Did you ever play that game, Mouse Trap, when you were a kid? No judgment if you still do. It’s a fascinating game to say the least. It was first introduced by the Ideal Toy Company in 1963. The game is known for its intricate Rube Goldberg-style contraption. Rube Goldberg was a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and engineer known for his satirical cartoons depicting overly complex machines designed to perform simple tasks. These machines, which became known as "Rube Goldberg machines," typically involved a series of chain reactions, where one action triggered the next, ultimately leading to the desired outcome. Goldberg's cartoons were published in the early 20th century and became widely popular.
Your network is a lot like a Rube Goldberg machine. A complex series of policies, procedures and technologies that have to perform in sync in order to accomplish it’s objective. Each mechanism in the chain is equally important because each one is dependent on the mechanism before it in order to execute as intended. If one mechanism fails, the chain is broken, the cage never falls, and now you’ve got plastic mice running rampant, multiplying, and chewing through all the snacks in your cupboard. Sheer. Chaos. Your network operates in a similar way. When done well, it’s a series of mechanisms–efficient data sets, quality (over quantity) tech, well trained IT professionals, and low-friction controls for end-users–all properly configured and managed in order to produce a clear objective…moving your data while keeping it secure.
Spending MORE does not, in and of itself, yield LESS vulnerability. You can deploy all the latest tech and tooling on the market, but if those tools don’t play well together, or employees circumvent them simply because they cause too much friction in their workflow…then what? Our President, John Gerdes, had this to say on the subject, “I think that businesses – including MSPs – can fall into the trap of just thinking more layers is better, whereas actually a couple of properly configured layers can provide far better protection than lots of improperly configured layers.” We are the IT partner to businesses from around the country in nearly every major industry. We have to be efficient. We have to be precise. We have to be focused. Our goal, when it comes to implementing security into what we do, is to build in rather than bolt on security. And we work hard to do this for SMBs trying to be security-conscious while avoiding being swept up in hype and feeling like they have to spend more than they can afford just to keep their network secure. Cost is a moving target when it comes to measuring the success of a given security posture. How do you know if you’re investing enough…before it’s too late?
We pay close attention to how our customers are vulnerable. We deploy carefully selected tools designed to integrate with each other so execution is as seamless as possible. We emphasize and empower our team to develop their skills in order to increase what Gartner calls “Cyber Judgement”, that is, technical intuition and reflexes that inform every decision, solution, and policy. According to a recent survey (Gartner), “business technologists with high cyber judgment are 2.5 times more likely to consider cybersecurity risks when developing analytics or technology capabilities.” This pays dividends in the long run because it yields a quality, robust network for your organization that has a compounding positive effect on the bottom line.
At the heart of what we do every day, is the drive to reduce friction for end users. Because it is part of the human condition to choose the path of least resistance. When it comes to security controls, more friction equals an increase in unsecure practices on the part of employees. This simply because of a tendency toward avoidant behavior in reaction to security controls. Threat actors know this. That’s why such a large percentage of cyber attacks begin with social engineering. There’s a popular saying in the Cybersecurity field: “The bad guys only have to be right one time in order to succeed. The good guys have to be right every time”. We’re in the business of designing and managing technology environments that elevate businesses, reduce stress, and delight end-users. Security is not a buzz word for us. It’s a standard operating procedure.
