You hired a cybersecurity expert. Their resume was full of certifications, buzzwords, and acronyms. But weeks later, you’re still asking: are we secure?

According to QBE Insurance Group, a leading global insurer and reinsurer, the frequency and impact of cyberattacks are rising at an alarming rate. In its latest Control Risks Report, QBE revealed that successful global cyber incidents surged from 10 in 2023 to 18 in early 2024—and are projected to reach 32 by year's end.

In the face of this rapidly evolving threat landscape, businesses must recognize that simply expanding their internal security teams is no longer a sufficient defense against this threat. Cybercriminals are constantly changing their tactics, while cyber insurance providers are tightening policy requirements, raising the bar for what constitutes "adequate protection." This has left many organizations struggling with uncertainty around their proper security posture.

This blog explores the limitations of relying solely on traditional hiring and internal resources. It also demonstrates how a combined approach—leveraging cyber insurance alongside managed cybersecurity services—can provide a more scalable and strategic solution. Together, these tools help businesses build a security framework that's not only more adaptive but also more resilient in the long term.

The Resume Trap: Why Hiring Isn't Enough

Let’s be honest: hiring cybersecurity talent is hard. 

According to HR Reporter, Canada is experiencing a significant shortage of cybersecurity professionals. Experts warn that hiring without careful planning results in inflated costs, skill mismatches, and inadequate oversight. Ali Ghorbani, a cybersecurity professor at the University of New Brunswick, notes that many self-proclaimed "cyber experts" lack the necessary credentials to perform the job effectively.

Even when you hire someone qualified, there is often a lack of structure to evaluate their work. Business leaders might not know which benchmarks to utilize or how to interpret technical performance metrics. Consequently, hiring becomes a leap of faith, often an expensive one.

And while some organizations fall back on cyber insurance as a safety net, even that protection is conditional. Most insurers now require proof of robust cybersecurity practices before approving or paying claims.

You Can't Secure What You Can't See 

One of the most pressing challenges that business owners face is the lack of visibility into their cybersecurity efforts. Once a cybersecurity professional joins the team, it frequently becomes ambiguous regarding several crucial aspects: 

• The specific systems they are tasked with monitoring include:networks , applications, and data repositories. 
• The procedures in place for addressing and mitigating potential threats include the processes for detecting, reporting, and resolving incidents. 
• Compliance with industry best practices ensures that the organization is not only protected, but also adheres to established security standards. 

In many instances, leaders find themselves relying solely on trust in their cybersecurity personnel, rather than having access to tangible metrics, comprehensive reports, or the reassurance of constant monitoring and protection. This reliance on trust can leave organizations vulnerable and ill-equipped to respond to evolving cyber threats.

And here’s the harsh truth: hoping someone is doing a good job is not a cybersecurity strategy.

Cost V.S Coverage : The Mid-Sized Business Dilemma 

Hiring a full-time cybersecurity specialist can easily cost over $100,000 per year. But unless your company is large enough to support a full security operations center (SOC), that specialist may not have enough to do—or worse, may be overwhelmed by tasks beyond their scope.

As Jordan Flemming’s article  highlights, a comprehensive cybersecurity posture requires an interdisciplinary approach: cryptography, threat intelligence, compliance, cloud infrastructure, and more.

Expecting one hire to do it all isn't just unfair—it's risky.

Managed Cybersecurity: A Smarter and Scalable Approach

This is where managed cybersecurity services offer a better path forward, especially in Canada’s evolving threat landscape. Instead of placing all your security responsibilities on one person, you gain access to solutions that directly address the most pressing national concerns:

• A team of cybersecurity experts across disciplines, filling the skills gap highlighted in national reports
  
  
• 24/7 threat monitoring and incident response, a vital defense against the rising frequency of attacks from cybercriminals and nation-state actors
  
  
• Compliance-ready reporting dashboards to meet Canadian regulatory expectations and audit requirements
  
  
• Ongoing end-user awareness training, which addresses human error, remains the leading cause of breaches in small and mid-sized businesses.
  
  
• Vulnerability assessments and perimeter scans are critical in identifying exploitable gaps before they’re weaponized by attackers using Cybercrime-as-a-Service (CaaS) models.
  
  
• Comprehensive endpoint protection, ensuring that all devices—from laptops to servers—are continuously monitored and shielded with layered defenses
  
  
• Scalable service models, allowing smaller businesses to access enterprise-grade security without full-time staffing costs
  
  

These services don’t just patch technical gaps—they align with what Canadian cybersecurity authorities recommend: proactive, layered, and constantly evolving defense strategies.

You're no longer relying on one resume. You're investing in a measurable, nationally aligned, and future-proofed security outcome. 

Why ACS is the Partner You Need 

ACS is an Ontario-based IT services provider with over 30 years of experience helping businesses build secure, reliable, and scalable IT environments. Their Managed Cybersecurity offering is tailored for organizations that require expert protection without the overhead of a full-time in-house security team.

Here are some of ACS’ Cybersecurity services: 

• Strategic consulting: to assess your security posture and define your needs
• 24/7 monitoring and threat response: across your network, endpoints, and cloud systems
• Compliance reporting:to align with industry regulations and client expectations
• Vulnerability scanning and risk management: to proactively identify and close security gaps
• End-user awareness training: to reduce human error and phishing risk
• Perimeter security assessments: to identify external exposure risks
• ACSecure endpoint protection to deliver enterprise-grade defense to every device

Cybersecurity is not a one-person job. It's a full-time, multi-layered defense strategy. With ACS, you get that strategy in a cost-effective, accountable format.

Security You Can Trust— Without Guesswork 

Canada’s cyber threat landscape is becoming increasingly aggressive, and the national talent gap is unlikely to close anytime soon. The question isn’t whether you need cybersecurity support—it’s whether your current setup is enough.

Hiring a single cybersecurity expert and hoping for the best won’t cut it. What your business needs is a team, a system, and a strategy—built on proven expertise, proactive tools, and m

Actionable Takeaways: 

• Don’t rely on resumes alone: Validate cybersecurity performance through metrics, reporting, and external audits.
• Rethink your hiring strategy: Consider managed services instead of high-cost, hard-to-measure in-house roles.
• Stay proactive: Cybercrime isn’t slowing down—and neither should your security planning.

Don’t wait for a breach to test your security. Book a free IT consultation and discover where your real vulnerabilities lie—before someone else does.