From Outsourced to In-House: An IT Manager’s Guide to Building Your Security Team
The Great Migration: When Your MSP Can’t Keep Up
Imagine you’re the IT Manager for a rapidly growing Australian retail brand, operating both a national network of brick-and-mortar stores and a thriving online sales channel. For years, you’ve relied on a managed service provider (MSP) to keep the lights on, support your infrastructure, and “take care of security.”
But as the business scales, as online traffic surges, and as retail systems become more interconnected, you’re starting to see the cracks. The MSP can no longer keep pace with the security, compliance, and operational demands of a modern omni-channel retailer.
The organisation has now made the strategic decision to bring security in-house. The challenge: your background is primarily operational IT; networks, servers, POS support, cloud workloads, not security architecture, governance, or threat management. Security was always someone else’s responsibility. Now it’s yours.
The good news? With the right training pathway, structure, business support and strategic focus, you can successfully build an internal security capability without starting from zero.
Understanding the Security Landscape: Your New Domain
The Reality Check: You Can’t Assume Security Was “Handled”
When security is outsourced to a 3rd party, it’s easy to assume compliance is being met, industry standards are being followed, and controls are fully implemented. But many organisations later discover they lack visibility into critical fundamentals, such as:
Which security frameworks the MSP was (or wasn’t) aligning to
Which compliance requirements were actually addressed (e.g., the Privacy Act, the Australian Privacy Principles, PCI DSS for POS and online payments)
Which security controls were implemented, tested, or actively monitored
What the true gap is between perceived security and actual resilience
Over-reliance on third-party advice often leaves IT managers without a complete understanding of their current risk exposure. The first step in taking ownership of security is clarity; an honest assessment of what exists, what’s missing, and what risks the organisation is really carrying.
Key Areas You Now Own
Bringing security in-house means responsibility shifts directly to your team across several critical retail domains:
1. Point-of-Sale (POS) Security
Every terminal in every store; payment systems, EFTPOS devices, loyalty integrations becomes part of your security perimeter. PCI DSS obligations now sit with you, not the MSP.
2. Hybrid Infrastructure: Cloud + Stores + Head Office
Retail environments are a mix of cloud workloads, in-store systems, corporate networks, and mobile devices. Securing this hybrid landscape is now your responsibility.
3. Frameworks, Compliance & Governance
You’ll need to understand and apply the standards that matter for Australian retail, including:
ISO/IEC 27001 (information security management)
Essential Eight Maturity Model (Australian baseline controls)
NIST Cybersecurity Framework (common for risk and maturity uplift)
Privacy and PCI DSS obligations for customer data and payment data
4. Incident Response & Crisis Management
You can no longer escalate incidents to the MSP and wait. You’ll need an internal playbook, defined responsibilities, escalation paths, and reporting expectations.
5. Security Culture & Awareness
Retail breaches often originate from human error; store staff, support teams, online operations, and head office functions. You’re now responsible for enabling a secure workforce.
Building Your Security Foundation: The Training Roadmap
Start with a Common Baseline: CompTIA Security+
Before diving into specialist certifications, security engineering, or governance frameworks, your team needs a solid and shared foundation.
CompTIA Security+ provides the essential baseline every IT team needs. It ensures everyone from service desk to sysadmins understands the language, concepts, and fundamentals of modern security.
Security+ Covers the Fundamentals Your Team Will Use Daily:
Security Principles & Controls
Threats, Vulnerabilities & Mitigations
Secure Infrastructure & Architecture
Security Operations & Monitoring
Governance, Risk & Compliance Basics
This is about uplifting everyone not turning the whole team into security engineers, but ensuring they can operate securely and recognise risks early.
Key Takeaways for IT Managers Leading the Transition
Use a Phased Approach
No retailer can transform overnight; plan a structured 12-month uplift roadmap.
Security Is an Organisation-Wide Responsibility
Awareness programs must reach store staff, warehouse teams, online operations, and head office.
Foundation First
Security+ builds consistent understanding across the entire team.
Leadership Development
A management-level certification such as CISM (Certified Information Security Manager) prepares you to lead a security program, manage risk, and engage executives.
Specialisation Comes After the Basics
Once the foundation is set, develop expertise in areas like SOC operations, cloud security, PCI compliance, and identity management.
Practice Makes Prepared
Run tabletop exercises for store outages, POS compromises, ransomware incidents, and website disruptions.
Retail = International Exposure
An online channel means global customers, global regulations, and different breach notification obligations.
Budget with Intent
Stagger training, plan realistic time away from BAU, and avoid impacting store or online operations.
Commit to Continuous Learning
The threat landscape shifts constantly so your capability needs to keep pace.
Moving Forward: Your Security Transformation Journey
Transitioning from outsourced to in-house security management is a significant but achievable step. With a clear training roadmap, executive buy-in, and a phased approach, you can build a security function that protects the organisation, enhances customer trust, and supports retail growth.
You’re not just building technical capability, you’re reshaping the organisation’s entire posture towards risk and resilience. Every trained team member, every defined process, and every successful drill moves you closer to a stronger, more mature, and more secure retail business.
Ready to Transform Your IT Team into Security Champions?
Explore Lumify Work's comprehensive cybersecurity training pathways designed specifically for IT teams building in-house security capabilities. From foundational courses to advanced specialisations, we'll guide your team through every stage of the transformation.
Don't wait for a breach to discover your security gaps. Contact Lumify Work today to discuss your team's specific training needs and build a customised security education roadmap.
