As cyber threats become increasingly complex and sophisticated, it is essential that businesses invest in specialist managed IT and cyber security services for affordable safety that stays current with the latest threats. Managed cyber security services allow businesses to get the best of both worlds – the expertise of experienced professionals and the convenience of cloud-based services. Investing in cyber security managed services ensures proactive security measures are in place to protect businesses from cyber-attacks.

What is a Managed IT Supplier?

A managed IT supplier provides IT services and support for businesses. Such a supplier can help a business to quickly respond to networking requirements and IT threats to ensure minimum downtime and data security. These services can range from providing software and hardware updates to deploying security measures and patching systems to prevent attacks. Managed IT services help to maximize business efficiency, improve employee productivity, and reduce costs.

By working with a managed IT supplier, businesses can also access expert advice and resources that can help them to better understand and assess their IT environment. This leads to the identification of security gaps and recommendations on how to shore up the IT infrastructure. The supplier can also provide resources such as training materials and guidance on the best security protocols and practices to follow.

Overall, a managed IT supplier can provide a comprehensive and tailored approach to businesses’ cyber security needs. As businesses become increasingly dependent on their technology resources, the need for a reliable and knowledgeable IT supplier is becoming more important than ever. The right managed IT supplier can help to ensure that a business’ IT infrastructure is secure and running optimally.

Five ways Managed IT Can Help

1. Cyber Security Staff – Managed IT services can help improve your cyber security by providing access to knowledgeable staff, proper training and resources, and robust risk assessments and policies. This lets you stay updated with the latest best practices to maintain cyber security in the office and for remote workers. Professional cyber security staff are equipped to provide comprehensive risk assessments and develop detailed cyber security policies and procedures tailored to the specific needs of your business. They can train your staff in areas such as network and system security, malware protection, and other security measures. Quality cyber security staff know their way around the latest security tools and technologies, and save your business the extended learning curve for staff that must be trained in-house.
2. Training – Training is essential to ensure that all employees are aware of the latest cyber threats and know how to protect their data. A managed IT service provider can provide you with the necessary training resources to accomplish this. The training should cover topics such as recognising malicious emails, spotting phishing attempts, identifying malware, creating strong passwords, using two-factor authentication, backing up data regularly, keeping software up to date and understanding the basics of data protection. Managed IT service providers can provide customised security training to specifically address security issues that your business is vulnerable to.
3. Risk Assessments – Risk assessments are vital for checking the effectiveness of your security measures. A managed IT service provider can help you identify gaps in your system and evaluate your current cyber security policies. Risk assessments ensure that your security measures are up to date and effective against the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats. For example, a risk assessment should be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of your password policies, employee security training, and access controls. It should also take into account the potential impact of a data breach or other cyber attack, such as the financial and reputational damage it could cause. A managed IT service provider can help you identify areas of vulnerability and recommend the best security measures for your organisation.

A risk assessment should also consider the human element of cyber security, i.e. the education, expertise, and competence of the staff. Risk assessments also determine the potential consequences of failing to protect your data, such as legal liability and regulatory fines. Assessing for cybersecurity risks includes a thorough audit of your IT infrastructure, including network and system configurations, physical access controls, and security software. By understanding the risks, your business can develop an effective response plan.

4. Policies and Procedures – Policies and procedures should be developed to ensure that all employees understand the importance of cyber security. Managed IT services can help you create detailed policies and procedures to minimise the risk of a cyber attack and have an implementable plan of action, should a cyber security breach occur. These policies and procedures cover topics including password security, data access and storage, email, and web safety. Employees should be trained or retrained on a regular basis to ensure they are up-to-date with the latest cyber security practices. All employees should be made aware of the potential risks of cyber security and the consequences of not following company policies and procedures.

Steps for compliance with local, state, and federal regulations are an integral aspect of policy and procedure documents.

5. Data Backups – Data backups protect your data in case of a cyber attack. Managed IT services set up regular backups of your data and ensure that your data is secure. Any comprehensive cyber security strategy includes data backups. Regular data backups allow you to recover quickly from a cyber attack, while also providing additional redundancy and protection for your data. You need not allocate manpower for the backups; managed IT services set up automated, regular, secure, and reliable backups. The data is protected by additional layers of security, such as encryption, ensuring its safety even if it falls into the wrong hands. Your business will benefit from a detailed disaster recovery plan that managed IT services can implement. Data backups are an essential element of such a plan. Managed IT services can help you not only set up regular backups, but also ensure that the backups are secure and stored off-site, away from the threat of any malicious activity. Backups should be done on a regular basis, such as daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on the size and complexity of your business operations.

Commonly Asked Questions

What Are the Five Basic Principles of Cyber Security?

Managed IT services can be a great way to improve your organisation’s cyber security. There are five basic principles of cyber security that managed IT services can help with:

1. Risk assessment: Risk assessment is the process of assessing the potential risks to an organisation’s data and systems. Managed IT services can help identify and assess risks to ensure that your chosen measures will protect your organization from the most likely threats.
2. Regular updates: Managed IT services can help ensure that your systems and data are updated with the latest security patches and updates. This helps to protect against new threats, as well as ensuring that your systems remain secure and up to date.
3. Data Encryption: Encrypting data helps to protect it from unauthorised access. Managed IT services work with organisations to implement encryption technologies and procedures to protect their data in the event of a breach.
4. User Authentication: Managed IT services ensure that users are properly authenticated before accessing data or systems. This helps to prevent unauthorised access to sensitive data and systems.
5. Firewall Configuration: A firewall configuration is a set of rules that helps manage network traffic securely, by blocking or allowing certain types of traffic. Firewall configurations can be used to prevent malicious traffic from entering a network, as well as to restrict access to certain parts of the network. The most common type of firewall is a network firewall, which is designed to control traffic between two or more networks. This type of firewall looks at incoming traffic and outgoing traffic and determines whether the traffic should be allowed to pass or if it should be blocked. Network firewalls can also be used to restrict access to certain services, such as web servers or email servers. Another type of firewall is a host-based firewall, which is installed on individual computers or servers. These firewalls control traffic only from the local computer or server, and they are more effective than network firewalls at blocking unauthorised access.

How Can Cyber Security be Improved?

Cyber security is a growing problem in today’s digital world. It affects both individuals and organisations, as well as our critical infrastructure. The rise in cybercrime has created an urgent need to improve our security solutions. The first step in improving cyber security is to increase awareness of the risks involved. Organisations and individuals need to understand the potential consequences of not taking measures to protect their data and networks. They should also be aware of the different threats, such as malware, phishing attacks, and data breaches. To increase security, organisations should implement strong access control measures. This means setting up secure passwords, two-factor authentication, and other measures to restrict access to sensitive data. It is also important to keep software and systems up to date, as well as to ensure that all staff are trained on the best practices for safe computing.

Organisations should also implement measures to monitor their systems for suspicious activity. This includes deploying intrusion prevention systems, deploying antivirus software, and conducting regular vulnerability scans. It is important that organisations set up a comprehensive incident response plan in case of a security breach. Organisations should look into investing in managed security services. These services provide a comprehensive approach to managing a company’s cyber security effectively.

Who is Responsible for Providing Guidance on Information Security Matters?

The responsibility for guiding an organisation on information security matters lies with the IT department. They are responsible for developing and maintaining policies, procedures, and controls to ensure the security of the organisation’s information. The department should ensure that all employees are aware of and follow the organisation’s security policies and procedures. It is essential that the IT department regularly evaluates and updates the organisation’s security policies and procedures. This ensures that the organisation’s security measures are up-to-date with the latest threats and trends. The department is expected to proactively ensure that all employees are aware of and understand the organisation’s security policies and procedures.