How to Build a Security Program When You Have No Team
Why Strategic Partnerships Matter More Than Building In-House (for Now)
Let’s say you’ve followed the basic playbook for startup security— What Early Startups Actually Need for Security Initially — Cipher North
Good. That foundation matters.
But now you’re growing.
You’re starting to land bigger customers. A vendor questionnaire hits your inbox. A prospect asks to “speak with your CISO.”
Suddenly you realize: it’s time to level up your security program.
Here’s the reality: you shouldn’t do this alone and quality matters
Would you go to a brand new doctor with very little experience for a specialized medical issue? Would you take an antique car to the oil change mechanic down the road? Would you do your own electrical work on your new house (ok so some of you may do this, but do you know how many fires are caused by this?)
It's Not a Matter of Capability—It’s About Value
Many founders—especially technical ones—come from security backgrounds. They know how to build a security stack. They can implement detection tools, run scans, and write policies.
But just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Why?
Because your time is better spent elsewhere—on product, growth, and delivery.
Because even the most security-savvy founder suffers from tunnel vision after staring at their own infrastructure for too long.
Because you need independent validation—especially in the eyes of customers.
Because you need someone who has actually built these programs and experienced these situations, not someone who never sat in the chair.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Reactive
Too many companies wait until a customer asks for their security documentation or a breach happens.
Instead, start building key partnerships early.
Strategic security relationships take time to establish. And when the pressure’s on, you don’t want to be scrambling.
What You Shouldn’t Do Yourself (Even If You Could)
1. Validating Your Own Security Posture
This seems easy enough—but it’s where blind spots thrive.
You need an external perspective.
But not just any consultant.
You need someone who:
Has led enterprise security programs
Understands what matters to regulators and enterprise clients
Can scale their guidance down to your stage and budget and isn’t trying to sell you specific products, but who can work with you to determine products you need or don’t need
Not everyone fits the bill and you may get what you pay for. Choose wisely.
2. Penetration Testing (and Its Many Misleading Variants)
Pen testing is one of the most abused and misunderstood services in security.
A penetration test is not a glorified vulnerability scan.
A red team engagement is not the same as an app security test.
You don’t want a PDF full of low-value findings if you aren’t certain that is all there is. You want real information, and you want someone who can help you prioritize what needs to be fixed now.
This old but valuable post by Daniel Miessler still holds up:
👉 The Difference Between a Penetration Test and a Red Team Engagement
Make sure you’re working with someone who understands the nuances and can help you validate what you’re actually getting.
3. Standing Up a SOC (Security Operations Center)
The first temptation: “Let’s do this ourselves!”
The smarter move: don’t.
Modern MDR (Managed Detection & Response) or vSOC options can give you visibility and incident detection at a fraction of the cost—without hiring an entire team.
The trick is choosing the right provider.
One that aligns with your cloud stack, your risk profile, and your growth path.
Again—this is where strategic advice pays off.
4. Strategic Security and Tech Guidance (Your Fractional CISO)
There’s a lot of noise around “vCISO” services right now.
Many of them are checkbox factories or glorified MSPs. Do you know what the definition of virtual is? It literally means something that is almost as described, but not completely.
What you actually need is a strategic partner who:
Someone who has answered to enterprise boards and regulators
Someone who can understand your business goals, not just technical controls
Someone who helps you prioritize tradeoffs, not just throw more tools at problems
Someone who knows how to speak enterprise security language when your customers ask
When JPMC’s CISO warned that third parties must prioritize security over features, that was a signal.
If you want to go upstream and land the big clients, you need someone on your side who knows how they think—and what they expect.
Final Thought
Security doesn’t have to be in-house to be effective.
Early-stage companies don’t win by brute-forcing a SOC or doing DIY pen tests. They win by building the right partnerships early, with people who can guide, challenge, and elevate them.
You can build out your team later.
But don’t wait to get help until you’re underwater. The most expensive mistake isn’t getting hacked—it’s burning all your margin trying to “DIY” your way through enterprise security expectations.
Need help building those partnerships? That’s exactly what Cipher North is here for.
Let’s talk.