Managed Security vs In-House Team: The Real Cost Comparison
Building an in-house security team costs $400K+ per year. Managed security delivers better coverage for a fraction of the price.
The In-House Security Illusion
Many business owners assume that hiring security staff gives them better control and visibility than outsourcing. In practice, the opposite is often true.
The Real Cost of In-House Security
To provide genuine 24/7 security monitoring, you need:
| Role | Annual Cost (AU) | |---|---| | Security Analyst x3 (shift coverage) | $360,000 | | Security Manager | $160,000 | | SIEM + security tools | $80,000 | | Training and certifications | $30,000 | | Recruitment and HR | $40,000 | | Total | $670,000+ |
And that assumes you can find and retain qualified analysts — in a global skills shortage where experienced security professionals are in extreme demand.
What You Get for $670K
- Coverage limited to your time zone
- Analysts who need holidays, sick leave, and sleep
- Tools that need updating, patching, and managing
- Knowledge that walks out the door when staff leave
- No economies of scale on threat intelligence
What Managed Security Delivers
A managed SOC provides:
- True 24/7 coverage across multiple time zones
- A team of analysts — not a single point of failure
- Enterprise-grade tools at shared cost
- Continuous threat intelligence from global operations
- SLA-backed response times
For a 50-endpoint business, CyberOM's Full Cyber Stack costs $1,500 per month — $18,000 per year. That is 97% less than building in-house capability that is frankly less effective.
The Right Comparison
The question is not "managed vs in-house." For most SMBs, the real choice is:
- Managed security → actual 24/7 protection
- No security team → hoping nothing happens
The average cost of a ransomware incident in Australia is $1.03M. The average CyberOM Full Cyber Stack for a 50-endpoint business costs $1,750/month.
Ready to protect your business?
See how CyberOM's managed cybersecurity packages keep you covered 24/7.