Make the Most of an External Security Team
June 8, 2017
25 min read
It doesn’t matter if an organization specializes in healthcare, retail sales, or widget manufacturing: every organization needs a comprehensive information security program in order to secure its information from theft, loss, breaches, and other threats.
Unfortunately, because of the limited number of available dedicated resources with the requisite skills to build a security program, coupled with the swelling demand for them, has created a situation where needed resources are often spread thin. This is why a growing number of CISOs and specialized information security firms look into outsourcing these critical information security services.
The Benefits of Information Security Outsourcing
One of the biggest benefits of information security outsourcing is that it provides an organization the ability to focus on their core business, rather than attempting to become part-time security experts or spend the money to employ them full-time.
Information systems have become increasingly complex, requiring an ever-expansive amount of specialized knowledge to know when something has gone awry and the system isn’t functioning securely. One of the advantages of outsourcing information security is the benefit of in-depth knowledge from experts who are experienced in their specific fields, from setting up firewalls to monitoring various events and calling attention to any issues that arise.
Outsourcing means that the organization doesn’t need to take on additional full-time employees, which can be an expensive endeavor. In addition to paying security employees’ salaries, an organization will also foot the bill for training, as well as all of the technology and equipment necessary to keep operations safe and up-to-date.
Work with Information Security Experts
Working with a third party to provide comprehensive security risk management programs ensures that an organization has access to specialists in a variety of information security fields:
Security Program Assessment and Roadmap Development: Experts in this field draw on their expertise to assess an organization’s current security program and create a strategic plan to mitigate risks and protect data.
Security Policy and Process Development: Creating an effective security policy means knowing how to craft well-defined rules and a clear process that must be followed in order to keep an organization’s systems and data secure.
Risk Management Program Development: It’s key for an organization to constantly monitor and identify ongoing and potential risks in order to assess them, document them, and immediately take appropriate action.
Progress Dashboard and Board-Level Reporting: An important part of every information security program is being able to communicate valuable information to the rest of the organization, including its leadership. That’s why a progress dashboard is important, as it provides a quick and easy-to-understand view of the current state of the organization’s security, as well as any potential threats.
It’s also key that this information is reported to the board in language they can understand and in a way that will motivate them to take the steps necessary to ensure the highest levels of security.
Security Architecture Program Development: The experts in charge of this field will work to create an overall design of the organization’s security infrastructure to connect the various components into one cohesive unit. It’s only through working as one that the various areas can avoid security pitfalls.
Quite often, these security experts will be available 24/7 to quickly take the appropriate action in the event of any sort of breach or emergency.
Building a comprehensive information security program from scratch can be complex and time-consuming, which is why so many CISOs are choosing to outsource information security.
Download our free white paper to learn the basics: what is an information security program, options, and budget guide for building a comprehensive information security solution.
