Q&A with IT gurus Virtuosys

The IT support a business receives is incredibly vital, and without this quality advice business owners and staff would face an endless list of issues. Receiving IT support goes far beyond the type of hardware you need, as in today’s world we face high risks of cyber attacks so you need IT experts who can help you protect your business.

Carbon worked with Virtuosys for a few years, and their knowledge on the key areas we should be focusing on has helped us to grow. We caught up with Director Dan to chat all things cyber security and picked his brain on what should be at the top of the mind of business owners.

What led you to start Virtuosys?

I noticed there was a gap in the industry when it came to reliability and customer service. I thought by starting my own business and consulting to small-medium business I could focus on these areas and help improve a business’ workflow and enable clients to work more efficiently to reduce day-to-day frustrations when using technology.

Where does the name Virtuosys come from? 

Virtuosys came from the words Virtuous and Systems. The name encompasses our values of “Integrity, Reliability and Simplicity”. We enjoy working with like-minded businesses whose values are in alignment with our own, and want to invest in their tech; rather than simply looking to increase company turnover.

Cyber security is an important area for all businesses, what are the most common mistakes you see business owners make? 

The most common mistakes we see business owners make when it comes to cybersecurity is thinking that just paying for an off-the-shelf antivirus software will stop all threats from entering their network. We believe expecting a single solution to have a 100% detection rate to be the biggest misconception amongst business owners. We as a country are getting inundated with attacks daily, and relying on one product to look after all your business cybersecurity needs is no longer enough. In our opinion, a systematic layered approach is the best line of defence.

What are your top 3 tips for businesses to protect themselves and their data?

- A layered cybersecurity approach, i.e.
  - Regular Patching and Updating of software.
  - Setup Multi-Factor Authentication on logins.
  - Install Email Gateway Security.
  - Configure Network Security Software/Hardware.
  - Train staff in both cyber-awareness and general computing.
  - Engage an independent third-party to perform scheduled security audits to detect security weaknesses within the business.
- Backups are very important, and recovery is crucial. Tested disaster recovery can ensure your 3-2-1 backup plan is effective in the event of an incident. Far too many times have we been called in to find clients relying on a single untested backup to a USB drive.
- Budget, Plan and Implement in removing legacy systems and transitioning to new systems within your industry, stay relevant or be left behind.