The Canberra Cyber Hub sat down with Marcus Alexander, Founder and Managing Director of Syconic Cyber.
Introducing Syconic Cyber:
Launched in 2020, Syconic Cyber is a Veteran owned managed security service provider delivering enterprise-level protection, detection and response to micro, small and medium businesses. They are also proud to provide tailored consulting and advisory services to specialised cyber projects.
Syconic Cyber embraced the necessary hybrid workforce model to sustain operations through the pandemic and is excited to currently have employees working both remotely and onsite in Canberra, Sydney, Wollongong and Melbourne. Canberra was a natural choice for the location of their head office as it enables Syconic to continually connect with the veteran cyber community.
How did you get into cyber sercurity?
Over two decades in Defence as a technical specialist, Founder and Managing Director Marcus rounded out his military career by completing a Masters in Cyber Security. It was clear that cyber security was an industry in its infancy, and one that would encourage people to become lifelong learners as they attempted to keep up with, and get in front of, expanding technologies.
What advice do you have for those who wish to pursue a career in the industry?
Often cyber security is viewed as a singular thing, when in fact it’s an incredibly diverse industry. Explore the different areas of cyber security and find where your interests really lie. This way you will be more willing to realise that you don’t have all the answers, none of us do, and that there is always something to learn and someone to learn from. Embrace opportunities to meet others within the industry and become part of the local cyber ecosystem.
What is your cyber secrurity expertise and experience:
Monitoring & Incident Response
Managed Detection & Response combines industry leading Next Generation Anti-Virus and Endpoint Detection & Response with cybersecurity specialists who proactively ensure your business IT infrastructure is safe from cyber related threats.
Security Awareness Training
From annual or induction cyber security awareness training to regular video content & phishing email campaigns, we can tailor a learning & development environment, online or in-person, specifically to suit your business and culture.
Bespoke Executive Solutions
Modern security frameworks can be individualised to protect your C-level executives. They are the most likely to be targeted in cyber attacks after all, as the keepers of access, information and funds in your business.
DISP Positioning
Position your organisation to engage across Defence projects, contracts and tenders and meet the security obligations under the Defence Industry Security Program with assistance from our experienced veteran workforce.
Remote Workforce Protection
Protection for your people no matter where they are, because the personal and professional intersect at their devices. Mobile Endpoint Security ensures privacy and protection on the go.
What do you see as your customer’s biggest pain point, and how do your unique products and services assist them in addressing these issues?
Our customer focus is on supporting Micro, Small and Medium businesses in all industries, especially those in sensitive industries such as Defence, Intelligence, Legal, and Healthcare communities. Most enterprise level products, which are those that provide the greatest protection, are aimed at enterprise sized organisations and this unfortunately makes them out of reach to the smaller players even though they require the same level of protection.
We provide enterprise level security solutions to all sizes of organisations. We monitor for, protect from internal and outside threats to their environments, no matter the location or configuration of their environment. We have no minimum client size and no minimum order quantities. We specialise in the ‘Work From Anywhere’ business setup and can fluidly accommodate on-site, hybrid and remote workforces, providing assurance that their critical information, and that of their clients/customers, is secure and being monitored by a professional cyber security workforce.
What career opportunities and career pathways are available at Syconic Cyber?
Syconic are always open to meeting with and welcoming new faces! Our team are carefully chosen to fit our values and culture no matter their level of expertise. We are keen for our people to make their time with us as valuable as possible, to learn as much as they can as professionals.
We want to be more than just an avenue to transition into, but somewhere to transition through - passing on the experiences we’ve learnt, offering opportunities for professional development and mentoring, moving individuals into industry to spread those experiences, and then have them back further developed. We’re passionate about supporting veterans, about helping them realise how their skills transfer outside of the military and how incredibly valuable they are.
What advice do you have for everyday Australians about cybersecurity?
Stay vigilant as cyber security doesn’t only apply to the large enterprises we hear about in the media when there is a breach - it also applies to the kids, the individual, the sole trader, the micro business. Build upon simple habits, ensure your devices are up to date, use a password manager and multi-factor authentication, and take a moment to think before you post on social media or click that link in an email you weren’t expecting.
