Many companies across the U.S. are feeling the “brain drain” of the cybersecurity skills gap. Staffing shortages for cybersecurity experts are widespread throughout the country—especially as demand for people with the skills and knowledge needed to maximize network security and prevent data breaches continues to grow.
According to an industry survey cited by CSO Online, “Nearly three-fourths (74%) of respondents say the cybersecurity skills shortage has impacted their organizations ‘significantly’ or ‘somewhat.’” In other words, most businesses are suffering from a lack of qualified cybersecurity personnel to safeguard against cyber threats such as malware, phishing scams, and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
One solution to this problem is to use onsite cybersecurity staffing services to bolster your security team. How does a cybersecurity staffing service work? More importantly, how can you use onsite cybersecurity services to help your business? Here’s a quick explanation:
How Do Cybersecurity Staffing Services Work?
Cybersecurity staffing, sometimes called staffing augmentation, can work in a couple of different ways: Onsite and offsite outsourcing.
- How Onsite Cybersecurity Services Work. In the case of onsite cybersecurity staffing, a member of the cybersecurity service provider’s team will physically travel to your offices to coordinate with your security team and help you optimize your network security.
- How Offsite Cybersecurity Services Work. With offsite outsourcing for cybersecurity, your managed security service provider (MSSP) will have their team of experts remotely manage your network security. This is often less expensive per expert than onsite cybersecurity services, but may lack some of the impact of having someone in your offices.
If offsite cybersecurity staffing is less expensive than onsite cybersecurity services, why would you want to choose the latter? There are a few business benefits to using onsite cybersecurity staffing services versus offsite services.
What Are the Benefits of Onsite Cybersecurity Services?
Some of the primary advantages of using onsite cybersecurity services include:
- Live Feedback with Your Team. An onsite cybersecurity staffing service provides the chance for your contracted cybersecurity expert to provide feedback and advice to your security team on the spot. There’s no need to arrange teleconferences or other formal communications—the expert’s right there to answer any questions.
- Your MSSP Will Get a Better Picture of the State of Your Hardware. The physical assets on your network, such as your computers, modems, routers, servers, etc. all play a critical role in your company’s network security. An onsite cybersecurity service provider will be able to personally inspect your physical network assets if needed—giving them a more complete picture of your network environment.
- Onsite Cybersecurity Staffing Can Cover Short-Term Gaps in Your Security Team. Do you have your own cybersecurity team, but a critical member is going on vacation soon? Onsite cybersecurity staffing services can cover short-term gaps in your security team so you don’t have to sweat an absence.
- You Can Use Onsite Staffing for Training Your Employees. Need to put together a training solution so your team members to maximize cybersecurity (or to become “super users” for one of your security tools)? Onsite cybersecurity staffing services make it easy to schedule time with experts who can provide training for your people.
These are just a few of the potential benefits of using an onsite cybersecurity staffing service versus on offsite solution.
Who Can Provide Onsite Cybersecurity Staffing Services for My Company?
The thing with using an onsite cybersecurity service is that not every MSSP can offer it to you. There will always be limiting factors. For example, if your office is too far away from the MSSP, they may not be able to send a cybersecurity expert to your location (at least, not without having to charge extra for their employee to relocate and find room and board for the duration of the contract)—it’s just not reasonable for them to expect their employees to make a 10-hour commute.
Also, companies that offer onsite cybersecurity services may be limited by the demand for onsite services. If they have more customers clamoring for onsite cybersecurity staffing services than they have experts to share, things can get a little backed up—so you should always arrange any onsite cybersecurity services as far in advance as possible.
Just to note, Compuquip Cybersecurity does offer onsite cybersecurity staffing services for its clients. If you would like to arrange some onsite cybersecurity services to bolster your security team, contact us today!
