Creating a Balanced Cybersecurity Team With Commercial and Technical Roles

In the current cybersecurity landscape, technical expertise alone isn’t enough to protect your organisation effectively. The most successful security teams balance technical prowess with commercial acumen. This balanced approach ensures that security measures not only address technical vulnerabilities but also align with business objectives and budgetary constraints. When technical and commercial professionals work in harmony, organisations develop security strategies that are both robust and realistic. Let’s explore how to build this balanced team and why it matters for your business.

Why traditional cybersecurity teams often fall short

Many organisations build security teams focused almost exclusively on technical skills. While these experts excel at identifying vulnerabilities and implementing security controls, they may struggle to translate security needs into business language. This creates a significant gap between security operations and business objectives.

When security teams can’t effectively communicate risk in business terms, executives may perceive security initiatives as unnecessary expenses rather than essential investments. This disconnect often leads to inadequate funding, rushed implementation, or security controls that impede business processes.

Additionally, technically-focused teams might implement solutions that are technically perfect but practically unworkable. Without commercial perspective, they may recommend controls that slow down critical business processes or require unrealistic user behaviour changes.

The business case for commercial roles in security

Commercial security professionals bridge the crucial gap between technical implementation and business requirements. These team members understand both security principles and business operations, allowing them to translate complex technical concepts into business value.

With commercially-minded security professionals on your team, you’ll see improved stakeholder communication. They explain security risks and solutions in terms that resonate with business leaders, focusing on impact rather than technical details. This leads to better alignment between security initiatives and strategic business goals.

Commercial roles also contribute significantly to budget management. They can prioritise security spending based on business risk, ensure security projects deliver measurable ROI, and find creative solutions that balance security needs with financial constraints.

Perhaps most importantly, these professionals help develop security policies and procedures that support rather than hinder business operations. Their understanding of both security requirements and business workflows enables the creation of practical solutions that protect assets without creating unnecessary friction.

Which technical roles form your security foundation?

Every balanced security team needs a solid technical foundation. These roles focus on the hands-on work of identifying, preventing, and responding to security threats:

• Security Engineers – Design and implement security systems, focusing on technologies like firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and endpoint protection. They build the technical infrastructure that protects your assets.
• Security Analysts – Monitor systems for security incidents, investigate alerts, and respond to potential breaches. They’re your frontline defenders against active threats.
• Security Architects – Develop the overarching security strategy and framework for your organisation. They ensure different security controls work together coherently and align with your technology stack.
• Penetration Testers – Identify vulnerabilities by attempting to breach your systems using the same techniques as attackers. They help you find and fix weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them.

These technical roles work together to create layers of protection, detection, and response capabilities. Without them, your organisation lacks the practical expertise to implement effective security controls.

What commercial security roles do you need?

While technical roles focus on implementation, commercial security roles ensure security efforts align with business needs:

• Security Program Managers – Oversee security initiatives from planning through implementation, ensuring projects stay on schedule and within budget. They translate security strategies into actionable plans.
• Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Specialists – Develop policies, manage compliance requirements, and assess security risks in business terms. They help ensure security efforts meet regulatory requirements and industry standards.
• Security Trainers – Create and deliver security awareness programs that help employees understand their role in protecting the organisation. They transform security from a technical issue to an organisation-wide responsibility.
• Security Business Analysts – Bridge the gap between technical teams and business units, ensuring security solutions meet business requirements. They help translate security needs into business language and vice versa.

These commercial roles ensure that security investments deliver maximum value and that security measures support rather than obstruct business operations.

How to promote collaboration between both sides

Building a balanced team isn’t just about hiring both technical and commercial professionals—it’s about fostering effective collaboration between them. Here are practical strategies to bridge potential gaps:

• Cross-training opportunities – Encourage technical staff to learn about business operations and commercial staff to gain technical knowledge. This builds mutual understanding and respect.
• Shared objectives and metrics – Create goals that require input from both technical and commercial team members. When success depends on collaboration, silos naturally break down.
• Regular knowledge-sharing sessions – Schedule meetings where technical and commercial staff can exchange insights and perspectives. These sessions build relationships and shared understanding.
• Collaborative risk assessment – Involve both technical and commercial team members in identifying and evaluating security risks. This ensures a balanced view of both technical vulnerabilities and business impact.
• Joint project teams – Form security project teams with representation from both technical and commercial roles. This ensures multiple perspectives are considered from the start.

When technical and commercial professionals truly collaborate, they develop security solutions that are both technically sound and business-aligned.

Building your balanced security team roadmap

Creating a balanced security team doesn’t happen overnight. It requires strategic planning and deliberate hiring. Here’s a step-by-step approach:

1. Assess your current capabilities – Evaluate your existing team’s strengths and weaknesses across both technical and commercial domains. Identify specific skill gaps that need addressing.
2. Prioritise immediate needs – Determine which roles are most urgent based on your organisation’s security maturity and risk profile. You might need to establish technical foundations before adding commercial roles, or vice versa.
3. Develop role descriptions – Create detailed job descriptions that clearly articulate both the technical and commercial skills required for each position. Be specific about how each role contributes to overall security goals.
4. Consider internal development – Look for opportunities to develop existing staff through training and mentoring. Technical staff with good communication skills might transition into more commercially-focused roles.
5. Plan for phased implementation – Map out a multi-year staffing plan that gradually builds toward your ideal balanced team. This allows for budget planning and sequential development of capabilities.

Remember that building a balanced team is an ongoing process. Regularly review your security staffing needs as your organisation and the threat landscape evolve.

Measuring success: beyond technical metrics

To evaluate the effectiveness of your balanced security team, you need metrics that capture both technical security outcomes and business value. Consider these measurement areas:

• Security posture improvements – Track reduction in vulnerabilities, mean time to detect and respond to incidents, and overall security control effectiveness.
• Business alignment – Measure how well security initiatives support business objectives through metrics like project delivery on time/budget and stakeholder satisfaction with security processes.
• Risk reduction relative to cost – Evaluate security investments based on their impact on risk reduction compared to implementation and maintenance costs.
• Security awareness and culture – Assess improvements in employee security behaviour and the integration of security considerations into business decisions.
• Process efficiency – Measure the speed and effectiveness of security processes, such as security reviews for new projects or incident response.

By measuring both technical and business-focused outcomes, you demonstrate the comprehensive value your balanced security team delivers to the organisation.

At Iceberg, we understand the importance of building balanced cybersecurity teams with both technical and commercial roles. Our specialised recruitment services help organisations identify and attract the right talent for each position. Whether you’re looking to hire security engineers with strong technical skills or program managers who can bridge the gap between security and business, we can help you find the perfect candidates. Contact us to learn how we can support your journey toward a more balanced and effective security team.