CYBERSECURITY ASSESSMENTS – PURPOSE, PRICING, PROGRESS

The overarching benefit of cybersecurity assessment is a detailed review of a firm’s network configuration, its cyber-posture, protocol, and staff awareness.

The purpose for cybersecurity assessments are a few, but the overarching benefit is a detailed review of a firm’s network configuration, its cyber-posture, protocol, and staff awareness. This review results in a map which cyber experts use to determine where, how, and in what order the firm’s current infrastructure can be improved to enhance its cyber-safeguards.

Purpose of Assessments primarily fall into three categories:

1. Initial and Progress Assessment(s) – conducted at the onset of a new engagement with an MSSP or cybersecurity partner; thereafter with regularity as is useful (monthly or quarterly) depending upon the complexity of the firm.
2. Second opinion or “second set of eyes” Assessment – conducted for firms that have any combination of cybersecurity products or services in place (which may or may not include 24 hour data monitoring), who desire confidence their solution of choice is sound or want to learn of options to their current solution and price point. Assessor(s) are required to professionally document:
   • that they confirm the solution the firm’s IT team has put in place, or that a current cyber-partner has implemented, is sufficient for the firm’s needs (this, based upon their industry, legislation, cyber-insurance requirements, and not least the growth trajectory the firm has set as its imperative).
   • whether the current solution is redundant (meaning cumbersome, unnecessary, and as such creating a price-point that is unsustainable) or that it cost-effectively cyber-secures the firm’s information assets and operations.
3. Third-Party, Qualifying Assessment – These are conducted by a third-party cyber-expert who is contracted to document the cyber-readiness of a designated firm. Such assessments are typically required by an agency, insurance provider, or other legal body. (Fortune 500 companies are increasingly insistent upon proof of cybersecurity controls within firms they do business with, to ensure uncompromised data shared between them; this, to enable ongoing, unfettered business relations, or to legitimize renewal of the firm’s policies or certifications.

Pricing for Assessments logically follows purpose

Relative to Initial and Progress Assessments … (between $5,000-10,000)
A number of MSPs and MSSPs include the initial assessment as a cost of doing business, to acquire managing your IT and cyber-securing your devices. Companies’ particular cyber-safeguard needs differ somewhat, industry-to-industry (f.eg.manufacturing and finance sectors). This initial type of assessment and subsequent progress shows you and a new cybersecurity partner what to consider for cleaner network configurations and enhanced cyber-safeguards.

Relative to Second Opinion Assessments … (between $7,500-15,000)
Management might question the motives of firms who provide ‘second opinion’ services, fearing that their assessments are slanted by their desire to win client business. Qualified cyber-experts relish seeing and concurring with viable cyber-solutions. They don’t conduct assessments in a spirit of failure-finding with the solution being scrutinized, rather, a quest to ensure requirements are fulfilled and critical elements needed to safeguard a company at fair market price are present. Regardless of how the report reads and the outcome it affects, the expert providing an assessment of any kind is morally obligated to document what their findings portray. He/she sheds light and offers options for achieving the same or better results. How a company proceeds to use that information is up to whomever has contracted that second opinion.

Relative to Third-Party, Qualifying Assessments … (between $15,000-25,000)
Cybersecurity professionals know we are “in it together” to make the world a safer place to do business, and a safehaven where customers retain ownership of the information assets and resources their hard work has earned them. We should captain our own ship when allocating monies the way we choose – not a cybercriminal who dictates our bleak financial future. It’s really quite simple: If a ransom doesn’t take the company down, the fees to restore business-as-usual, may. What you’ll pay for a cyber-incident response often exceeds a few hundred thousand dollars. A wiser move is to act now on an Assessment you contract; shore up any gaps and bolster your cyber-solution; and pay nominal monthly fees for endpoint protection and cyber-experts at your fingertips. Depending upon the solution you choose, you’ll be protected many years to come (5+ years is standard) for a budget-friendly, all inclusive monthly cost per device versus forced to pay an outrageous sum to get operational after an attack with incident response clean up costs.

So what will it be for your company in 2023?

A. Pay some amount now for less performing cyber stop-gap measures, and wait fearfully for the amount you’ll choke on when a cyber-incident occurs?

B. Pay reasonably (month to month) for a penetration-hardened cyber-solution and peace of mind?

Cybersecurity becomes more robust year for year, and pricing depicts real value-for-money. Be the beneficiary of an industry whose motive for doing business together is the protection of customers and their legacies – a refreshing approach to money changing honest hands.

Data-Guard 365 is a MSSP firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with offices in Indianapolis, Atlanta, and other strategic locations across the globe. The company is a one-of-a-kind business partner whose people, processes, and technology provide hardened cybersecurity for a price point that pays for itself.

www.data-guard365.com | (317) 967-6767 | info@data-guard365.com