EDTS Cyber Urges Carolinas AEC Industry to Protect Organizations, Data

Nationally acclaimed I.T. provider EDTS provides managed I.T. services, business continuity and advanced infrastructure solutions to private and public entities in a wide range of industry sectors, including architecture, engineering and construction (AEC). The company operates from four offices located in Columbia and Greenville, South Carolina; Asheville, North Carolina and Augusta, Georgia.

In response to the ever-increasing threat of cyberattacks on businesses and government entities, EDTS announced this week that it has launched EDTS Cyber, LLC — a dedicated business unit focused exclusively on delivering advanced cybersecurity solutions, including network threat analysis and remediation, advanced cybersecurity monitoring, and cyber-incident response.

“Since EDTS was formed nearly 20 years ago, the construction, architecture and engineering industries have been a focus for our organization, and we have kept our clients’ data and systems protected. But today’s ever-changing threat landscape takes highly specialized tools, very specific skills, and absolute focus to deliver security services at the highest level, so EDTS Cyber was formed,” said Charles Johnson, founder and CEO of EDTS and EDTS Cyber.

Operating from EDTS headquarters in Augusta — and through the firm’s three Carolinas offices — EDTS Cyber delivers SOC 2 Type 2 certified managed security services, supported by a state-of-the-art and PCI compliant Security Operations Center manned 24/7/365 by certified security professionals.

The increasing role of technology in the operations of every business has led to a focus by cybercriminals on organizations with the least protection. A proliferation of outdated systems, unpatched operating systems, out-of-date browsers and limited training on security requirements for internal staff makes small and mid-sized organizations and local/regional government entities particularly vulnerable, according to national security experts.

“As our clients — from federal agencies across America, to industrial and commercial contractors right here in our home communities — face tighter budgets, increasing risk landscapes, and greater regulations, the need for EDTS Cyber is ever apparent. Our highly certified and specially trained security professionals are able to commit the expertise, talent, and resources to address this critical gap,” said Johnson.

While many organizations in construction are hoping they are exempt from the risks of cybercrime, Johnson points out that the cost of online crime has already surpassed $3 trillion and is expected to double in the next four years.* With hackers pursuing information including financial data, intellectual property, identity information, passwords and payment information, “Organizations need to increase their defenses, because there is no end in sight to cyberattacks… they are only going to escalate.”

Even as the rapidly growing EDTS organization continues to add customers and staff across the Southeast, Johnson sees EDTS Cyber as the catalyst for another wave of growth for his organization. “I.T. security conversations have now moved from the server room to the board room, as leaders of organizations of every size come to realize that they have an obligation to protect their systems, their data and intellectual property, and their customers’ data because the bad guys are actively trying to attack them,” said Johnson. “This region is truly blessed with top talent in the area of cybersecurity solutions… allowing EDTS Cyber to deliver leading edge technologies and services to our clients.”

Johnson closed by saying, “While EDTS Cyber and EDTS are currently comprised of over 75 of the most credentialed and capable I.T. and security experts in the region, we anticipate more than doubling the size of our organization in the next three to five years, with much of that growth coming right here in the Southeast.”

To learn more about cyberthreats to your business, and how you can address them, call 855.411.EDTS or visit EDTSCyber.com.

*Source: Cybersecurity Ventures, 2017.