By: Written by Vanessa Galani, Fortune 500 cybersecurity analyst with a specialization in aviation security and a keen passion for empowering girls in STEM.

August 18, 2023

Amidst the COVID-19 era, many businesses give their employees the flexibility to employ technology to work from home. Companies may find themselves allowing employees to install VPN clients on the employee’s personal device or employing even more questionable practices. Attackers might be trying to exploit the panic around the COVID19 outbreak to launch more targeted phishing campaigns. This pandemic worsens the already fragile cybersecurity posture of small to medium businesses. It is at times like these that the benefits of a cybersecurity on-demand model are highlighted. Companies can employ skilled cybersecurity expertise to fill their temporary cybersecurity needs while minimizing overhead costs, and without having to go through the lengthy process of recruiting. Cybersecurity on-demand reduces the strain businesses, especially small businesses of whom 88% of owners felt their business was vulnerable to a cyber-attack, face to secure their operations.

What is cybersecurity on-demand?

Security on-demand allows companies to tailor their cybersecurity team to fit their specific business needs and demand. Modern cybersecurity companies enable businesses to take advantage of this flexibility. For example, Cyber Pop-Up's on- demand model empowers businesses with a solution that is:

Flexible. Request short - term projects as soon as you need them and without complicated contracts.Only pay for what you need.

Trustworthy. Leverage a vetted and highly experienced team of cyber experts having experience working at world - class enterprises like Google, Amazon, United Airlines, Facebook, and more!

Efficient. Get up and running quickly.No talent for recruiting and hiring.No healthcare and benefits costs.No cumbersome onboarding and training.

Photo: Security on-demand, at your fingertips

What is the main benefit of embracing cybersecurity on-demand, and how is it different from traditional consulting?

Small and medium-sized businesses may not have the finances to hire top cybersecurity talent, especially considering that cybersecurity is not a one size fits all affair. A vast pool of resources and talent is required to secure their network, physical infrastructure and endpoint devices, and any mobile or web applications that the company may be using. Companies also need to have incident response capabilities in the event of a breach, stay up to date with any regulatory or compliance requirements, and much more. All these tasks can be overwhelming even for companies with the financial capability to build large cybersecurity teams. Cybersecurity on-demand addresses some of the most common organizational cybersecurity challenges by providing access to experts right when, and only when needed. This enables companies to focus on running their businesses, as well as, avoid common hiring challenges.

Security on-demand is fundamentally similar to traditional consulting, however there are key differences in the approaches that make on-demand security more appealing to nimble companies. Traditional options are often costly and slow to ramp up due to long sales cycles and cumbersome scoping efforts. Cybersecurity on-demand addresses the same need as traditional cybersecurity consulting in a more flexible and efficient way. Cyber Pop-Up, for example, has the ability to adapt to rapidly changing business needs with a focus on agility and efficiency. The main aim is to match businesses’ cybersecurity needs with the best talent and maximize resources to solve problems without the complex layer of decision-making that traditional consulting usually entails.

What is an example of an on-demand project?

Here are three basic challenges businesses face and an example of how on-demand projects could help.

Phishing attacks: Malicious hackers have become very sophisticated in crafting malicious emails and are constantly evolving and adapting to avoid detection. The era of generic high-volume phishing campaigns is over. Attackers use ruses such as relevant socio-economic events, impersonating a company executive or a legitimate third party, with carefully crafted attachments. Most small businesses do not have the resources and the expertise to train their employees against potential phishing attacks. With on-demand cybersecurity services, an expert can quickly help you by completing projects like simulated phishing campaigns, awareness strategy development, employee training session delivery, and more.

Photo: Writing passwords on sticky notes is still a thing

Information security policy: Every company should have an information security policy. It set’s the foundation for cybersecurity guidance, rules, and culture within an organization. It’s also a requirement in generally every reputable security framework and regulation. Bad security policies are a common culprit to audit failure and certification revocation as well. With on-demand cybersecurity services, you can leverage experts to review and improve your existing policy or create a new one from scratch.

User access: Without the proper implementation and audits on access control mechanisms, privilege creep, or privilege misalignment is likely to occur where employees have access rights beyond what is required to perform their job function. This situation could be worsened if elevated privilege accounts are used to access multiple resources. If an intruder gains access to a privileged account, the intruder would also have those privileges. Disgruntled or former employees with elevated privileges are also more susceptible to harm the organization. On-demand cybersecurity can help you identify gaps in access control, potential opportunities for privilege escalation or privilege creep and guide you on how to avoid such scenarios.

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