Security Consultants: 4 Tips for a Perfect Strategy

If the prospect of putting together a digital security plan to protect your business data seems daunting, you’re not alone and we’re here to help. Below, our team shares tips regarding key things to stay mindful of that’ll help guide your process.

1. Familiarize Yourself with Risks

Appreciating the urgency of creating a cybersecurity strategy before you begin making investments is key. With an understanding of how common security threats are and how they’ve affected competing businesses, you’ll find the prospect of cutting corners less attractive as you start exploring solutions.

Familiarizing yourself with security risks can be done via running an online search for data leaks. Better yet, formalize your familiarization process by talking to security consultants and asking them to brief you on what risk factors your industry is experiencing.

2. Understand Your Budget

You could believe that there is no line-item more important to your business than security investments. Despite that, if you don’t have the budget to back up that belief, you’ll be limited in what you can do.

Because of that, before you start engaging vendors and exploring solutions, sit down with your finance point-person to see what you can afford.

Don’t get discouraged if you’re finding your monthly spending can’t align with your security vision. You’ll be surprised by just how far your dollars can stretch in today’s market.

3. Staff Up

One of the most expensive aspects of initiating your security plan will be putting bodies on your project. If those bodies are going to come in the way of bringing on full-time employees, expect to spend a lot.

The average full-time cybersecurity specialist makes over 70K per year not including benefits. You’ll probably need to hire a security lead at that rate and a couple of lower-level team members per your project’s scope.

4. Consider a Consultant/External Group

If your head is spinning looking over the cost of bringing on internal headcount, don’t get too stressed out. You’ve got options.

When developing a cybersecurity strategy, many opt to go with external specialists that work several accounts in addition to their company’s. That diversity of clientele enables you to pay less working with vendors than you would be working with an internal team.

Even if you’re insistent on working with an internal team, bringing on an external consultant to help guide your security strategy is helpful. Third-party agencies often come with unique experiences that can help you develop a more robust plan.