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CSPM Cost Calculator

Building an in-house cloud security team involves more than just salaries. This calculator helps you understand the true cost including hiring expenses, benefits, replacement risks, and opportunity costs—and compares it to the cost-effective alternative of managed cloud security posture management (CSPM) services.

For most companies, managed CSPM provides expert cloud security engineering, vulnerability management, and SaaS security coverage at a fraction of the cost of building an internal team.

When to Build an In-House Team vs. Use Managed CSPM

Consider an In-House Team When:

  • Security is core to your business: Cloud security is a strategic differentiator and competitive advantage for your company
  • Large enterprise scale: You have 500+ employees with extensive multi-cloud infrastructure requiring dedicated, full-time security engineering resources
  • Complex, custom requirements: Your security needs are highly specialized and require deep, continuous integration with proprietary systems
  • Mature program with established team: You already have a security program and team structure that can effectively manage and develop internal talent
  • Budget allows: You can afford $300K-$800K+ annually for security engineering teams without impacting other critical security investments

Consider Managed CSPM When:

  • Security is important but not core: You need strong cloud security posture management but it's not a core business competency
  • Growth stage company: You're in startup to growth phase (1-500 employees) and need expert security coverage without full-time commitment
  • Building your first program: You're establishing cloud security capabilities and need experienced practitioners to build the foundation
  • Budget optimization: You want to maximize security investment by allocating budget to tools, other security priorities, or business growth
  • Hiring challenges: You're struggling to attract and retain experienced cloud security engineers in a competitive market
  • Rapid scaling needs: Your cloud infrastructure is growing quickly and you need scalable security coverage that adapts to your needs
  • Expertise access: You need senior-level cloud security, vulnerability management, and SaaS security expertise without the overhead of full-time hires
  • Risk mitigation: You want to avoid the high cost and disruption of hiring, training, and replacing security engineering teams

The Bottom Line

For most companies, managed CSPM provides expert cloud security engineering, vulnerability management, and SaaS security coverage at a fraction of the cost of building an internal team. You get access to experienced practitioners who've managed security at scale, without the overhead, hiring risks, and opportunity costs of full-time hires.

As your company matures and security becomes a core business competency, you can transition to an in-house team. Many companies use managed CSPM as a bridge, building their security program and capabilities while they scale to the point where internal teams make strategic sense.

Data Sources & Methodology

This calculator is based on industry data from 2024 security engineering compensation surveys and reports:

  • Salary Data: Based on 2024 security engineering compensation data including Glassdoor Security Engineer Salaries, Levels.fyi Security Engineering, and industry compensation reports. Salary ranges vary by company size, industry, geographic location, and specialization (cloud security, vulnerability management, SaaS security).
  • Benefits: Standard industry assumption of 30% of base salary for benefits (health, dental, 401k, life insurance, etc.).
  • Hiring Costs: Security engineering hiring costs typically range from 15-25% of annual salary. This includes recruiter fees, interview time, background checks, and onboarding.
  • Replacement Costs: Security engineer average tenure is 2-3 years. Replacement costs mirror hiring costs, plus productivity loss during transition (estimated at 25-40% annual risk depending on company stage).
  • Opportunity Cost: Building in-house teams requires management overhead and reduces available budget for security tools. This calculator assumes a 10% reduction in tool budgets when allocating for in-house team management.
  • Managed CSPM Cost: Based on industry averages for managed cloud security posture management services, typically ranging from $10K-$50K per month depending on infrastructure complexity, asset count, and service scope.

Note: Actual costs may vary based on your specific situation, location, industry, and requirements. This calculator provides estimates for comparison purposes.