Logicalis

Cybersecurity 101: Why SMBs Need MSPs in 2023

USA, Jan 25, 2023

What’s the biggest cybersecurity problem facing today’s small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)? 

If you answered “talent,” you’d be right. The cybersecurity workforce is growing rapidly, yet demand is growing even faster. (ISC)2 ’s cybersecurity workforce gap analysis revealed that, despite adding more than 464,000 workers in the past year, the cybersecurity workforce gap has seen a 26.2% year-over-year increase, making it a profession in dire need of talent.  

This widening gap is putting organizations at significant risk with 74% saying that their organization does not have enough cybersecurity employees which is putting their organization at a “moderate” or “extreme” risk of a cyberattack. 

While the cybersecurity skills gap impacts all businesses, it impacts SMBs more. What’s more, most SMBs believe that they’re too small to be targeted by bad guys. But the reverse is true. Consider this: 

“…more than 30 percent of U.S. small businesses have weak points that bad actors can exploit. Moreover, fraudsters tend to set their sights on small businesses since smaller companies usually have weaker security safeguards in place compared with those at larger companies.” 

In fact, one report found that SMBs faced an average of 6,300 attacks per day in 2019, rising to 17,500 in 2020 and 31,000 in 2021. If this same pace continues, SMBs will face between 56,000 and 86,000 attacks daily in 2022 alone. These are concerning numbers! 

How can you ensure that your business is protected? 

To outsource or not to outsource: Business leaders weigh in 

The general rule, according to one staffing expert, is one IT professional for every 100 people. But this ratio is no match for the voluminous and ever-changing threats that are bombarding SMBs. A more common model is that SMBs, who were early adopters for cloud-based services, are paring down their in-house IT teams to refocus on their core business. Many have IT generalists who serve as the point person for outside managed services providers (MSPs).  

With an MSP, you’ll have the resources needed to ensure your business is protected—without having to find and hire talent, implement and support solutions, pay a heavy upfront cost, or assume risk.  

In a recent survey of business leaders (64% of whom are SMBs), 88% are outsourcing cybersecurity tools and processes and they chose to outsource because of a lack of in-house specialists (75%), team size limitations (56%), and budgetary reasons (42%). In fact, one finance executive explained that it “…allows us to handle situations where we have insufficient knowledge or manpower, but also presents the opportunity for our in-house team to learn from the vendors and consultants.”

Here’s what business leaders are outsourcing:  

We are outsourcing these cybersecurity tools and processes… 

 

 At the end of the day, 91% are satisfied with their partnerships and 92% believe that outsourcing better protects their businesses from cybersecurity incidents. As one leader said: “The solution isn’t 100% [in-house] or outsourced. Know your strengths and outsource to cover weaknesses.” 
 

CISA: Cybersecurity essentials for SMBs

Should you decide not to outsource, make sure you at least have the right controls in place so you don’t become a victim. Reducing risk requires a holistic approach that enables a culture of cyber readiness. Consider these essential elements offered by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA):  

Logicalis: Security fit for today’s future-forward SMBs 

Logicalis offers a range of enterprise-grade professional and managed security services to help you develop and maintain a culture of cyber readiness and ensure your business is protected. From security assessments to ongoing management, we can help enhance your strategic planning, fill IT staffing and technology expertise gaps, and free up IT teams to innovate and focus on your strategic initiatives. 

But enterprise-grade security doesn’t have to require a huge upfront capital investment. In fact, our subscription-based Secure OnMesh offering takes a lifecycle approach with the Secure OnMesh Assessment to align to your requirements, a Secure OnMesh Proof of Value to show how we transform your security posture, and Managed Secure OnMesh for continuous 24/7 detect and respond security operations through our global SOC to help you scale.    

Take our complimentary 15-minute Security Maturity Survey to see how your business stacks up against security best practices. You’ll receive not only an overall score, but individual scores on Program, Network, Endpoint, and Cloud. Or contact us to speak with a Logicalis Security Expert.  

 

 

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