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Learn the most important things to consider when choosing a cybersecurity services provider.
Every year, businesses of all sizes collectively lose billions of dollars as they fall victim to cybercriminals. In the digital age, cybersecurity is an area of business that can no longer be neglected, or worse, ignored. Cybersecurity needs to be treated equally, if not more, important as other critical business processes, such as accounting and marketing. Historically, companies built budgets for revenue-driving processes, not ones that cost money. However, cybersecurity can’t—and shouldn’t—be looked at as costing money. It should be likened to an investment in preserving a company’s continuity and longevity.
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often feel they don’t need to worry about cybersecurity since threat actors target big corporations. This is a huge myth. Cyber-attacks are a growing threat for small businesses and the U.S. economy. As reported by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report, the cost of cyber crimes reached $2.7 billion in 2020 alone.
SMBs looking for cybersecurity services providers have a lot to think about before they sign a contract on the dotted line. As the decision-maker of an SMB, you want to make sure your company has the best protection possible at a price point you can afford. As you consider your options, here is a broad idea of the types of things you need to weigh out when choosing a provider.
Your destination may be achieving compliance in industry certifications such as SOC2 or ISO27001, but it doesn’t stop there. With Trava, our modern tools can help you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be by giving you the control to assess your risk, repair the most vulnerable areas, and transfer risk through insurance.
A good cybersecurity service provider is prepared to offer their clients an array of services. As a client, you should expect these services should also be customized to your needs, not offered as cookie-cutter solutions that all other types of businesses receive from the provider. The top cybersecurity companies in the USA will listen to you, evaluate your assets, assess risks to your company, and consider any and all other factors that might affect operations from a threat standpoint. Once the service provider gathers all the information, they’ll analyze the details, and begin to formulate a plan to see what types of mitigation services would best suit your needs.
Unfortunately, not all cybersecurity companies are full-service providers, nor are they created equal. You want to carefully vet out any company you’re considering. To accomplish this, it’s important to get a list of cybersecurity services before making a commitment. You don’t want to sign an agreement that doesn’t make the grade when it comes to the types of cybersecurity services you need.
The ideal partner to connect with for cybersecurity services will initially provide you with an overview of all the different types of security services offered. This list of cybersecurity services should ideally include the following:
You should never assume the companies you interview before signing a contract offer all services. It’s important to ask them upfront what their list of cybersecurity services looks like before you go any further. Better yet, take advantage of Free Trial offers to try out the services yourself. This way, you know first hand whether they’re the right partner for your business.
You can't protect yourself from risks you don't know about. Enter your website and receive a completely free risk assessment score along with helpful information delivered instantly to your inbox.
The top cybersecurity companies 2020 provided their customers with stellar services to help them mitigate risks. Services they provided included risk assessments, prevention of being exploited by threat actors, and mitigation strategies in the event a breach or other major cybersecurity event occurred. Other services include providing their clients with the support they need to help train their employees to understand risks, and what steps to take if an incident is suspect.
Before you agree to a contract with a cybersecurity company, be sure the people you’ll be working with thoroughly understand your needs. To help foster a good agreement, before contacting them, list your IT assets, try to describe potential attack vectors, provide a summary of the likelihood of these events happening, explain the consequences in the form of an informal business impact analysis, and include a statement of what your goals are to mitigate risk.
Don’t worry about providing them with a formal risk assessment as you pursue personal cybersecurity services, because it’s one of the many services your consultant should provide to your company. However, information documents and pertinent information can go a long way towards giving them a good and thorough understanding of your company and its cybersecurity needs.
Cybercrime continues to grow at an exponential rate and, along with it, so is the cost of data breaches. Aside from the actual financial losses associated with cyber events and exploits, businesses pay in many other ways too, including damage to brand reputation and a loss of consumer confidence. The fastest growing cybersecurity companies know they need to step up to ensure their clients don’t run the risks associated with cyber events and the often highly negative publicity that comes with them. The ones that do their job well will strive hard to make sure your company never faces the negative implications that accompany cybersecurity incidents.
Considering the consequences, SMBs can’t afford to ignore cybersecurity. However, many don’t have robust IT departments or the HR budget to hire full-time people dedicated to this important business process. To survive, they’ll have to find a solid solution to help protect their company, its assets, its reputation, and its people from threat actors. Turning to an experienced and knowledgeable cybersecurity service provider or MSP is often the right solution. Another good option is to engage a vCISO who can provide SMBs with CISO-level services and expertise on a fractional basis. Fast-growing companies may not have the budget to hire a full-time Chief InformationSecurity Officer and with a vCISO they don’t have to compromise their cyber risk management agenda.
Finding the perfect partner is essential—just remember—knowing what to look for can go a long way towards helping you find the right provider to help make your company’s security the strongest it can be.
