Building Security In-House? Here’s What Most Organizations Underestimate

09.14.26

By: Kevin Landt, VP of Product, Cybersecurity

For many organizations, building an in-house cybersecurity team seems like the logical part of a business plan – hiring security professionals, investing in new technologies, and expanding internal capabilities appears to provide greater control over security operations.

However, today’s threat landscape is much more complex than it was even just a few years ago.

Security leaders are expected to defend against sophisticated attacks, support AI adoption, navigate changing and stringent compliance requirements, and justify every cybersecurity investment to stakeholders. At the same time, organizations are competing for a limited pool of experienced cybersecurity talent.

The question is no longer whether to invest in cybersecurity. It’s whether building every capability internally is the most effective way to protect the business.

The Goal Isn’t a Bigger Team. It’s the Right Team.

According to Gartner®, the objective is not to assemble the largest cybersecurity team possible, but to build one with the right skills to align with business objectives and effectively manage risk.

Gartner also notes that there isn’t a standard practice for determining an ideal cybersecurity team size. Organizations should evaluate factors such as their company size, industry, regulatory requirements, risk profile, and business complexity before determining their staffing needs. Additionally, security teams need to be staffed differently than normal IT teams, accounting for dedicated, full-time coverage even in off-hours, weekends, and holidays to allow for 24/7 monitoring.

Even organizations that do not need dozens of security professionals still should have access to a broad range of specialized expertise to defend against threats.

Modern Cybersecurity Requires Specialized Expertise

Cybersecurity has evolved well beyond firewalls and antivirus software. Today’s organizations need expertise across multiple disciplines, including:

Threat detection and response
Identity and access management
Cloud security
Endpoint protection
Vulnerability management
Compliance
Incident response
AI governance and security

Very few organizations can hire individuals with deep expertise across every one of these areas. Even experienced security teams often have knowledge gaps that leave organizations vulnerable.

Building an Internal Security Team Is More Than Hiring

Hiring a cybersecurity professional is only the beginning. An effective security program also requires:

24x7x365 monitoring
Detection and response technologies
Continuous training and certifications
Incident response planning
Compliance expertise

Gartner recommends starting with one to three cybersecurity specialists for midsize enterprises and scaling teams significantly as organizations grow in size and complexity. Those staffing requirements, combined with investments in technology and ongoing training, can become difficult for many organizations to sustain.

Speed Matters

Cyber threats move quickly. Ransomware, credential theft, insider threats, and AI-enabled attacks can spread across an environment in minutes.

Meanwhile, most internal IT teams are balancing infrastructure projects, cloud initiatives, end-user support, and day-to-day operations alongside their security responsibilities.

Even highly capable teams cannot realistically monitor security events around the clock while managing every other aspect of IT.

The faster suspicious activity is detected, investigated, and contained, the less impact it has on the organization.

Security Requires a Layered Approach

Many organizations continue responding to new threats by adding another security product.

While technology is essential, tools alone do not create a strong security posture.

Effective cybersecurity combines multiple layers of protection, including continuous monitoring, threat intelligence, automation, governance, compliance, and experienced analysts who know how to separate legitimate threats from routine activity.

This approach aligns with Gartner®’s Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture (CSMA), which uses a layered security model that integrates security tools, enabling centralized visibility and coordinated responses across an organization. Thrive is one of only 45 MSPs recognized for aligning with Gartner’s CSMA framework, helping organizations build a more connected, scalable, and resilient security program.

Outsourcing Provides Immediate Access to Expertise

Building a mature cybersecurity organization can take years. Partnering with a managed security provider, like Thrive, gives organizations immediate access to experienced professionals across multiple specialties, including:

Managed detection and response (MDR) specialists
Incident response experts
Cloud security professionals
Virtual Chief Information Security Officers (vCISOs)

Instead of relying on one or two internal generalists, organizations gain an entire team dedicated to monitoring, investigating, and strengthening their security posture around the clock.

Scale Security Without Constant Hiring

One of Gartner’s key recommendations is to size cybersecurity teams according to organizational needs, not arbitrary staffing goals.

Outsourcing makes that possible.

Organizations can quickly expand security capabilities as business needs evolve without lengthy hiring cycles, significant infrastructure investments, or the challenge of retaining highly specialized talent.

Rather than building every capability from scratch, businesses gain immediate access to mature security operations that scale alongside the organization.

Focus on Growing the Business

Cybersecurity should enable innovation, not slow it down.

Organizations need security strategies that support cloud adoption, AI initiatives, digital transformation, regulatory compliance, and business growth.

Achieving that requires more than additional headcount. It requires experienced professionals, proven processes, intelligent automation, and technology working together.

Why Organizations Partner With Thrive

Organizations need continuous monitoring, specialized expertise, rapid response capabilities, and the flexibility to adapt as threats and business priorities evolve.

Thrive delivers all of that through its layered security approach. With 24×7 monitoring, managed detection and response (MDR), vCISO guidance, managed AI services, and a team of cybersecurity experts, Thrive helps organizations strengthen security without the cost and complexity of building every capability internally.

Instead of asking how many cybersecurity professionals you need, ask whether your organization has the expertise, coverage, and operational maturity to effectively manage today’s cyber risks. Contact Thrive today to learn more about how outsourcing your IT can help you reach your business goals.

Source: Gartner®, “What Is the Ideal Size of the Cybersecurity Team?” 13 July 2026 By: Niyati Daftary

Cybersecurity