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Today, reliable digital infrastructure forms part of the backbone of every business, enabling essential activities such as secure payments and cloud storage. While businesses and banks used to rely on armed security guards, modern businesses need cybersecurity experts to protect these new digital data vaults from cybercriminals, attacking from behind a keyboard on the other side of the world, with their anonymity protected by a VPN. The average number of cyberattacks per organization per week reportedly reached 1,876 by the end of 2024. With cyberthreats on the rise, so is the demand for talented cybersecurity professionals. But high demand means that while recruiting and retaining cybersecurity talent can be a major challenge for the big players, it can feel almost impossible for small businesses. The answer? Consider cybersecurity outsourcing with a managed service provider. You can get access to some of the best cybersecurity professionals at a fraction of the cost of hiring in-house, meaning you get superior protection for less.

Cyberattacks Are on the Rise

Just as plundering and pillaging were a viable profession for the Vikings a millennium ago, cyberattacks have become a lucrative profession for many tech experts today. You don’t even need to be an expert hacker anymore. With ransomware-as-a-service available to buy, and AI making it possible to automate scanning for vulnerabilities, almost anyone can launch a cyberattack. And almost anyone can be a victim of one. Records suggest that 1.35 billion individuals were affected by data breaches in 2024.

While you might think that it is big businesses, with large customer bases and big profits, that are the main target of attacks, cybercrime is increasingly focusing on smaller businesses as “low-hanging fruit” and quick wins. Moreover, businesses are connected, so your company could be targeted as a “weak link” in a bigger supply chain.

The Challenge of In-House Cybersecurity

While the most effective way to secure your business might feel like building an in-house solution led by an expert dedicated to your business, for most smaller businesses, this is not a possibility.

There is a major shortage of cybersecurity professionals. The International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2) estimates that the world needs around 10.2 million experts to fill current demand, but that the talent pool has stalled at 5.5 million professionals, leaving a 4.8 million-person gap. This means that professionals can name their price and may choose to work at more prestigious companies with more interesting challenges. Therefore, it is not only expensive but also almost impossible for small businesses to build effective dedicated teams.

For small and medium-sized businesses that do decide to build a team, one or two heads are usually not enough to provide the 24-hour security uptime needed to combat constant cyberthreats. Plus, you need to find people with broad knowledge and expertise who can react to any threat, regardless of its nature. That is challenging in a diverse and fast-growing area like cybersecurity.

This, combined with the cost of enterprise-grade software and hardware solutions, plus the continuing education required to keep up with emerging threats, means that a small internal team is often overpriced and ineffective.

Benefits of Cybersecurity Outsourcing

Considering the challenges of mounting an in-house solution, there are a range of important benefits associated with outsourcing your cybersecurity needs to a dedicated managed service provider (MSP).

Access to an Expert Team

Big cybersecurity service providers have the budget and clout to compete for some of the top cybersecurity talent. Larger teams also mean that they can retain talent by offering promotion and development opportunities. A larger team also allows them to recruit individuals with deep expertise in specialist areas, rather than relying on generalists to solve every new problem and emerging issue. As a client, you get access to all that expertise, which is assigned on an “as-needed” basis.

24-Hour Monitoring & Proactive Detection

Working with a large and dynamic team, service providers can also provide 24-hour monitoring of threat detection, so that you are never left without full cyber protection. You also benefit from cross-intelligence, as when new threats are detected for one client, new security solutions are made available for all clients. This moves your cybersecurity from being purely reactive to attacks to being proactive in prevention.

Advanced Tech & Tools

For small businesses, managing cybersecurity is often a side project, far from the core of what they do. For managed service providers, cybersecurity is their bread and butter. This means that they are prioritizing investment in the latest tech and tools, like sophisticated firewalls and endpoint detection and response systems, not investing here as a second thought following core business needs. Dedicated cybersecurity providers can also prioritize continuing education and professional development, ensuring their team stays on top of emerging threats and can become industry thought leaders.

Affordable, Scalable, and Flexible

Contracting a dedicated service provider is often more affordable than employing even one dedicated member of staff when considering their salary and overhead costs. In addition, you get access to a better solution with deeper expertise and greater up-time. Moreover, the service you commission is scalable and flexible – you can expand your coverage as your business grows or access additional capacity quickly when it is needed to deal with issues such as a sudden threat or new compliance requirements.

Improved Compliance

Cybersecurity is a growing threat impacting every corner of society, from individual personal data to big business secrets. In an attempt to combat cybercrime, government bodies and industry regulators are cracking down on how data can be stored and transferred, and the type of security different organizations need to have in place. Keeping on top of changing regulations and remaining compliant is another challenge for businesses. Good cybersecurity services prioritize compliance, and it should be written into your service-level agreement (SLA), allowing your business to operate with peace of mind.

Find Cybersecurity Outsourcing Services in Houston

In short, for most small and even medium-sized businesses, outsourcing cybersecurity is both a more affordable and effective solution. It can also be a lot more convenient, as in-house, you can focus on your core business and what you do best.

These are the top features to consider when evaluating a managed service provider and finding the right cybersecurity experts to support your business. If you are in the market for effective cybersecurity services in Houston, contact Stargel to discover flexible and effective services that meet your needs.