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Insider Threats: Spotting Common Indicators and Warning Signs

Data protection regulations require your business to assess all possible threats to the sensitive data your business stores or manages....

Staying Strong on IT Security

Big data is abundant, and it can provide companies with an enormous competitive advantage in terms of marketing and research.  Yet once you’ve got that data, the challenge is to keep it secure.  The increased adoption of web-based, mobile and cloud-based applications means data is accessible from a number of different platforms and therefore vulnerable to hacking and security breaches. Think you can stay ahead of the bad guys? The bad guys stay ahead of everybody… and what’s...

The Essential Eight Maturity Model

The Federal Government’s Australian Cyber Security Centre has compiled The Essential Eight mitigation strategies as a starting point to improve cybersecurity.  The Essential Eight are split into three categories: Preventing malware delivery and execution Limiting the extent of cyber security incidents Recovering data and system availability.  This week’s blog discusses the Maturity Model of the Essential Eight. The Maturity Model addresses how organisations who have...

Implementing Ongoing Risk Management as a Standard Practice

Implementing Ongoing Risk Management as a Standard Practice...

Securing Your Remote Workers

Over the last few years, we have seen several tech companies, such as Buffer, Todoist and Help Scout, to name a few, switch to a fully remote or partial work setup. Most of these companies spent months preparing for the switch by training their employees, setting up remote work policies and ensuring the necessary infrastructure was in place to deal with cybersecurity threats.  However, many companies were forced to make the switch overnight when COVID-19 hit. Very few got the chance to...

What is Organisational Agility?

It's hard to predict the future. Just think of all that has happened in the world in the last two years. From the COVID-19 pandemic to supply chain issues to inflation and war, no one could have predicted these events early enough to be adequately prepared. These challenges make it more difficult for companies to succeed and achieve their long-term objectives.  When the needs of your employees, customers and the market change suddenly, you must be ready to make the necessary shift. Pro...

How to Build Trust Using Your Business’s Technology

Technology can be a daunting investment for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Between the initial cost and the time and effort it takes to maintain and keep up with technology, it’s little wonder why so many SMBs are hesitant to invest in it. However, when done correctly, technology can be a powerful trust-building tool for SMBs. By having reliable technologies, you can build trust among your people, processes and customers. This trust can result in better outcomes for your compan...

4 Reasons Cybersecurity Attack Surfaces Are Expanding

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted individuals and businesses all over the world in one way or another. Almost overnight, it disrupted the way people went about their daily routines and how companies operated. Amidst all the chaos, changes to the cyber landscape increased at an unprecedented pace. Some of the trends that powered these changes and continue to fuel them are: Increased Use of Internet of Things (IoT)About 56 federal agencies in the U.S. reported using Internet of Things (IoT) tech...

Most Companies Expect to Suffer Breaches This Year

Over three-quarters of Australian organisations suffered data breaches over the past year and four in five were hit by ransomware attacks. Seeing as new figures suggest 70 per cent of organisations also expect to be hit this year, have executives become blasé about security? New figures suggest they very well may be. Not only were 80 per cent of organisations surveyed for the Sophos State of Ransomware 2022 report hit by ransomware during 2021 – up dizzyingly from 45 per cent t...

How to Prioritise Your Technology Gaps

So why is prioritising technology gaps so important? Today’s technology-based businesses must deal with multiple issues, including cyber threats, head-to-head competition and regulatory compliance. Hence, keeping your technology infrastructure up to date is critical, and a technology audit is the best place to start. A technology audit can assist you in better understanding and identifying gaps in your organization’s security, compliance and backup. A thorough technology audit can assis...

That's a Wrap for the Ric Charlesworth Classic 2022

Running from 26 March until 3 April, the tournament was a showcase of skill from some of WA's fiercest Hockey teams. Managed IT has sponsored this event over the past couple of years, and take pride in supporting such a great community event....

Adopt Zero Trust Security for Your SMB

With the cyberthreat landscape getting more complicated with every passing minute, cybersecurity deserves more attention than ever before. Fully trusting applications, interfaces, networks, devices, traffic and users without authentication is no longer an option. Misjudging and misplacing your trust in a malicious entity can lead to severe breaches that can damage your business. Zero Trust Security practices, however, can go a long way towards helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs...

How are Cyber Security and Cyber Threats Going to Look in 2022?

The pandemic and changing working dynamics brought in a massive digital transformation and an unfortunate rise in cybercrimes for many companies and people. Remesh Ramachandran a CISO and Security Researcher wrote on the Entrepreneur Asia Pacific – “2021 saw some of the most significant cyberattacks on digital systems the world has ever seen, such as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, wherein the company had to shut its entire operations to contain the breach. Given the upsurge of...

Cyber Security Incident Response Plan

An Incident Response plan provides your team with a roadmap on how to proactively protect your data. Complying with regulations is also important when dealing with sensitive data. If a data breach occurs, you need to know how to deal with that situation and establish what data has been compromised quickly. A report done on Cyber Security in Local Government 15 Western Australian LG entities manage cyber security risks and respond to cyber threats effectively. Appropriate management and...

What Cyber Security Policies and Procedures Do You Have in Place?

The recent Auditor General report highlighted areas that are often not addressed in many audited, local government (LG) entities policies or procedures. Only 3 LG entities had adequate cyber security policies to govern and manage cyber security. Nine LG entities had policies that were out of date or did not cover important areas. The remaining 3 LG entities did not have a policy or framework. Without policies that clearly outline the principles and expectations of systems and employees, entities...

Remote NW Shire Selects Managed IT to Provide ICT Services

Perth-based Managed IT has been selected as the preferred supplier of Information & Communications Technologies – Service Management (ICT) for the Shire of Derby/West Kimberley (SDWK).Information technology is a critical operational service due to the isolation of the district – SDWK is almost 2,000kms from Perth and consists of approximately 75 staff. Not surprisingly, it suffers from an ICT skills gap.  SDWK also has limited internal staff resources to assist the selected ICT Service ...

Managed IT Sponsors West Tech Assemblage 2021

On 29 November, Managed IT was a platinum sponsor for the 2021 West Tech Assemblage in Perth, WA. The event brings together the state’s technology and innovation sectors to collaborate and focus on digital accessibility and inclusion. ...

In 2020, What is Good IT Culture? (Part Two)

In 2020, the challenges for effective IT governance are different than at any time in the past. The rate of change of technology, threats and the shifting world of governance can be challenges to developing and maintaining good IT culture. Last week, in Part One of this blog, we covered the importance of a strategic, rather than technical focus. We also looked at the first prong of good governance, being information governance. This week we are looking at security governance, operation...

In 2020, What is Good IT Culture? (Part One)

In 2020, the challenges for effective IT governance are different than at any time in the past.  The rate of change of technology, threats and the shifting world of governance can be challenges to developing and maintaining good IT culture. So, what is good IT culture in 2020? I’m glad you asked. The key issues are: A strategic, rather than technical, focusGovernance: information governance; security governance; operational governanceAccountability and transparency....

Information Security and the Australian Privacy Principles

The 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) regulate the handling of personal information by a broad swathe of private, governmental and not-for-profit organisations – known as “APP entities”.  Where an information security or cyber security breach at an APP entity involves personal information, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) can investigate and has broad enforcement powers and other potential remedies.  A breach of the APPs in relation to personal i...

Cyber and Information Security: Good Practice and Severe Consequences

As we’ve discussed over a number of weeks, good information governance provides a platform for other things, including both cyber security and information security. Cyber and information security are often used interchangeably; in reality, they are related and overlapping concepts. Information security addresses protecting information (that is, data with meaning or context) in both analogue and digital forms. The focus is typically on the confidentiality, integrity and availabil...

Leading Cybersecurity Risks: The Essential Eight

IT governance is about managing information as an asset consistently with organisational strategy and organisational culture. It is about practices, supported by policies, processes, and procedures, that are subject to continuous improvement as new trends emerge internally and externally.  Security governance is a primary element of information governance. You might be more familiar with a ‘buzzier’ word: cybersecurity. Your organisation probably ...

The ‘Scary’ Obligations of Information Governance

IT governance is about responsibilities and consequences. To ‘non-IT’ people, its value is often only highlighted when something goes wrong – when an IT governance failure has real and negative impacts on the organisation and those stakeholders. IT governance is the responsibility of executives and the board of directors. It consists of leadership, organisational structures. It also requires processes that ensure that the enterprise’s IT sustains and extends the&...

The Dangers of Shadow IT

Shadow IT is a real threat to effective IT governance in your organisation. It represents systems adopted within your organisation without approval and, more importantly, without consideration or understanding of the broader impact of those actions.The opportunities for Shadow IT have never been greater than they are today. Prevalent and easily-implemented cloud-based systems provide the means, motive and opportunity. They allow functional areas of your organisation to – typical...

The Essential Eight Maturity Model

The Federal Government’s Australian Cyber Security Centre has compiled The Essential Eight mitigation strategies as a starting point to improve cybersecurity. The Essential Eight are split into three categories:Preventing malware delivery and execution Limiting the extent of cyber security incidents Recovering data and system availability. This week’s blog discusses the Maturity Model of the Essential Eight. The Maturity Model addresses how organisations who have imp...