The ASD Cyber Security Threat Report highlighted an increase of 23% of cybercrime in Australia in 2023, a trend which is expected to continue. Incidences of cybercrime cost small businesses $46,000 per event on average, with this figure growing to $97,200 for medium sized enterprises.

Protecting your business against these threats is something we pride ourselves on here at The Virtual IT Department and is the driving force behind our Essential Eight Alignment Project.  

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What is the Essential Eight?

The Australian Signals Directorate developed the Essential Eight as a fundamental cybersecurity framework that includes the most critical controls to protect your organisation from cyber threats. By implementing these mitigation strategies, your team will be better equipped to prevent attacks and respond more effectively if one occurs. The framework is designed to be both accessible and functional, ensuring protection without compromising usability.

Our Essential Eight Alignment Project specifically targets areas within the framework that aren’t natively covered by our support, bringing them up to Level 1 of the E8. This ensures that your organisation not only meets but exceeds the basic security standards necessary to defend against common cyber threats.

For a more comprehensive read on the ins and outs of the Essential Eight, click here.

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Common Project Deliverables

• Application Control
• Patching Operating System
• Microsoft Macro Settings
• Application Hardening
• Restricted Admin Privileges

We strongly recommend discussing the implementation of the Essential Eight framework with your IT Manager.  

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