How Managed IT Services Can Help Reduce the Risk of Insider Threats

In November 2023, Daniel Rhyne went rogue. As a core infrastructure engineer for a New Jersey-based industrial company, Rhyne remotely accessed the company’s computer systems using an administrator account. On Nov. 25, 2023, he sent an extortion email to certain company employees, warning that IT administrators no longer had access to company systems and backups had been deleted.

He demanded the equivalent of $750,000 in Bitcoin, threatening to shut down one server a day for 10 days if the ransom wasn’t paid. Rhyne was arrested on Aug. 27, 2024, and faces charges of extortion, damage to a protected computer and wire fraud.

There have been other cases in which disgruntled IT staff have committed acts of sabotage, from trashing networks to introducing viruses to exfiltrating data. Often, rogue employees also change administrator passwords, effectively holding the company hostage in a time of crisis.

These are not isolated incidents. According to a new report from Gurucul, 83% of organizations reported insider attacks in 2024, up from 60% in 2023. One-quarter of organizations suffered six to 10 insider attacks during the year.

Complexity, Lack of Resources, Lead to Insider Attacks

Respondents to the Gurucul study said that increasing IT complexity has contributed to the rise in insider attacks. Remote access by employees, contractors and business partners, coupled with decreased visibility across a growing attack surface, make it difficult to close security gaps and identify threats. The persistent IT skills shortage has left many organizations without the cybersecurity resources they need to detect and block insider attacks.

Because IT staff are stretched thin, they may not have the “checks and balances” that reduce the risk of an insider attack. A single administrator may have unfettered access to all IT systems, which opens the door to attacks should that person’s relationship with the company go sour. IT staff may also give users more access than they really need to minimize support requests.

A managed IT services provider​ can provide an important check against such power. Operating in a co-managed IT relationship, the managed IT services provider can often detect unauthorized activities by remotely monitoring your systems and network. Your managed IT services provider can also help you establish access privileges and controls that prevent an employee from locking you out of your systems.

Managed IT Security Services​ Gives You Access to Needed Expertise

Of course, the primary benefit of co-managed IT lies in the ability to access a team of qualified experts. It’s increasingly difficult for one person or even a small team to stay on top of day-to-day maintenance and updates, keep systems running efficiently, troubleshoot and resolve problems, and tackle those new technology implementations and upgrades.

Partnering with a managed IT services provider can help prevent insider threats by implementing strict access controls, real-time monitoring, and proactive security measures.

IT generalists may also lack the know-how to keep up with increasingly complex IT systems. This can lead to downtime and poorly performing systems that hamper productivity and customer service. It’s not uncommon for companies to pay a longtime employee to keep a cobbled-together environment up and running when strategic upgrades could save a lot of money and improve operations.

The problem is that few small- to midsize-businesses have the budget to hire a team of qualified experts to support the IT environment. Furthermore, these companies typically don’t need a full-time server specialist, network engineer or desktop technician even if they could justify all those salaries. A company that offers managed IT security services​ can handle exactly what is needed, without adding an additional financial burden to a small- to medium-sized business’s budget.

Partnering with GDS for Managed Services​ Reduces Risk

That’s why it makes sense to work in partnership with a managed IT services provider,​ such as GDS. We have made significant investments in personnel with expertise in a wide range of IT disciplines. We follow best practices, document everything and have multiple individuals who are familiar with your environment.

By partnering with us, you gain access to a bench of engineers and technicians who work in concert with your in-house IT staff to maintain systems and rapidly troubleshoot problems. You also gain the peace of mind that someone will be available to support you 365 days a year. We can provide the IT skills you need to help keep your operations running smoothly, working with your team to improve performance and reduce risk.

GDS has developed a suite of managed security services that effectively address the primary threat vectors. Our cloud-based tools are designed to prevent network intrusions, protect email and end-user devices, block malicious websites and files, and analyze user behavior to detect compromise. Ongoing maintenance and management ensures that these tools are kept up-to-date and ready to combat emerging threats. Continuous monitoring identifies emerging threats and provides the contextual data needed for rapid, effective response. Contact GDS today and let GDS protect your business!

Benefits of Managed IT Services from Global Data Systems

• Strategic Managed IT: We help you solve your technology related business problems.
• Connectivity: We get you reliable, secure connectivity anywhere in the western hemisphere in 48 hours.
• Support: When you need help simply call our 24x7x365 support number.
• Billing: Instead of managing hundreds of vendors - get one, easy to read bill from GDS.

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