24/7 Monitoring no longer an option: How organisations can stay vigilant even without dedicated security teams

"There is no exaggeration in saying that cyber threats are a business survival issue. In fact, a standard cyber breach can very easily shutter a business. At the top level, there's the raw costs involved. IBM estimates a breach to have a price tag of $2.55 million in Australia. That's concerning enough before you even account for the potential of reputational damage and, increasingly, regulatory punishment."

"Little wonder, then, that cyber risk continues to be the top concern for Australian business leaders, according to the Australian Institute of Company Directors. "Cybersecurity is no longer a technical issue alone," says Mark Thomas, Director, Security Services, ANZ, Arctic Wolf. "It's a boardroom issue that impacts growth, reputation, and trust." It's also not necessarily a risk that's easy to counter, particularly for smaller enterprises. For one, threats do not keep office hours. Over half of security alerts arrive outside of business time."

"The new security reality Organisations without dedicated security teams face a growing dilemma. Their IT staff are forced to wear multiple hats, in simultaneously managing infrastructure while also scanning for threats. Inevitably, blind spots emerge. Every unpatched system, delayed response, or overlooked alert increases the risk of a breach. Yet businesses cannot afford to simply throw more people at the problem."

Cyber threats create existential risk for businesses, with average breach costs in Australia around $2.55 million plus reputational and regulatory consequences. Cyber risk is a top board-level concern that affects growth, reputation, and trust. Threats occur continuously, with over half of security alerts arriving outside business hours and many attacks on weekends, which particularly target smaller firms. Building a 24/7 in-house security team is often unrealistic because skilled cybersecurity professionals are scarce, budgets are tight, and IT leaders are already stretched. When IT staff juggle operations and security, blind spots and unpatched systems increase breach risk.

Read at Computerworld