The Cost-Benefit of Hiring an Outsourcing IT Security Services Provider versus Building In-House
As you have a growing business, IT security is one of those things you can’t afford to mess up.
You don’t have the luxury of not paying attention to it, and you don’t always have the resources to create a big in-house security team.
So the question eventually comes up, should you hire your own cybersecurity staff, or work with a Managed IT Security Services Provider?
It’s not just a financial decision. Let’s unpack both sides.
What a Managed IT Security Services Provider Actually Does
At its core, a Managed IT Security Services Provider (MSSP) is an external team that handles your organization’s cybersecurity and IT infrastructure around the clock.
They don’t merely load antivirus software or watch for alarms. A good MSSP delivers:
- 24/7 threat detection and response
- Regulatory support
- Data backup and recovery
- Cloud and network security
- Employee training and security awareness
Imagine having them as an extension of your staff, one that applies enterprise-grade expertise to your company without you having to employ a dozen experts.
For the majority of Colorado’s small and mid-sized businesses, it’s having a Fortune 500 security department without the Fortune 500 payroll.
What It Takes to Build an In-House Security Team
Now, let’s discuss the other choice, building it yourself.
On paper, having an internal team sounds great. You will have control, visibility, and the satisfactory of having your people in one office. But when you calculate the numbers and responsibilities, you’ll realize how difficult it is.
Let’s see what “In-house” actually is:
- Hiring a security analyst, IT engineer, and network administrator (min.).
- Colorado’s high salaries in its competitive tech space.
- Usage fees on security software, monitoring tools, and regulatory equipment.
- Training & certifications to remain in front of emerging threats.
- Need 24/7 support as threats don’t take a day off.
And that’s without even accounting for incident response, disaster recovery, or regulatory audits.
Short of it: it’s possible, but it’s costly, time-consuming, and risky if even a single key individual resigns.
Why Many Businesses Are Shifting to Managed IT Security Service Providers
Most small and medium-sized businesses do not require “owning” a security operation, they only require it to function perfectly. This is where outsourcing is a viable option.
The following is what makes it so attractive to work with a Managed IT Security Services Provider:
1. Lower, More Predictable Costs
Rather than paying several full-time salaries and purchasing each software yourself, you pay one monthly or yearly fee.
You’re essentially splitting the cost of enterprise-level security infrastructure with other customers, so you get better tools for less money.
The proper MSSP provides you with fixed pricing, clear billing, and no surprises.
2. A Full Security Team, Not One or Two Individuals
Cybersecurity is not a single role, it’s a team effort. You require analysts, engineers, compliance experts, and incident responders all coordinated.
A Managed IT Security Services Provider has that team already assembled and ready to roll day one.
That means if a new attack comes in at 2 a.m., someone is already monitoring your environment, not just waiting for business hours to arrive.
3. Speedier Response Times
When something goes awry in-house, your staff has to diagnose, plan, and act, sometimes for the first time.
With an MSSP, the same problem could be business as usual. They’ve experienced it, repaired it, and implemented a system to avoid it in the future.
Speed is critical. Every hour of downtime or data loss costs you revenue and reputation.
4. Compliance Without the Headaches
If you process sensitive information, financial, medical, or customer data, you’re already seeing how compliance has tightened up.
An MSSP ensures your company falls in line with the frameworks regulators require, from NIST and FTC Safeguards to HIPAA and SEC disclosure regulations.
They also take care of documentation and proactive reporting, which reduces the stress of audits exponentially.
5. Peace of Mind
For most business owners, the greatest advantage isn’t technical , it’s emotional.
Having someone monitoring your systems 24/7, reporting openly, and owning up to results allows you to concentrate on what really grows the business.
You can’t place a dollar value on sleeping better at night.
The Real Deal: In-House vs MSSP
The following are the differences you will find between in-house vs MSSP:
| Factor | In-House | Managed IT Security Services Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Full control, but full responsibility | Total control, expert accountability |
| Cost | High, variable, and unpredictable | Predictable and scalable |
| Coverage | Limited to your team’s schedule | 24/7 monitoring and response |
| Expertise | Depends on hires | Access to a full team of specialists |
| Scalability | Slower, depends on hiring | Instant, as your needs grow |
| Compliance Support | Must be built internally | Already included in most plans |
For most small and mid-sized businesses, the choice isn’t about losing control, it’s about gaining more capability without the overhead.
How to Take the Right Call
If you’re still in confusion, ask these questions yourself:
- Do you really want to afford to hire and keep the best cybersecurity talent in the market today?
- How much would it cost your business in lost productivity if a breach occurred tomorrow?
- Do you prefer to deal with security tools, or do you prefer dealing with growth?
- Would predictable, fixed costs make budgeting simpler for the next 12–24 months?
If you hesitated on any of those, engaging with a Managed IT Security Services Provider could be the wiser choice.
Why Prometheus Is the Partner of Choice for Colorado Businesses
At Prometheus, we’ve witnessed too many SMBs burned by “afterthought” security, providers who tack on cybersecurity as an afterthought at the bottom of their service menu rather than featuring it prominently.
We structured our business differently. We’re a security-first Managed IT Services Provider based right here in Colorado. That means cybersecurity isn’t a product we offer, it’s the basis for everything we do.
Here's how Prometheus stands out:
Security-First Approach
Most MSPs are helpdesk-ticket-first and tack on security afterward. We begin with protection. All the solutions we implement, from infrastructure to compliance, are designed to protect your data, systems, and customers.Full-Spectrum IT + Security
No vendor-juggling act. Prometheus integrates IT support, cloud management, compliance, and top-level cybersecurity in one reliable partner. You enjoy simplicity, accountability, and ongoing protection.Enterprise-Level Expertise, SMB Delivery
Our people have Fortune 500 backgrounds but deliver in a way that’s accessible to small and mid-sized businesses. You have big-company reliability, without the big-company expense.Clarity Through Education
We communicate in your language, not techno-speak. You’ll receive proactive reporting, executive-friendly communication, and training that enables your staff to grasp what’s occurring and why.Predictable Pricing and Transparency
Prometheus customers get locked-in rates, SLA-guaranteed response times, and uptime metrics, no surprise fees, no perpetual misunderstandings.Conclusion
Having an in-house security team puts you in charge, but it puts you at risk too, and a very large expense column.
Partnering with a Managed IT Security Services Provider provides you with world-class protection, budgetable costs, and the ability to concentrate on what you really opened your business to do.
And if that partner has security at the forefront, as Prometheus does, you don’t just stay safe, you stay ahead.
If your business is prepared to enhance its security without the expense of trying to do it all by yourself, let’s start with a straightforward action:
We’ll show you where your weaknesses are, how much it’ll take to repair them, and how to build a safer, smarter platform for growth.
Because in business, the greatest defense is a partner who makes your success theirs.
