Cybersecurity Consultancy

Independent contractors are a cost saving option for many different tasks. However, when looking for a good, trustworthy cyber consulting firm you should reconsider  hiring an independent contractor as your cybersecurity consultant. 

They are independent cybersecurity consultants and in most cases operate alone as a one person company. They decide to close shop or find permanent employment, you are on your own.  

Yes you can sue them, but you are suing an individual. Regardless if you win or lose, the fact is that you may never get the services promised.

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The number of cybersecurity consultancies probably matches the number of stars in the galaxy. That comparison may be a stretch but it makes a point.  

You must know what your information security consulting requirements are and what you really want from the consultancy before you go to the market. 

• Don't just go to the Big 5 (as they are commonly called) for your consultancy work. 
• Define the outcome with both technical and management teams. 
• Involve the techies equally. Often the techies are ignored and this can cause long-term resentment

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The Virtual CISO model, especially from Cyber Management Alliance, has one primary objective - that of delivery of excellent quality of services in as little time as possible. 

To that extent, the CM-Alliance model is based primarily on the number of days a client would require along with the exact deliverables that the client would need. 

The traditional and archaic consultancies are often aiming for LONG residencies with the client and tend to over complicate the solution offerings. 

At CM-Alliance, we have simplified our vCISO model and our overall Cyber Security Advisory Services for the non-technical buyer. 

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The Cybersecurity Consultancy field is highly overcrowded with one-person consultancies all the way to the 'Big 5' firms.  The challenge to the buyer is selecting the best provider for their needs. Here are some practical tips:

• Look for Sincerity: Not an easy analysis, but try to ascertain if the sales person is selling you a ship when all you need is a rowing boat.
  
  
• Speak to the Owner: Not always possible, but a good idea, especially if you are about to spend big. Have a final word with the Cybersecurity Consultancy's owner. 

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There will be times you need the services from the bigger and more complicated cybersecurity consultancies. They are often referred to as the 'Big 5'.  Here are some situations when you should consider them:

• Highly Complicated Transformation Project: It's time to call the Big 5 as they have the wherewithal and the large number of staff needed in this case.
  
  
• Highly Political Office Environment: Some office environments can be highly toxic and consequently job security is often a primary concern. Consider hiring the Big 5 - there is an unsubstantiated saying that 'No one's ever been fired for hiring the Big 5'.  

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Cybersecurity is a highly complex domain consisting of hundreds of micro topics, subdomains and more. The US NIST has done a good job and creates 5 'buckets' namely, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond & Recover. 

The problem lies with the fact that a majority of professionals, not just in cybersecurity, think that complexity is mastery. Their objective is to overwhelm the client with buzzwords and acronyms. Look out for Information Security Consulting service providers who simplify, instead of complicate, cybersecurity for you. 

Amar Singh, our CEO, paraphrases a famous quote and says:

"It takes courage & talent to simplify cybersecurity and that's what we do at Cyber Management Alliance Ltd."

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Missing or badly defined requirements are one of the biggest reasons why cybersecurity consultancies fail to deliver the client's ask. 

A good cybersecurity consultancy should work with you (ideally without charging you) to help define your requirements. 

For example, we want to get ISO 27001  or Cyber Essentials certified is fine as a high level summary requirement but underneath that you must take some effort and write up what exactly that means for you.  

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In addition to the issue with ill-defined requirements, consultancies themselves face challenges in delivering services to client satisfaction.  Two of the many reasons are: 

• Insufficient skilled staff: This is a global problem plaguing almost every organisation and cybersecurity consultancies are not spared this challenge. 
  
  
• The second and related challenge is that of staff retention. The highly skilled staff are often tempted away with higher salaries leaving the previous hirer back to square one. 

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GDPR readiness is absolutely essential for businesses who either operate in the EU or work with/process personal data of EU citizens in any way.

Non-compliance with GDPR can cost your business heavily in monetary and reputational terms.

This is why it is a good idea to hire an experienced cybersecurity consultancy to help you become GDPR compliant. However, you need to make sure you only hire a consultancy which has deep experience with GDPR.

The right GDPR consultant can help assess your business's compliance towards GDPR and give you a holistic view of what you can do to make sure your organisation is fulfilling all data privacy and security requirements.

This list can actually be endless, but here are 5 key points that, in our opinion, you must look out for before hiring a cybersecurity consultant:

1. Deep, diverse cross-industry experience & expertise.
2. People Skills: Essential as the consultant may have to help you get business buy-ins & may also have to represent you in front of regulators.
3. Sincerity: Must be willing to help you out with the least complicated contract & terms of association.
4. Flexibility: Should work with you on defining requirements even before you start working together.
5. Make sure they’re backed by a trustworthy & renowned consultancy. This adds an element of stability for you & ensures that they have greater accountability.