Cybersecurity has never been more important. Cybercriminals are becoming more prevalent and more sophisticated every day. At the same time, penalties for data breaches and loss of sensitive data are getting more severe. Companies can no longer afford to ignore the need for serious, hard-hitting cybersecurity.

However, the kind of cutting-edge cybersecurity measures that modern businesses need are not always accessible. To buy, set up, and maintain a decent cybersecurity network is very expensive and very time-consuming. Not to mention that many businesses just do not have the deep understanding of cybersecurity that they need. And why should they? Cybersecurity is not their business — their brand’s work is their business.

So what is a small business to do? How can an online SME protect themselves and their customers without spending the kind of money, time, and resources that effective cybersecurity requires?

The answer is SECaaS.

Security as a Service (SECaaS) can give companies top-tier security, professional expertise, fast response times, and the very best security software available at a fraction of the cost of purchasing these things outright.

As a security outsourcing service, SECaaS really could be the next big thing. Let us take a look at what it is, how it works, and how it could benefit your business:

What is SECaaS?

SECaaS stands for ‘Security as a Service’.

You have probably heard of SaaS (Software as a Service), in which vendors offer access to premium software on a subscription basis. For example, communications companies offer access to their cloud-based software in exchange for a monthly subscription. This enables businesses to streamline their enterprise cloud collaboration without having to install and maintain their own tech infrastructure.

SECaaS is a similar idea. Rather than general software services, SECaaS companies offer subscription-based cybersecurity services. Clients who take up SECaaS services outsource their security needs to a professional cybersecurity company.

Why might a company do this? What are the benefits of SECaaS for brands?

Why use a SECaaS solution?

Security is an important consideration for any company. Not only can a cybersecurity breach be devastating on a business and a personal level, but it can also result in serious legal penalties. Regulations like the CCPA and the GDPR impose severe fines on companies that fail to keep sensitive client data safe.

All in all, good cybersecurity practices are essential for good business. So why would any company entrust something so important to a third party?

Here is why:

• It gives you access to experts

When you manage your own cybersecurity, you have to work with what you have available. Sure, you can hire a cybersecurity team, but unless you have unlimited funds to play with, it is unlikely that you will be able to hire the very best in the business.

Moreover, cybersecurity that you manage yourself is just one part of your business. You cannot devote as much time to it as it deserves — there just are not enough hours in the day! Even though you probably should, you just cannot give the resources and time to DevSecOps and regular updates, for example.

That is not the case when you subscribe to a SECaaS company.

SECaaS companies hire the world’s best cybersecurity personnel. And that personnel spend their entire jobs running clients’ cybersecurity networks, defenses, and protocols. They can dedicate their considerable expertise and time to your security. They will do everything, from cybersecurity risk assessments to close monitoring of your business processes.

Ultimately, this means you get the best of the best without having to alter your own company infrastructure, and for a fraction of the price of hiring your own cybersecurity experts.

• It reduces the risk of human error

Human error is the leading cause of cybersecurity breaches for SMEs. This is commonly not due to any kind of malice. Instead, simple mistakes or oversights, or just a lack of training, lead people to open up avenues for cybercriminals.

As an example, let us take a scenario where you are conducting a webinar. But, rather than secure HIPAA compliant video conferencing software, your project manager downloads a dodgy conferencing app that they found with a quick Google search. Thus, now your network and the networks of everyone who clicked on your link are full of malware. Nobody intended for this to happen—but they were not savvy enough about cybersecurity to take the right routes.

Training your staff and introducing strict security protocols around sensitive cyber assets will help to reduce this risk. But you can slash the risk even further by taking the responsibility for security away from your staff and giving it to the experts.

SECaaS companies work round the clock to keep your networks secure. Their operatives are experts, who are constantly learning and updating their skills. You can trust them to manage your security in a way that you could not entrust to even the best, most dedicated staff member that is not a cybersecurity professional.

It ensures compliance

Cybersecurity non-compliance can have serious consequences. There are regulations all over the world designed to protect consumer data, and they are all extremely well enforced. From CAN SPAM and PIPEDA in the USA and Canada to the GDPR in the UK and Europe, authorities are ferocious about protecting sensitive data.

The onus is on you, as a company, to build a culture of compliance and adequately maintain consumer privacy. If a data breach occurs, you will be blamed and possibly fined for not protecting your customer data well enough.

Further to this, many industries have strict regulations about how data is stored and used. Keeping up with global, national, and industry-specific requirements can be a full-time job.

Hence, why not give the responsibility to someone for whom it genuinely is a full-time job?

SECaaS companies are extremely familiar with all compliance regulations. They have to be — it is a huge part of their job. So, you can entrust all your security compliance needs to them without having to worry about falling foul of any regulations.

This kind of expertise in compliance also ensures that you can have successful cross team collaboration, even when compliance regulations differ from team to team.

It is very cost-effective

Hiring a SECaaS provider is cheaper than building your own security network. If you were to buy and build the kind of premier security network that SECaaS companies offer, you would be extremely out of pocket, and would still have to staff and run the network all by yourself.

By using SECaaS, you get cutting-edge technology, fast response times, a dedicated team of experts, and full compliance, without having to invest in any hardware, buy any licenses, bring in any cybersecurity task management software, or hire any new staff of your own.

As well as saving on hardware outlay, you also save on overheads when you use SECaaS. You do not need to house any of your security networks yourself. It operates via the cloud. So you do not even need an office to access it!

The finest regularly updated technology

Cybersecurity is a constantly evolving field. We have come a long way from basic firewalls. Now, the best cybersecurity has some serious AI tech behind it — and it is moving forward all the time. As such, the very best cybersecurity tech needs constant updating.

To get all the updates and patches that come through, you need to be constantly running scans and setting aside installation time. It is easy to fall behind.

However, as well as using the very best, most cutting-edge cybersecurity tech, good SECaaS companies are also updating on a constant and continuous basis. So, you can be sure that you will not miss a single patch or upgrade.

This means you can focus on running your business without having to worry about your security software. Your SECaaS team has that all covered.

Security is a must

Everyone who works on the internet, from freelance writers and multinational e-commerce giants to electronic signature companies, needs good cybersecurity.

In the past, companies have been able to get away with running their own cybersecurity on an amateur basis. However, that is not always viable any more. With cybercrime becoming more sophisticated and more serious, you need professional help.

This is why SECaaS is the future of cybersecurity. It offers even the smallest brand access to premium cybersecurity software and services, run by experts. The subscription model enables brands to buy the kind of quality and professional expertise that they could not afford to purchase outright.

Further, hiring a SECaaS provider takes a whole load of responsibility out of a company’s hands. Without having to spend time, resources, and both mental and physical energy on cybersecurity, brands can devote themselves entirely to running their business. And they can do so safely in the knowledge that their SECaaS provider has security totally covered.