I am thrilled to announce the release of our latest Now Tech: Cybersecurity Consulting Services In Asia Pacific, Q3 2021. This report (available to Forrester clients) showcases Forrester’s overview of 24 cybersecurity consulting providers in Asia Pacific. Our clients leverage these insights to understand the diverse set of vendors by size, capability, geography and vertical market focus.
The market for security consulting services in Asia Pacific (APAC) is mature and has supported the security programs of organizations across the region for more than 20 years. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit firms’ staffing budgets, causing hiring freezes, layoffs, and furloughs. Security leaders responded by hiring consulting firms to help them deliver their security programs to plug these gaps.
What does the above mean for you, the buyer? When engaging a consultancy, you should:
- Exploit new pricing models based on outcomes and risk-sharing mechanisms. The consulting firms we examined still price most of their work — 70% to 80% of deals — using traditional time-and-materials and fixed-price models. However, many are using risk-sharing models, outcome-based models, asset pricing, and pay-as-you-go service models. Exploit these less traditional models for new, more cost-effective ways to consume services.
- Challenge consulting firms on how they enable sustainability in their engagements. As we emerge from the pandemic, insist on new delivery models and a future involving less travel. Ask your security consultancies to demonstrate how they will be more thoughtful in delivering the goods for you. Ask them about their plans to consider a more environmentally sustainable and financially neutral approach to travel and client service delivery. Focus on how firms enable sustainable knowledge transfer to allow you to keep up with the changes made once they roll on to the next engagement.
- Choose consultancies that offer a people and culture focus in their engagements. The pandemic has induced a rapid transformation in cybersecurity, and consulting firms have pivoted their services to support these transformations. Choose a service provider that can not only support you with the technical aspects and services associated with transformations, but also bring the change management and cultural focus to help you on that journey.
I would like to acknowledge all participating vendors included in this research, this is no small feat and we greatly appreciate all the time and effort you invested. Following from this research, I am in the process of evaluating the most important providers, and how they stack up. Look out for our Forrester Wave due to be published in November.
