Cybersecurity strategies to stay safe

In today’s age of digital transformation, one of the biggest challenges for almost any business is protecting its most important asset—its data. Data risks are all around us and come in many shapes and sizes—from well-funded organizations with sinister motives, to isolated hackers just having some fun, even to the nonchalance of well-intentioned employees. So how do you stay protected from all these things while still running a successful business?

A team of cybersecurity professionals from managed services provider Nothing But NET share some of the dangers that every business owner and IT professional should be aware of to assess the real threats that exist in an online-world and what sorts steps can be taken to mitigate these risks.

Pictured: Jacob White, John Wagner, Chase McCluskey and Jennifer Villalobos.

“Nothing But NET prides itself in the ability to truly understand the unique IT needs of each and every client,” said Jennifer Villalobos, cloud & cybersecurity advisor at Nothing But NET. “We develop and implement forward-thinking solutions with one goal in mind: your success.”

“Start with goals and a cybersecurity policy,” said Technology and Cybersecurity Consultant Jacob White, a 10-year veteran of the IT industry. “One of the best ways to determine if your company is protected against cybersecurity breaches is to look at your environment through the lens of an attacker.”

Nothing But NET, an award-winning, independently owned IT support provider was founded on the belief that fusing highly relational customer service with leading-edge solutions translates into client success. It’s as much what drives the company today as in 2000 when Bob Cox and Steve Brown dreamed about creating a managed IT company driven less by the bottom line and more by excellence and the needs of the people they served.

“Some of the ways that you should protect your organization are conventional ways like firewalls, anti-virus, encryption and disaster-recovery strategies,” White said. “But don’t overlook lesser-known cybersecurity techniques such as white-hat penetration testing, email phishing protection, website security testing and social engineering. And never overlook employee education.”

Cybersecurity specialists who provide best-in-industry protection, Nothing But NET also provides customized network refresh projects and upgrades, backup and disaster recovery, remote IT services and compliance reviews.

“Physical security is just as important to prevent and deter breaches,” added John Wagner, senior solutions engineer at Nothing But NET.

Since the company’s founding in 2001, Tempe-based Nothing But NET has made a deep commitment to innovation, exceeding client expectations and to delivering the highest caliber of service available. The result? Year after year, Nothing But NET continues to receive some of the top recognitions and premier certifications in the industry including being named to CRN’s 2018 Tech Elite 250 list. This annual list honors an exclusive group of North American IT solution providers that have earned the highest number of advanced technical certifications from leading technology suppliers.

Evaluating and understanding your company’s risk tolerance should also be a key part of any cybersecurity strategy. Organizations with lower risk tolerance spend more on security, have a more security-focused staff, are usually in regulated industries and understand that breaches are detrimental to their business. On the other hand, organizations with higher risk tolerance spend considerably less on security, employ more IT generalists, are usually in non-regulated industries.

Ultimately, it’s crucial to determine the impact of a cybersecurity breach to your company and build a strategy to protect your organization and its assets. But it’s not surprising that many companies do not know how to even begin building a cybersecurity strategy.

“The hands-on stuff is the best place to start… look at NIST’s V1.1 Cybersecurity framework, which should be the first line of defense for any company,” White said.

“Most people focus on just prevention,” Wagner said. “Two other key areas of focus are incident response (how do you deal with a situation) and remediation (fines). “Your business is at stake…do not stop at implementation. Incorporate assessment tools and professional services into a comprehensive strategy to stay safe.”

“Cybersecurity is an ever-changing field,” said Chase McCluskey, technical solutions advisor at Nothing But NET. “Build a community of people and peers to share issues and challenges. Security is a collaborative effort.”

When disaster strikes, will you be prepared?

About Nothing But NET

Nothing But NET was founded in Tempe in 2001 by Bob Box and Steve Brown, two industry veterans who wanted to provide technology solutions to companies in the small- and medium-sized business market so their clients could improve their competitiveness, gain greater control over their computing environments and reduce their total computing costs. Today, the company includes 15 full-time employees and is one of the most respected computer networking and service companies in the state of Arizona. Visit https://nothingbutnet.com to learn more about the wide range of services the company offers or call 480-222-6020.