time zones to provide 24/7 protection. They also have people “on-call” should any emergency arise at any time. With an outsourced security provider you have gapless defenses.

Cons: 

• Less Control – Outsourcing may require relinquishing some control over the software and systems that are implemented. An MSP or MSSP often has a set of trusted systems they are certified in which they will insist on using.
• Risk of Getting Cookie-Cutter Solutions – Pay special attention to this one. Not all business are the same and do not need the same security solutions. Find a service provider who will take the time to learn your business and tailor their solution to meet your needs. Avoid cookie-cutter solutions.
• Shared Resources – A MSP or MSSP has many clients to service. Make sure you find one large enough with enough resources in both people and solutions to meet your needs. If they start to address critical needs promptly but then take longer for minor issues, that is a sign that they are stretched a little thin.

Blending In-House with Outsourced Cybersecurity 

Often companies combine outsourced and in-house security in a hybrid plan. This can be a collaboration which benefits both parties. If you have an in-house security department that is overworked, an MSP or MSSP can aid and expertise that is not available in-house. They fill in the gaps.

Ready to Decide on Outsourced Cybersecurity or In-House Cybersecurity? 

Both building an in-house team and outsourcing to an MSP or MSSP are viable choices. Making your decision depends on your needs, budget, time and expertise.

In-house teams are very flexible but expensive to create and not always up and ready when you need them. Generally, very large companies have the time and resources for this.

With outsourcing you gain immediate access to experts in their field, a lower cost of entry, easily scalable services for a growing business.

T3 Platforms provides cybersecurity and network management to connect and protect your business. If you’d like to know more, contact us at info@t3platforms or call 1-888-729-4624.

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