Analysts found that businesses that lack the in-house expertise or resources to cope with the changes in the threat landscape are turning to professional security service firms to build customised security operations capabilities. These service providers not only test the security of clients’ applications, networks, and systems, but also address their compliance requirements.

“Cyber security teams and professionals are under increasing pressure to comply with regulations such as HIPAA, GDPR, Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) (Malaysia and Singapore), as well as the new cyber security laws in China and Vietnam,” said Divya Prasad, Senior Industry Analyst, Digital Transformation, Asia-Pacific at Frost & Sullivan.

“The improved security posture enabled by professional security service providers facilitates compliance with all relevant regulations and laws by making available several professional security services across the threat cycle,” she says.

Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, Asia-Pacific Professional Security Services Market, Forecast to 2022, presents an overview of the market drivers, restraints, and the key trends that will affect the adoption of the services. It examines four main types of professional security services – security consulting, security advisory, security assessment, and implementation services.

“Meanwhile, the rising adoption of cloud services is driving many companies to shift from traditional professional service providers to firms that can help pre-empt security risks,” noted Prasad.

“Although penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, auditing, compliance, and strategic reviews are commonly adopted by businesses, there is greater demand for advanced services such as threat intelligence, incident response, digital forensics, cyber range, and threat hunting,” she explained.

Frost & Sullivan suggests that service providers looking to expand their portfolios or footprint need to further leverage growth opportunities such as offering advisory services to deliver holistic security coverage; providing services such as infrastructure and tool preparedness, in addition to standard services; presenting insights into cyber exposure and potential threats; giving enterprises access to industry experts and best-in-class technical know-how; and fostering strategic relations with enterprises.