What do we recommend for cyber security? Q&A with MD Nick
Strong IT security is vital in the event of a cyber attack, as such, we wanted to talk about our recommendations when it comes to cyber security priorities, so we asked our MD Nick a couple of questions, here’s what he had to say.
What is Computer Geeks’ take on IT security priorities?
“The IT industry is saturated at the moment with hardware, software and cloud solutions which deal with cyber security. We felt it was important to reflect upon what our priorities are when we look at IT security.
At Computer Geeks we prioritise core IT security in the format of Active Directory (either through servers or cloud) for all company-joined PCs. For 10 years, we have set a minimum standard, for all our clients machines to be joined to a company network.
The traditional way of doing this is on-premise Active Directory, meaning a Domain Controller server in the office. With all of the machines joined, Group Policies are used to secure the network and ensure data is stored centrally and therefore backups can be reliable. Users and devices are thus part of the network, and hot-desking is possible.
Most companies also use Microsoft 365, and so the Domain Controller then is synchronised to Microsoft 365 using Azure AD Connect. Passwords from the office network (and the security underlying it), is mirrored to 365, and vice versa, and everything is kept in sync in hybrid.
The more modern and radical approach (which we call Geeks Cloud) is to remove all Domain controllers from your network, and typically go “serverless”. This means that all computers instead are directly joined to Azure AD (365), via email address and MFA. So, when you log in in the morning, the computer is part of the company network but directly through your email address and password, not your office server network credentials. All your users, devices, data and apps are consequently all controlled that way.
With either of these 2 systems in place, we believe this should be the foundation for IT security. On top of this, are the various software and hardware solutions which take the journey further, for example Antivirus, Web Filtering, Firewalls, more modern solutions for active threat management.
But what can often happen in IT Support companies is not prioritising the foundational basics of a domain or Azure AD connection. It’s all well and good having a good firewall, and some nice Endpoint protection software or threat management platforms. But if the machine is not joined to the domain, none of that matters, because your user is probably a local admin, and they can override all of those controls. We see this time and time again.”
In a world where most employees work from home and work remote how has this changed IT Security priorities?
“With hybrid work becoming more and more popular amongst businesses, it is important to make sure that foundational IT security, as well as an appropriate set of IT policies are in place.
Cyber Essentials is typically the solution here, to ensure the company has the organisational and IT policies written and delivered. Cyber Essentials is a scheme to demonstrate your business’ cyber security measures, it’s a smart way to protect your business.
Here at Computer Geeks, our clients can work with our team to achieve their certification. You can find out more about it in our blog post here: Are you ready to undertake the Cyber Essentials certification? – Computer Geeks”
Here at Computer Geeks we take cyber security seriously, meaning all of our clients can rest assured, knowing that they’re in great hands. Get in touch to find out more about how we can secure your business.
