CPAmerica ADVANTAGE News From Your Accounting Association
May 2022 IN THIS ISSUE: âș Cybersecurity as a journey, not a destination âș Preferred Provider Spotlight - MindBridge âș Member Services - LMS launch âș Member News âș CPAmerica Insights - Grace Horvath
Cybersecurity as a journey, not a destination Cybersecurity services provided by Frankel Zacharia & Gray, Gray & Gray
It is probably no surprise that the cybersecurity industry has changed exponentially in recent years. With ransomware attacks on the rise and individualsâ personal data being held hostage, an attack can compromise your business in many ways, aside from merely shutting you down. Frankel Zacharia has been serving clientsâ cybersecurity needs since 2008 and IT director, Tim Weidman has seen firsthand the changes in the industry and the attackers. âWhen an incident occurred, it used to be that if you had a backup, you could simply restore it,â said Weidman. âAnd if you didnât have a backup, you could pay a couple hundred dollars and get your files back. That doesnât happen anymore, most ransomware wonât give you your data back for less than $1 million.â Weidman explained that the ransomware actors now not only steal your files, but also use them to blackmail and extort the company, the employees, their families and more. In this new world, your companyâs goal should no longer be to prevent an attack from taking place, but rather to make attacks happen less often, make them do less damage and to allow the company to recover faster. Weidman says that if youâre not putting in place new cybersecurity controls each year, you may be leaving yourself and your company vulnerable.
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These industry changes are exactly why the Gray, Gray & Gray team decided to make cybersecurity a priority and a service they wanted to offer to their clients.
âAs part of our âpower of moreâ rebranding, we wanted to do more for our clients,â said Gray, Gray & Gray partner and chief operating officer, Hank Wolfson. âIn meeting with our top clients, it became apparent that there was a desperate need for cybersecurity education, training and ensuring that the right protective safeguards are in place.â In adding this consulting service to their firm, Gray, Gray & Gray partnered with their long-time client, GraVoc Associates to develop a plan that best served their clients. This partnership provides the technological skills and resources to deliver a full slate of cybersecurity services, including multi-layered defense, end-point protection, secure backup, remote monitoring, employee training and testing, and compliance services to ensure clients are meeting the requirements of state, federal and international data security laws. âOur services are designed around being a better partner to our clients, with the goal of short- and long-term action plans for cybersecurity strategy going forward,â said Nathaniel Gravel, GraVoc cybersecurity consultant. If your company wants to refresh their own cybersecurity policies, Weidman recommends working off of a cybersecurity insurance requirement checklist, this will give your firm a good jumping off point to know what measures need to be in place to secure your firm. If you are interested in learning more about Frankel Zachariaâs cybersecurity services, please contact Tim Weidman at tweidman@ fzacpa.com. If you would like to learn more about Gray, Gray & Grayâs cybersecurity offerings, please contact Hank Wolfson at hwolfson@ gggllp.com. For a complete list of firms that provide these services, please contact Amy Azoulay at aazoulay@cpamerica.org.