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Can Security as a Service Keep Nonprofits Safe and on Budget?

Organizations looking to improve their cyber posture turn to SECaaS for a cost-effective solution.

J.P. Pressley is a contributing writer to BizTech magazine and an editor at Manifest.

Nonprofit organizations are incredibly vulnerable to cybersecurity breaches and attacks. With small teams and tight budgets, they often lack proper security expertise. But their “support for certain causes can make nonprofits a target for so-called ‘hacktivists’ or even state-sponsored adversaries,” according to a recent CrowdStrike report.

Take it from IT leaders in the trenches. NetHope’s 2023 State of Humanitarian and Development Cybersecurity Report reveals that 59% of large organizations in the sector believe their IT security practice is underfunded, and 65% say it’s inadequately managed.

This is where Security as a Service providers can help, offering nonprofits a cost-effective way to enhance their cybersecurity posture. Here are three reasons why SECaaS can help nonprofits stay secure.

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Security as a Service Enables Smart, Flexible Spending

By 2026, the global market for Security as a Service is expected to reach $23.8 billion — nearly double its value in 2021 — in large part because it enables IT leaders to run automatic security scans and stay up to date with complex compliance and data privacy regulations.

That’s precisely why nonprofits that can’t afford the latest and greatest security technologies are turning to SECaaS on a subscription basis. This model allows IT leaders to access enterprise-grade security tools without the enterprise-grade prices, instead paying only for what they need.

Teams can also choose from different service tiers based on the level of defense they require. It’s cost efficiency at its finest, empowering nonprofits to maximize their budgets so that organizational needs are met.

59%

The percentage of large humanitarian organizations that believe their cybersecurity and information security practices are underfunded

Source: NetHope, 2023 State of Humanitarian and Development Cybersecurity Report, June 2023

Security as a Service Delivers Expertise on Demand

Nonprofits often lack a full in-house cybersecurity team, but with SECaaS, IT leaders can get expertise and support right when they need it. This is a huge benefit, since 70% of nongovernmental organizations do not have in-house incident response capabilities in the event of a cyberattack, according to a recent report from the CyberPeace Institute. With SECaaS, however, IT leaders can instantly get access to the skills and defense strategies they need to protect themselves and respond swiftly to threats.

Security as a Service Powers Instant Scalability

As a nonprofit organization’s security needs change over time, SECaaS solutions can scale in tandem. Adjusting security measures as threats shift also comes in handy during periods of seasonal intensity. Organizations such as Toys for Tots, the Salvation Army, Operation Christmas Child and Citymeals on Wheels ramp up donations during the holidays, which is precisely when they also need to increase their security spending.

In short, Security as a Service makes it possible for nonprofits to maintain robust cybersecurity defenses they can afford. IT leaders can also work with their SECaaS providers to ensure that best practices such as multifactor authentication, cybersecurity training, password managers, single sign-on and zero trust are in place.

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