Keeping your data safe

Protecting your company from cyber attack and responding to any operating failure that may strike has never been more crucial.

More businesses are coming to realise that while they can reduce their exposure to a data breach or systems attack, it’s not possible to guarantee protection. As the cyber threat continues to build and the attack vectors become ever more sophisticated, many organisations are turning to specialist partners to help deliver a suitable posture for the safety of their data.

Mal McHutchison is CEO of Australia’s leading managed service provider (MSP), Interactive. He has the unique perspective of being a CEO and a member of a NSW regional health board, working on the cutting edge of information technology and being responsible for carriage of the most sensitive data.

McHutchison says company owners, CEOs, CFOs and directors all have a responsibility to be active in the development of IT strategy for their companies. In particular, leaders need to be aware of the risk posture of their organisations and what plans are in place to deal with a cyber attack.

How you respond in the event of an operating failure that exposes your data, your staff or premises is equally important. It’s important to ask yourself; how would your business continue to function if you could not get access to your data due to a cyber failure or a physical failure? And how do you deal with the exposure of highly sensitive information?

“Many of our customers don’t have the desire, skills or resources to maintain a full-time cybersecurity capability,” says McHutchison. “The costs and risks of a business doing it themselves are too great.

With predictions by Intel that

75 per cent of cybersecurity jobs in Australia will go unfilled, customers are fighting against a rising tide and partnering is the only way to gain access to the skills needed for such a critical function.”

McHutchison recommends a provider with a strong record in data protection, using the latest technology and being cloud-aligned to take advantage of global knowledge of cyber threats and responses.

“This is definitely a matter of trust,” he says. “At Interactive, we have been managing and securing sensitive data for more than 30 years. Our clients absolutely trust us to protect them, their clients and their businesses from failures – or to help them recover quickly when a failure occurs.”

With years of experience running its own data centres and clouds for some of Australia’s largest corporations, Interactive understands the cyber threat, has expertise on-hand to plan, detect and respond rapidly in the event of an attack or breach and is 100 per cent Australian-owned and operated. Who are you partnering with for your cybersecurity needs?

“With 75 per cent of cyber jobs going unfilled, partnering is the only path to success.” Mal McHutchison, CEO of Interactive