CYBERSECURITY

How far does the Conceal footprint expand? We are an international organization with offices in Ireland and the UK.

Is the Cyber Industry growing in Augusta as rapidly as expected since the US Army Cyber Command and GA Cyber Center’s inception? Yes, the infrastructure at Fort Gordon continues to be a vital part of the nation’s defense posture and as the cyber threat from nation-state actors increases, the capabilities on base become even more important.

Talk about the growth of cyber in our region. Conceal is proud to be the first international, venture backed cyber firm in the region.  We are very impressed with the talent coming out of local universities in both Georgia and South Carolina and we see the continued revitalization of downtown Augusta as a key driver to recruitment.  All of this is anchored by the incredible facilities at the Georgia Cyber Center.

Is Augusta still going to be considered the Cyber hub of the country in 5 years? We believe so.  The cost of opening an office in major West Coast or East Coast cities can be prohibitive for many companies.  We’re so lucky to have a strong customer base in both Atlanta and Charlotte – just over a two hour drive respectively from Augusta.  Also, the ability to host clients during Masters week is a huge draw and make Augusta so unique in its ability to create a truly special experience. We’re also proud to be a sponsor of the Aiken Steeplechase this year – a super fun Fall and Spring equestrian race in the CSRA that shows off the incredible types of exciting events that our region hosts.

What types of companies do you serve (mostly large companies or do you serve small firms too)? We sell to the SMB (small-medium business) as well as Fortune 500 and government/federal agencies.

Are you hiring new talent? If so, what types of positions do you have available? From where do you pull your talent? We currently have open positions in our Engineering and Sales department and we also have a robust year round internship program for college students.

What kind of education or certificates are needed for a career in Cyber Security?  For an engineering role, military cyber experience or a computer science degree is definitely a plus but if you don’t have either and have done a lot of hands on cyber work, we would love to chat.  For sales roles, no experience is generally necessary but a desire to learn the technology and prospect is important.

Talk about social media. Is it safe? What products, apps, procedures do you offer to keep someone safe while using social media?  There are always risks with social media and we encourage all of our clients to be judicious. Turning off location data is one tactic that we recommend. It’s also never wise to click on a URL link that you don’t recognize or interact with a text requesting personal information.  Most ransomware initiates through these vectors and people must be vigilant to just how aggressive threat actors can be.

What advice can you give us as a small company to keep our network safe? It’s important to have a dedicated IT expert or managed service provider who can guide your company on best practices. Device should always be patched with the latest updates and employees should receive continuous training on the latest malware tactics to keep themselves safe.

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