With the looming threat of a potential recession and economic downturn, many professional service firms are looking to reduce costs and increase efficiency in preparation. Many are also looking to adjust to a hybrid work environment that looks to be here to stay and overall relying more and more on digital communication platforms to recruit talent and grow their business. At the same time, many in the industry are looking ahead to what changes AI will have for professional service firms and the resources they will need. Central to all of these issues and trends is a move by firms to increase their digital footprint and rely more and more on technology to drive their business. There is a catch, though. With this digital migration comes increased risk and exposure to cyber-attacks. On average, an attack can cost a small to medium-sized business $2.2 million. In addition to this, professional service organizations like law firms and accounting firms are particularly appealing to bad actors, given the volume and nature of the data they hold for their firm and its clients. All hope is not lost, though. By implementing a security- first approach, professional service firms can ensure that as their digital footprint grows, so does their digital security. In simple terms, a security-first approach can be defined by the old adage, "the best defense is a good offense". By proactively addressing issues before they occur or spotting them and addressing them early on, service firms can help minimize their risk. But what does this look like for your IT infrastructure? A few of the key elements of a security-first are:

Hackers don’t always appear as creepy, dark figures wearing hoodies and typing away at lines of code. Most of the time, they can look like any average person. They can also get onto your network through a variety of unsuspecting ways, and yes, even through toner cartridges.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is one of the best security measures for your business’ network. It’s such an essential security measure that some managed service providers and even cybersecurity insurance companies will refuse to work with businesses not utilizing MFAs.

There are many types of securities to invest in for your business. Multi-factor authentication, endpoint detections, and VPNs are among them. According to Garter, spending on information security and risk management will reach $188.336 billion in 2023.

The increasing worldwide threat of cyber-attacks has grown to the point of drawing government attention here in the U.S.

We’ve all received suspicious-looking emails or text messages prompting us to click mysterious links. Sometimes they promise free money or tell us a package you never ordered has tracking information that needs reviewing. Whatever the circumstance, scam messages are a significant issue with today’s technology.

Maintaining cybersecurity can be a financially challenging feat, and can take up to an average of 10% of an IT budget.

It is essential to assess your company's security to mitigate cyber attacks or security inefficiencies. But how do you evaluate your company's state of security? Penetration tests and vulnerability assessments are a great way to maintain and enhance your secure environment.

Imagine you’re a large, well-known company, and you’ve just discovered your database has been breached. Three million files have been compromised, resulting in a loss of $5,000,000 in settlement. Your company’s bank account starts to dwindle, and you may be looking at potentially having to lay off employees. What could have been done to prevent this?

Perhaps you have heard the term “Zero Trust” at some point over the last couple years. If so, hopefully it was in the context of cybersecurity and not as part of a couple’s therapy session. Even if you have heard the phrase…even if you understand the technical aspects of how to execute a Zero Trust network architecture…or perhaps because you already know just how difficult it is to actually migrate to such an environment…it remains light years from being the reality for most organizations.