No company, no matter the size or industry, is immune to cyber attacks. But for small- and medium-sized businesses, the risk is compounded.

These smaller companies typically have fewer resources and in-house cybersecurity expertise than large enterprises — and consequently, become easy targets for attackers.

A recent report indicates that 65 percent of all cyber attacks worldwide last year were against companies with fewer than 2,500 employees. And the number of attacks on businesses with fewer than 250 workers has been on the rise every year.

The cybersecurity environment has become too sophisticated to manage by small IT departments that have to handle every aspect of a company’s information technology. The need for specialized knowledge will only continue to grow as mobile devices, the Internet of Things and cloud computing add new layers to the security infrastructure.

Even companies that have resources for dedicated cybersecurity staff are struggling with the shortage of skilled security professionals.  This talent gap is projected to grow — with Frost & Sullivan predicting it will reach 1.5 million workers by 2020.

Why Outsourcing Security Is a Smart Decision

A new trend that continues to emerge is the outsourcing of information security. The market for managed security services is expected to more than triple between 2015 and 2020, growing to a $30 billion industry worldwide.

By outsourcing your security needs to a managed security services provider (MSSP), you meet a number of  IT challenges, such as:

• Knowledge gap: Whether it’s ransomware or denial-of-service attacks, malicious actors are constantly adding to their arsenal. By outsourcing security, you leverage the expertise of a company whose sole focus is on protecting organizations from even the most advanced cyber threats.
• Talent shortage: Focus on hiring talent for core areas of your company instead of struggling to compete with many other companies for the same limited security workforce pool.
• Technology upgrades: The technology that helps protect your data is constantly improving and evolving. Keeping up with state-of-the-art technology is expensive, especially if you’re still using some legacy systems.
• Budget limitations: Although companies are spending more money on information security, the budget still remains a top barrier. By outsourcing, you save the costs of maintaining and upgrading expensive security infrastructure on premises.
• Incident response: Do you have an effective plan for mitigating a cybersecurity incident when it happens? An incident response plan is critical to the continuity of your business, and an MSSP has the verifiable experience to help you develop a plan.

Avoid Outsourcing Pitfalls

If you’re considering outsourcing security, avoid hiring a provider who:

• Is based outside the country
• Only offers remote solutions instead of a hybrid approach that combines on- and off-premises
• Focuses strictly on point solutions instead of using a comprehensive approach

A Fortinet partner, neteffect technologies offers best-in-class outsourced security. By delegating your cybersecurity needs to neteffect, you can focus on what your business does best while trusting security to expert hands.