Why an IT Security Consultancy Is Key to Business Protection

There is little doubt that the growing prevalence of data breaches, malicious hacking attempts and malware have put more and more businesses at risk of financial loss, fines, reputational damage and compromised data.

Once a breach has occurred, the costs of recovery can be too high for an organisation to survive, making prevention a top priority.

Our teams of IT security consultants provide tailored, independent guidance to help business owners understand where their biggest threats lie and select the best possible ways to guard against them – depending on their budget, sector, workforce and risk profile.

Professional cyber security consultancies consider every aspect of your networks, digital infrastructure, systems, hardware, and software while assisting with physical security defences and evaluating the effectiveness of access controls, password protections, and digital entry systems from end to end.

What Does an IT Security Consultancy Involve?

Every consultancy differs since we work to meet the objectives of each client. In short, this process begins with a thorough risk assessment process and security audit, where our expert technicians will look at the following:

• Any gaps in your IT security safeguards or areas in need of improvement.
• Internal and external risks and vulnerabilities that should be addressed.
• The suitability of your security controls, policies and training strategies.

Rather than being a one-off activity, a consultancy offers us the opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of your business and provide recommendations to help you augment your protection, replace outdated assets and defend your business from evolving threats.

Many of the clients we work with assume they have adequate protection but fail to recognise the speed with which cybercriminals develop new techniques and sophisticated hacking approaches that fly under the radar of conventional or outdated security systems.

Our focus is on identifying and eliminating immediate threats, assessing the long-term viability of applications, hardware and networks, and reviewing the operating procedures in use throughout the business.

From there, we compile a detailed strategy to bring you up to speed and keep your business safe, from physical network security to in-house staff training, updated cybersecurity software and ongoing network monitoring.

The Advantages of Professional IT Consultancy Services

Cybersecurity consultants can introduce a range of measures and improvements depending on the areas of concern they identify during the initial risk assessment and audit process. We take over responsibility for network protection, either short or long-term, and customise that protection to your organisation.

Those approaches could, for example, include:

• Introducing more advanced clearance levels and access permissions to protect key aspects of your systems.
• Installing new software, verification protocols and monitoring to keep your security up to date and ensure business-critical data has additional protection.
• Providing ongoing upgrades to keep pace with evolving cybersecurity tactics such as ransomware, phishing, malware and hacking attempts.

Businesses with systems and networks under constant surveillance are shielded from any intrusion attempts, using the expertise of a consultant to understand changing vulnerabilities and plug any gaps that emerge.

The benefits are compelling, with the assurance that your security defences are always on, with endpoint safeguards and tracking to identify unusual activity, determine the source, and shut it down before any damage can occur.

Organisations experience reduced levels of security risk, using assets such as real-time alerts, automatic software updates and filters that remove potentially malicious links or emails from an unverified source before they reach your inbox.

Ultimately, the benefit is in business protection. You can concentrate on running your company without concern that a cybercriminal could bypass your defences and access your data and digital resources.

Key Signs Your Business Would Benefit From a Cyber Security Consultancy Services

Scheduling a cyber security audit after a cyber attack may be too late. While we can assist with data retrieval and recovery, having a proactive security strategy is far more advantageous and can prevent the disruption and financial ramifications that IT breaches so often cause.

Below, we have summarised some of the scenarios in which client businesses recognise that a security consultancy is key to continuity.

Complying with Data Protection Regulations

Businesses trading in any sector where they process transactions via client payment cards, and store, manage or use customer data must comply with regulations, from data protection legislation to credit card payment security rules.

A security consultancy can involve an assessment of your adherence to all applicable regulations and provide you with oversight of how well you are complying and which improvements you should make to avoid any non-compliance penalties.

Managing Changing Digital Risks

As we’ve mentioned, cybersecurity risks change quickly and continuously, and a long-standing firewall or antivirus software may be redundant. Security experts thoroughly evaluate your position to highlight gaps and vulnerabilities, mitigating or removing risks.

If you have not audited your IT security for some time, use older hardware or software, or are unaware of how suitable your security approach is, an IT consultant can help. Recommendations might include straightforward security tools, advanced encryptions for sensitive data, or introducing cutting-edge intrusion detection systems.

Disaster Recovery Planning

Another common reason to schedule a cyber security consultancy is that your business does not have a robust incident response plan or defined way to react if a cyberattack or attempted data breach occurs.

Even if you consider the likelihood of an attack low, a disaster recovery plan may be crucial, ensuring you can protect and retrieve data, determine how an attack has occurred, and minimise the impacts on your business, revenues and customers.

The Need for Cost-Effective IT Support

Many of the suggestions following a cyber security audit may be time-sensitive but require ongoing monitoring to keep up with the changing nature of the cybersecurity space. Proactive and preventative support will keep your business updated and protected using server monitoring, vulnerability scanning and periodic security audits.

Over time, the cost savings are considerable, where an investment in IT security can prevent any disastrous attacks or security breaches and ensure that your controls remain compliant with the most stringent of regulations.

Protecting Your Business from Digital Security Threats

If you are interested in learning more about IT security  or are concerned about imminent security threats, please contact Jera at your convenience to schedule a call. We can walk through our IT security pricing packages and services and discuss the best way to meet your requirements. We can also provide free cybersecurity training for your team.

Following a consultancy, we get to work quickly and can manage all installations, integrations and monitoring to get your newly reinforced IT security in place – leaving you to focus on what you do best.