When your business is facing a critical cybersecurity challenge, some might think to hire the biggest, most recognisable brand name in the industry. It feels like the “safe” bet, the one you cannot get in trouble for choosing.
But is it?
You are not just buying a piece of software; you are entering a partnership built on absolute trust. You are, quite literally, handing over the keys to your kingdom. In this scenario, what matters more: a flashy logo and a global footprint, or the actual character and accountability of the people protecting you?
The High Cost of a Vetting Failure
The skills that make someone a brilliant cyber defender are the exact same skills that make a devastating hacker. This is the uncomfortable truth at the heart of the industry. The trust you place in your cyber partner is absolute, which means a failure in their vetting, culture, or oversight can be catastrophic.
Take a recent, alarming case as an example. In late 2025, authorities charged two former employees of cybersecurity firms, Ryan Clifford Goldberg and Kevin Tyler Martin, with a sophisticated ransomware and extortion scheme.
These men allegedly used their expert knowledge—the same knowledge they were paid to use for defence—while moonlighting as criminal hackers. This case is not just a story about a few bad apples. It is a story about the systems that hire, manage, and hold people accountable.
The “Growth vs. Quality” Trap
This problem is often amplified in firms where growth or cost-cutting is the primary driver.
When a cybersecurity company’s main goal is rapid expansion or offering the lowest price, quality and staff are almost always the first things to be compromised.
- Hiring standards drop: To fill seats quickly, a “warm body” approach can replace meticulous vetting.
- Wages are suppressed: To keep costs down, the company may not be able to attract or retain top-tier, experienced talent, leading to a revolving door of junior analysts.
- Culture suffers: The focus shifts from a client-centric mission to internal metrics like “new logos acquired” or “billable hours.”
This can create a high-stress, low-loyalty environment where employees are disengaged. At best, this leads to mediocre work. At worst, it creates the perfect breeding ground for resentment and malicious internal actions.
The “Good-Sized” Advantage: Accountability Over Anonymity
This is where a different model shows its strength. In a sprawling company, it is easy for employees to become anonymous. Contrast this with a “good-sized” cybersecurity company—not necessarily “small,” but connected. The ideal is a firm where the CEO has personally interviewed and knows every single person on the team.
This is not just a quaint idea; it is a powerful business and security strategy.
- Personal Vetting & Accountability: A leader who knows their people can vouch for their character, not just their certifications. This creates a powerful, top-down culture of accountability.
- A Cohesive Team: In a close-knit firm, there is a shared sense of mission. People are not just protecting a client; they are protecting their colleagues’ and their company’s reputation.
- A Better Partnership: You are far more likely to get a dedicated, senior team that truly understands your business, not a rotating cast of junior analysts.
- A Reputation Built on Trust: When the company’s culture is built on the known character of its entire team, the stakes for every individual—especially the leadership—are higher.
How to Choose Your Partner
This is not to say all large firms are negligent or all smaller firms are perfect. But it is a call to action to look beyond the impressive logo and the sales pitch when choosing your most critical partner.
When vetting a cybersecurity firm, consider asking these questions:
- What is your hiring and personal vetting process really like?
- How is your team structured, and what is the culture of accountability?
- What are your company’s primary goals: growth, cost, or quality?
- How involved is your senior leadership in overseeing client projects and relationships?
The effectiveness of your defence is heavily reliant on the people implementing it. You need to find a partner whose culture aligns with your security needs.
At Vertex, this culture is our foundation. The CEO interviews and knows every employee at Vertex. We have made a deliberate choice to have trust and quality as our priority, not growth. We believe that is the only way to build a partnership genuinely focused on your protection.