Aviva Zacks
Aviva Zacks of Safety Detectives sat down with Niki Rabren, Executive Director for Cybersecurity, Tier4 Group. She found out about how the company “solutions” around each client’s unique needs.
Safety Detectives: What do you love about cybersecurity?
Niki Rabren: Cyberthreats change every day which forces adaptation on a constant basis. I’ve always had a “continuous evolution” mindset and I think that plays well in cybersecurity. It can be stressful, but it’s exciting at the same time.
SD: Tell me about some of Teir4 Group’s security services.
NR: Tier4 Group offers 3 services lines—value-added software reseller (VAR) services; our Tier4 Secure cyber operations as a service; and consulting services. What’s unique about all our services is that they’re led by former industry leaders, from analysts to CISOs.
Tier4 Secure is also unique in that it includes what we call the “four pillars of cyber operations,” 24/7/365 detection & response, vulnerability management, cyber threat intelligence, and incident response, all in one inclusive service. Our Tier4 Secure founder DaMon Ross was an SVP of Cyber Operations in banking and financial services for many years and feels these capabilities cannot be separated from one another as they are integral in stopping threat actors.
SD: How does your company stay ahead of the competition?
NR: Our main focus is to constantly listen to our clients and pay attention when they tell us about gaps in their current service providers or skills on their teams. For instance, our VAR program was born out of our clients’ stories about the “super resellers” they work with which have become somewhat transactional and lack key post-sale support. Our program is built on solutioning around each client’s unique needs and then continually organizing the vendors’ success around our client’s satisfaction.
SD: What are the worst cyberthreats out there today?
NR: Compromised Remote Desk Protocol access is a huge issue for IT teams. It’s often a common entry point for ransomware insertion or groups attempting data breaches within a system. But uneducated computer users who don’t think critically about the emails they open are still the biggest risk to our company’s and our customer’s data.
SD: How will the COVID-19 pandemic affect cybersecurity for the future?
NR: Remote working is here to stay which means all of the risks that go along with virtual working are here to stay as well. Cyber and business leaders are going to have to continually reinvent their strategies for maintaining a cyber-resilient workforce.
