Cybersecurity Gap for Mid-Sized Business Companies

Hello Cyber Builders 🖖

Welcome back to our ongoing series in collaboration with Sekoia.io, one of Europe’s leading cybersecurity companies. Thanks to Fabien (LINK) for the valuable insights during our conversations. Let’s continue exploring practical ways to protect the future of small, medium, and mid-cap companies.

In the first post of this series, we discussed the “delusion problem” in cybersecurity: the disconnect between what cybersecurity professionals often focus on and what truly matters to mid-sized companies. These businesses thrive on Networks—the relationships and ecosystems that fuel their growth—and Knowledge, the expertise that keeps them competitive.

But too often, security efforts overlook these core elements in favor of technical defenses that don’t align with real-world needs. Today, we dive deeper into mid-market companies’ challenges in this new economic landscape.

If you work at a large company, you know that enterprises have the resources to build dedicated teams (including for security) and hold frequent, formal review meetings. In these meetings, the manager sits with the team, looks at the dashboard, and decides on the following actions.

That’s not the reality for most mid-sized businesses.

For these companies, security must seamlessly integrate into day-to-day operations, and collaboration with providers must extend beyond a transactional approach to a true partnership.

We’ll also explore “The Big Disconnect” between mid-market companies’ needs and what vendors are offering. Many security solutions are still built with large enterprises in mind, leaving mid-sized companies struggling to find tools that fit their unique constraints.

While big corporations have the resources to hire dedicated Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and assemble security teams, that staffing level is unsustainable for most small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

You often hear that SMBs must train their staff, grow their team, etc.

However, “these mandates” do not align with an SMB’s business. No, they won’t hire more cybersecurity people. They must find alternative ways to manage their cybersecurity needs without a full-time security staff.

The expectation that every company can build a robust security department is unrealistic, especially in the current economic landscape. Mid-sized businesses often operate with lean teams, focusing on roles directly contributing to their core business functions. A large security staff or a dedicated CISO isn’t feasible for most, and hiring security experts for every specialized task is out of the question.

The reality is that mid-market companies need security solutions that fit their existing resources.

This is where adaptability becomes essential. Security practices must be designed to function effectively without a large, specialized team. That means relying more on automation, managed services, and cross-functional roles where employees handle security alongside other responsibilities.

SMBs operate more fluidly. Daily operations often involve continuous conversations rather than structured meetings. To protect these businesses, security efforts must align with this operational flow. Instead of treating security as a separate, isolated function, it should be embedded within the company’s everyday activities.

For example, consider an IT manager at AeroTech—our fictional company in the previous post.

He is also in charge of cybersecurity aspects, working closely with colleagues across different departments to ensure data safety. Security becomes a shared responsibility, with everyone playing a role in safeguarding the business.

As SMBs navigate limited resources, security service providers would fill the gap. Similar to how businesses outsource accounting or legal services, outsourcing security allows companies to access expert Knowledge and scalable solutions without building in-house capabilities.

This shift, supported by the increasing availability of solutions hosted in the cloud and its promises of simplification, enables mid-market companies to collaborate closely with specialized providers. The hope is to shift from a transactional relationship to a long-term partnership.

In this model, the service provider becomes a valid company extension, understanding its needs and adapting to its evolving environment. Unlike the high turnover in vendor relationships seen in larger enterprises, mid-sized businesses often value consistency and seek providers who can work with them over the long term.

I feel this trend is here to stay; even MSSPs face many challenges to deliver value, keep their staff, and secure their operating margin… A long list of topics for the following posts!

Finally, security solutions must be pragmatic, meaning they should adapt to existing legacy systems and evolve gradually.

Mid-market companies rarely have the bandwidth for large-scale digital transformations, and expecting them to change their entire IT environment all at once is a fallacy. Instead, security should be implemented in incremental steps that align with the company’s pace of growth.

This approach minimizes disruption while still allowing businesses to enhance their security posture. It is focused on preventing damage by investing first into protection rather than detection.

For example, Aerotech can significantly improve security without overwhelming the company when asked to add more security layers to existing systems, use tools that integrate with current software, or implement managed services to offload specific tasks.

We discussed these challenges, and if you are not a Cyber Builder yet, you may think these are common sense. However, the state of the market today does not align with these ideas.

There’s a massive gap between what mid-market companies need and what cybersecurity vendors sell.

The disconnect is real.

Large enterprises can afford the luxury of complex, multi-layered solutions. They can assign problems to teams of specialists, juggle endless dashboards, and spend weeks configuring APIs. Mid-market companies? They don’t have that kind of time or money. They need solutions that fit into their reality—simple, functional, and ready to use.

Mid-sized businesses can’t waste time jumping between multiple screens to understand what’s happening clearly; many do not expect to connect to security solutions unless an event requires attention.

Everything needs to be in one place, easily accessible, and straightforward. Interfaces must be thought through, from adapted reporting to AI-driven human language prompting features.

If a security tool requires hours of configuration before it starts delivering value, it’s not designed for them. Flexibility and customization sound great on paper, but unless they’re plug-and-play right out of the box, they’re not realistic. Mid-market companies can’t afford to dedicate scarce resources to endless integrations.

Most mid-sized businesses are still developing foundational security practices. They’re developing solid passwords, keeping software up to date, and conducting basic employee training. Vendors offering sophisticated tools that flood teams with alerts or require detailed audits are out of touch. If the solution doesn’t help get the essentials right, it’s more of a burden than a benefit.

But beyond tools and features, there’s a missing ingredient in this equation: empathy. The cybersecurity industry loves to roll out products designed for large enterprises and assumes they’ll work for everyone. That assumption is dead wrong. Mid-market companies have different expectations about use cases, tight budgets, lean teams, and limited capacity for change. The relationship between them and their security providers shouldn’t be transactional but a partnership.

Think of it like an SMB’s relationship with its accountant or bank: long-term, built on trust, and with a deep understanding of the business’s unique needs.

The financial reality for these companies is also different. Adapted and predictable costs aren’t just nice to have—they’re essential. If vendors can’t offer fixed, transparent pricing, they’ll quickly lose the interest of mid-sized businesses.

These companies need to budget for the year ahead without worrying about volume-based costs creeping up. Vendors must simplify and make their pricing easy to understand.

There should be no hidden fees. There should be no surprises.

The disconnect is real. It’s time to close the gap. Or risk being left behind.

The disconnect between mid-market companies and cybersecurity vendors is a critical issue. Mid-sized companies thrive on Networks, relationships, and Knowledge, making the flow of information and network integrity vital.

It’s essential to move away from enterprise-centric approaches and adopt practical strategies that respect the unique dynamics of smaller businesses. Cybersecurity must align with these realities and not complicate them.

Vendors must prioritize empathy and understanding, recognizing the specific needs, tight budgets, and lean teams of mid-market firms. It’s time for a strategic shift that truly addresses these companies’ requirements.

In the next post in the series, we’ll continue to discuss SMBs, Mid-Caps Businesses, and cybersecurity.

Laurent 💚