Cyberattacks against research institutions and laboratories are rising. Lab managers must remain more vigilant than ever to secure their equipment and networks, as well as safeguard the sensitive data labs hold.
But many labs remain underprepared, especially those in smaller organizations that may not have dedicated digital security staff. To help secure their labs, lab managers may consider hiring a cybersecurity consulting company to identify vulnerabilities, advise plans for action, manage related processes on behalf of the lab, and more.
What kind of services do cybersecurity consultants offer?
Cybersecurity is a broad field, so consulting providers offer a wide variety of services. They typically fall into three broad categories:
- Advising: In this category, services revolve around identifying improvements that can be made and recommending solutions. One major example is vulnerability analysis, which is examining an organization’s network and technical infrastructure to identify weak areas that cybercriminals can exploit, along with recommendations for patching these gaps. They may also offer incident response services, recommending which steps to take after a data breach or other cybersecurity incident.
- Managed services: Going beyond just consulting, some cybersecurity companies offer to manage some processes on behalf of the organization, such as disaster recovery, business continuity planning, firewall administration, and more. Managed services can alleviate the time and mental demands of overseeing these responsibilities solo.
- Training: Role-specific training can help your staff identify phishing emails or other social engineering attempts, along with other basic security tenets. Those working in more technical roles can receive deeper training to identify other types of threats. Exercises and testing for specific scenarios like incident response round out training and prepare lab managers for real-world crises.
Finding a cybersecurity consultant: Questions to ask
Hal Porter, CISSP, CCSP, C|CISO, Security+ CE and the director of consulting services at Clearwater Security, recommends three key questions to consider when looking for a suitable cybersecurity consultant for your lab:
1. What’s their track record?
“[Lab managers] really should be asking what [a cybersecurity consultant’s] track record is. Do they have good references? Do they carry a lot of certified consultants that have tremendous background and experience in the areas in which they are looking to focus?” Porter explains. True cybersecurity expertise isn’t defined by just technical knowledge—it’s forged in real-world threat detection, incident response, and disaster recovery. A company with demonstrable experience and positive references from other customers proves that it can effectively secure a customer’s network in real-world constraints.
2. What’s their expertise in your industry?
Going beyond overall experience, Porter says to look for consultants who have extensive experience in your industry: research or diagnostic labs. Labs have unique cybersecurity challenges that don’t necessarily present in other industries, Porter says, such as aged research equipment with glaring vulnerabilities, protecting valuable intellectual property for emerging tech, or highly sensitive patient data that must conform with strict regulations.
3. What’s their expertise with relevant regulations?
Regulations introduce a lot of complexity in a digital environment. Consultants who understand the nuances of these regulations will help your labs not only safeguard data, but stay compliant while doing so, boosting both your technical resilience and your lab’s reputation.
Key takeaways
Cybersecurity should not be an afterthought for any lab. As Porter says, “the best-case scenario is when clients come to us before they’re at the disaster mitigation stage.” Asking the right questions of consultants and understanding which services best suit your needs will go far in finding a provider that will help you not only safeguard your lab’s data, but also its reputation.
