Every business is created to help people solve a problem, but one thing that’s often neglected until it’s too late is cybersecurity. Mid-market businesses often feel the pinch of having limited IT resources coupled with increasingly critical and complex compliance and cybersecurity requirements.
With these businesses being more likely to be hit by cyber threats, have security gaps across their IT environment, and legal requirements that can’t be ignored, a cost-effective but holistic solution is needed.
A helpful option is working with an MSP through a dedicated chief Virtual Security Officer (vCSO). In this blog, we’ll unpack how a vCSO can help you to create a watertight, secure, and compliant-by-design IT setup without taking away control or swallowing up your IT budget.
Why Mid-Market Businesses Need a vCSO
Mid-market businesses often have one or a few IT staff taking care of their full IT setup: the end-user support, networking, maintenance, and planning for it all, just to name a few! Cybersecurity can often end up being overlooked. It’s often just too expensive to hire someone to take care of it at all levels, but cybersecurity is now as important as investing in locks and bolts for your physical home.
A virtual Chief Security Officer is a service that provides a suite of cybersecurity expertise at a fraction of the cost. A vCSO offers the executive level expertise, strategic guidance, and hands on support needed to help a business deploy a robust and encompassing cybersecurity strategy that ensures continuity and compliance.
For businesses in regulated industries, the stakes are even higher. Compliance requirements—whether HIPAA, SOX, or the GLBA—demand rigorous controls. A vCSO can help businesses to systematically meet these standards while taking cybersecurity concerns off your IT team’s plate.
How ASC’s vCSO Services Can Help Your Business
While a range of MSP’s offer vCSO services in a co-managed format, one thing that makes us stand out at ASC Group is our systematic approach from the start. As a vCSO partner, we take an approach that gap-proofs your security with a clear roadmap that covers each corner of your IT environment, underpinned by multiple global cybersecurity standards.
Not all MSPs understand how a business’s individual, tactically deployed IT solutions end up creating security gaps over time! You can risk getting cybersecurity roadmaps that are really product-maps, untailored to your organization and how you work.
Here’s how we can help you with our multi-level approach:
Strategic Security Planning
Effective cybersecurity starts with a solid plan. Our vCSO works closely with your team to map your current security landscape, identify vulnerabilities, and develop a tailored roadmap to get your security and compliance to where it needs to be. We’ll reduce the likelihood and impact of cyber threats across your IT environment, both in and out of the office while working with your IT team to create a plan that’s aligned and within-budget.
Incident Response and Management
Cyber incidents are inevitable, but their impact can be minimized with the right response plan. Our vCSO will equip your IT department with the tools and practices needed to handle incidents effectively. We focus on proactive measures that seal off vulnerabilities before they can be exploited—and provide expert guidance whenever issues arise.
Security Program Management
A cybersecurity program combines the right tools, monitoring, and improvement practices to keep your security intact and fit for purpose as regulations, threats, and your business evolve over time. Your vCSO will implement security policies, conduct regular assessments, and use insights from these assessments and monitoring to seal security gaps over time and keep your business online and working.
Compliance and Information Governance
No vCSO service can afford to ignore compliance today; they are closely related! Compliance isn’t a one-and-done thing; although we will help you get your IT compliant-by-design, it takes continuous monitoring and effective management. Our vCSO services offer compliance support through consulting, policy development and deployment, and ongoing support and monitoring.
The Benefits of a vCSO for Mid-Market Businesses
A vCSO service will give you a suite of cybersecurity expertise at a fraction of the cost of hiring an internal executive-level cybersecurity specialist.
Here’s why our solution is a game-changer for mid-sized enterprises:
- Strategic Expertise at a Lower Cost: Hiring a full-time CSO can be expensive, but a vCSO offers the same level of expertise without the high salary and benefits package. You get access to seasoned cybersecurity leaders who know your industry and can guide your strategy effectively.
- Remove Risks: Compliance and security risks can be crippling or fatal when they come to fruition, but with a VCSO, you’ll have the eyes and hands that you need to ensure compliance and continuity across your business.
- Focus on Your Priorities: If your IT team is feeling the weight of juggling a lot of duties, then a vCSO can lighten the load for them while empowering their wider work. With expert oversight, you can trust that your security and compliance needs are in capable hands.
- Scalable Security: With a strategic and systematic approach, a vCSO will ensure that your cybersecurity policies and systems scale with your business without leaving gaps and vulnerabilities in their wake. Your security will keep pace with your growth.
Final Thoughts
With technology getting more interconnected and complex, coupled with the rise in cyber threats and regulatory expectations, every business in the mid-market should have a robust strategy in place for staying secure. A vCSO can give the oversight and practical expertise needed to keep your course safe while lifting some of the burden from your IT team.
Ready to lock down security and compliance for good and excel with a partner by your side? We’re here to help!
Get IT and Security On Your Side: Schedule A Conversation
Is your IT team facing the pressure? Need a flexible partner who can simplify and secure your IT without breaking the bank? ASC Group is here to help. If you’re facing challenges, why not book a chat with us? We’d be glad to listen, offer advice and guidance, and help you find the right way forward. Schedule a conversation here with our President, Alan.
