Howdy!
I’m Rob — a cybersecurity consultant. I started in IT back in 1999 (the Windows NT days) and for the last 11 years I’ve taught cybersecurity to the US military, Defense contractors, state governments, Fortune 500 companies, and folks just starting their careers in IT. A few years back my wife started a small business and while advising her on security, I realized how much cybersecurity focuses on large organisations with a dedicated security team, and deep pockets: small businesses and solo business operators are ignored.
But the stats paint a different picture: most cybercrime is not targeted— the criminals don’t care how big someone is or what sector they’re in. They just want victims. So being small offers no protection. In fact, as corporate security gets better, SMBs become increasingly attractive targets.
My goal is to inform solo business owners about the security risks they face and available options to manage those risks, educate them about the options available to them as well as best practices, and empower them to make informed cyber security choices about what is best for their business
Mission
My goal is not to provide you with enterprise grade security — that costs tens of thousands of dollars (minimum!) The goal is to focus on cybersecurity fundamentals. By implementing basic security controls and following basic security principles, you can avoid most attacks while keeping costs down.
I use your computer’s built-in security features and open-source (free!) software as much as possible. But I will let you know when there are good cost-effective propriety products that fit your needs. But I won’t try to sell them to you.
How effective are the basics? the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre estimates that five essential security control categories can reduce your risk by almost 92%. That seems almost too good to be true,but even if that number is inflated, the US government’s CISA and NIST agree that a handful of controls can—when implemented and followed—dramatically improve your security.
Certifications
Certifications in IT are a lot like college degrees in other fields. In fact many IT jobs require certifications more than college degrees. They demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter and many require years of practical experience to pass. But I don’t just have these certifications: I also teach them and some of my students are themselves experts with decades of experience. It takes a lot of experience and a lot of knowledge to teach those students but those are by far my favorite classes.
CompTIA Net+ (Networking)
Basic Networking fluency: managing routers, switches, firewalls, and other network based technology to make sure your network is stable and secure. And how to troubleshoot when it acts up.
ISC2 CISSP (Certified Information System Security Professional)
Demonstrates extensive knowledge of data security, systems security and network security. And how to make cybersecurity work for your business, not get in your way.
Microsoft MCSE (Cloud Platform and Infrastructure)
Solutions Expert in Microsoft Cloud technologies. The cloud seems simple on the front end but the back end is extremely complex. I have a solid technical understanding of how cloud based services work.
CompTIA Sec+ (Security)
Basic security fluency. I know what types of cyberthreats are out there and how to mitigate the risks from them. For individual systems and networks.
Microsoft MCSA (Windows Clients)
Demonstrated my ability to set up, manage and repair Windows client computers including Windows 7, 8 and 10
CompTIA A+ (Hardware & Software)
Basic tech fluency: setting up computers, maintaining them, troubleshoting when things (invariably) go sideways.
ComptiaCySa+ (Cyber Security)
Cybersecurity prevention, monitoring, detection and response.
Microsoft MCSE (Windows Server)
Servers are the backbone of the internet and corporate networks. As a system adminastrator I’ve been required to become a Microsoft Certified Systems Expert in a number of Windows Server products including Server 2008, 2012, 2016.
Contact us
Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!