MDR · 3 MIN READ · SARAH CRONE · APR 15, 2025
TL;DR
- 70% of financial institutions are struggling to fill cybersecurity roles
- Meanwhile, bad actors are working 8,760 hours per year (spoiler alert: it’s 24×7)
- Here’s some tips on protecting the security teams you do have, and making their jobs easier with automation
If you’re a security leader in the financial services (FinServ) sector, you probably feel like you’re trying to fill a never-ending backlog of job openings. Meanwhile, the cyber threats targeting you aren’t taking a break while you try to hire.
The reality? There simply aren’t enough skilled security professionals to go around. And in financial services, where regulations are strict, customer trust is everything, and attackers are relentless—security teams are under more pressure than ever.
Let’s set the scene:
- 4 million: The estimated global shortage of cybersecurity professionals, according to research from the World Economic Forum.
- 70%: The percentage of financial institutions that report struggling to fill cybersecurity roles, per FinTech Magazine.
- 8,760: The number of hours in a year attackers are working—while your security team is probably running on fumes. (Spoiler alert: it’s 24×7.)
Hiring and retaining cybersecurity talent has become its own competitive sport, with banks and financial institutions competing not just with each other, but also with tech giants, startups, and even government agencies. And even when you find the right talent, you also have to keep them happy. When your best analyst gets an offer from a company with deep pockets, it’s hard to compete.
So how do you keep your financial institution secure when you don’t have the security headcount you need? Expel can help.
Focus on what actually reduces risk
Finserv security teams are pulled in a million directions—compliance audits, board reports, the day-to-day struggle of detection and response, while keeping up with evolving threats. But not all tasks are created equal.
The key? Prioritization.
Instead of spending hours chasing false positives, FinServ security teams need to focus on high-impact activities like proactive threat hunting to stay ahead of emerging threats, and investing in improving detection logic versus chasing alerts. Although it’s easier said than done when your team is already stretched thin
(Hint: Expel can offload detection and response so your team can focus on more strategic work).
Offload 24×7 monitoring to MDR experts
Hackers don’t work business hours, but your security team probably does (and they need a break). That’s where managed detection and response (MDR) comes in.
With an MDR provider like Expel, you get an expert team watching over your environment 24×7, so threats don’t go unnoticed just because it’s after 5pm or it’s Christmas morning. And unlike some security services who just forward you a bunch of alerts without much context, Expel actually investigates, determines what’s real, and gives clear guidance on how to fix the problem. We do this with full transparency into our detection logic and also offer direct communication via Slack or Teams with the actual analyst working on your investigations (not a bot of account liaison)
With a strong MDR partner, your team gets to focus on strategic security initiatives instead of drowning in alerts at all hours.
Build a long-term security partnership
Hiring is tough, and turnover is inevitable. But what if your security team had a trusted partner to help fill the gaps?
Instead of relying solely on in-house talent, financial sector security teams can benefit from MDR providers operating as an extension of them. Expel protects over $1.3 trillion in assets under management (AUM) for our financial services customers and works with some of the biggest names in finance. Our analysts understand the nuances of banking and finance security in ways few MDRs can match.
Expel’s security analysts work alongside your team, helping with detection, response, and continuous security improvement—so you don’t have to do it all alone.
Automate the right security processes
Automation is a game-changer—but only when used correctly. No one wants to blindly hand over security decisions to AI, but there are plenty of tasks automation can handle more efficiently than a human.
Think:
✅ Alert triage to separate real threats from noise
✅ Automated playbooks for common security incidents
✅ Compliance reporting that doesn’t require 17 hours in a spreadsheet
At Expel, we use automation to surface the most critical threats faster while keeping analysts in control. The result? Security teams can do more with less—and actually sleep at night.
Cut through alert fatigue with high-fidelity detections
If your security team spends even a fraction of their time chasing false alarms, that’s a problem.
Financial institutions deal with millions of security events daily, but most of them aren’t worth an analyst’s time. Unfortunately, too many security tools generate noise instead of meaningful insights.
That’s why high-fidelity detections matter. At Expel, we:
- Fine-tune detection logic to focus on real threats
- Reduce false positives, so your team isn’t stuck playing cybersecurity whack-a-mole
- Deliver actionable recommendations, not just a flood of alerts
Less noise, more signals. That’s the goal.
A smarter approach to addressing cyber talent challenges & reduce risk
The cybersecurity talent shortage isn’t disappearing anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean your financial institution’s security team has to operate at a disadvantage.
By focusing on high-impact work, offloading 24×7 monitoring to an MDR (like Expel!), and automating where it makes sense, security leaders can maximize their team’s effectiveness—without overworking them into burnout.
Expel helps finance and banking security teams get smarter, faster, and more efficient—without adding headcount.
Want to see how Expel helps financial institutions stay secure without the hiring headaches? Learn more here.
