Have a different Managed Service Provider? Let us educate you on what they should do, how they operate and maintain your IT assets, and provide cybersecurity on the fly.
Although reading a contract with your MSP is tiring, the clauses below the contract will likely read that they are not responsible for taking care of your IT’s cybersecurity. Hint: they should be.
The importance of cyber security in your business’ IT
Attacks on businesses continue to increase as more transactions are conducted in the digital space and show no signs of slowing down. That alone signals the importance of cybersecurity when it comes to your business. As evidence, 69% of organizations globally are increasing their cyber security budgets in 2022 as they posture enhanced capabilities and technologies to weather possible attacks.
To further strengthen this argument, the government, in virtue of the Australian Cyber Security Centre, has developed a cybersecurity framework that serves as the foundation and roadmap of business here in mitigating cyber threats. Dubbed the “Essential Eight,” this is the bare minimum of requirements to guarantee a secure business and IT environment for your company and its customers.
What should Red IT Solutions and your MSP cover?
Traditional MSPs will tend to only look after the services they provide, not how you manage cyber security while using it. So, what are these “managed services?”
- IT help desk or on-call remote help
- Endpoint management
- Managed infrastructure and office hardware
- Managed backups
- Managed applications
- Managed networks and firewalls
- Cloud storage
- IT project management
- And more!
Red IT Solutions to the rescue! Providing you not just service but also Managed Security
Traditional MSPs do not offer a separate package for your managed security needs. It would not be ideal to hire different providers as they will not know how each other runs their service. However, MSPs like us are learning and leaning towards offering not just services but also security and critical risk management like:
- Application control
- Vulnerability scanning
- IT environment hardening
- Device compliance management
- Behavioral analytics
- Cybersecurity awareness training
Cyber security best practices to ask your Managed Service Provider
The government has provided “The Essential Eight” to guide you and your provider on what areas to look into when it comes to posturing cybersecurity. These eight key components include three increasing maturity levels – partly, mostly, and fully aligned with a mitigation strategy.
These eight components which we speak of are:
1. APPLICATION CONTROL
Ensure and protect your devices and systems from running unauthorized applications and malicious code.
2. RESTRICTING ADMINISTRATIVE PRIVILEGES
Only authorized accounts within your business infrastructure should access data sensitive to the business. Any unauthorized administrative logins should be reviewed and removed.
3. CONFIGURING MICROSOFT OFFICE MACROS
Make sure that any macros (repetitive keyboard and mouse shortcuts) from the internet or those not deemed trustworthy are reviewed and removed.
4. USER APPLICATION HARDENING
Ensure that your computer systems are protected against malicious software by blocking or removing standard programs used to download and run it.
5. PATCH APPLICATIONS
To mitigate known security vulnerabilities, make improvements to your applications (e.g., updates).
6. PATCH OPERATING SYSTEMS
Keep your computer’s operating system updated with the latest security patches.
7. ENABLING MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION (MFA)
MFA requires users to present two or more separate forms of identification when attempting to sign into their accounts.
8. PERFORMING DAILY BACKUPS
Make sure essential files, applications, devices, and servers do not get lost by restoring them.
Where to go from here?
Are you interested in leveling up your business’s MSP experience? Book an appointment and talk to us at Red IT Solutions so we can work together towards great opportunities, growth, and unparalleled security.
