In today’s highly digital world, businesses have an urgent need to protect sensitive data, adhere to regulatory compliance, and reduce the risk posed by cybercriminals. Cybersecurity is crucial because it safeguards all types of data against theft and loss. Sensitive data, protected health information (PHI), personally identifiable information (PII), intellectual property, personal information, data, and government and business information systems are all included.
On the mission to make the world a better place, leading cybersecurity consulting firm, CyberSecOp, specializes in strategic leadership, security strategy & corporate security consulting services. Vincent LaRocca, CEO of CyberSecOp shares, “Our focus is to move cyber security in the right direction by defending and protecting our clients, customers, and partners from the theft of sensitive data through rapid incident response, cyber security programs, threat hunting, and deployment of protective measures.”
Founded by C-level technologists, the CyberSecOp team understands the need of businesses looking to protect sensitive data, adhere to regulatory compliance, and reduce the risk posed by cybercriminals. One of the world’s fastest-growing cybersecurity practices, CyberSecOp offers an array of services such as Incident Response, Ransomware Remediation, and Payment, Managed Security Services, Virtual Information Security Offices, Security Operations, Cybersecurity Consulting, and an array of Cyber Compliance Services.
Reinforcing Cyber Defenses
An industry-leading ISO 27001 Certified and CMMC-AB RPO organization, CyberSecOp is a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) that works with mid-market and Fortune 500 firms across industries, specializing in finance/fintech, biotech/health, education and higher ed, manufacturing, and infrastructure. Backed by its longstanding commitment to information security, this organization’s awareness of the challenges organizations face when it comes to safeguarding their data is unparalleled.
The purpose of CyberSecOp is to uplift enterprise security and integrity by helping organizations optimize the security performance of their people, processes, and technology. “We can drive that reality in a partnership or an outsourcing relationship to dramatically improve their security posture better, faster, and cheaper than they could do it themselves,” says LaRocca. Clients are offered highly effective, cost-efficient solutions that boost productivity, security, compliance, and technology solutions to continually improve the security posture that protects them from the emotional, operational, and financial consequences of cyberattacks.
“We understand the daily security concerns companies face that demand vital resources and drain company time. This is why we have devised solutions to address a variety of needs and budgets to assess, advise, implement & govern their security posture by integrating ourselves within a client’s existing security team,” Vincent shares.
The key to CyberSecOp’s success lies in their unyielding commitment to delivering exceptional customer service, staying abreast of the latest cybersecurity risks, and providing top-notch solutions and services. A myriad of awards and achievements speak volumes about their dedication to their clients and towards operational excellence.
Vincent’s Professional Journey
After graduating in Information and Computer Science, Vincent started his career at the reputed IBM organization as a field engineer before working his way up to a technical specialist in midrange systems. From there, he moved into project management, service delivery management, and sales. After a good nine years of working at IBM, and having worked closely with several .com companies LaRocca moved to EMC/Dell as a practice manager and later transitioned into a professional services sale’s role.
“I always had a strong network of friends and business owners who would reach out for IT advice. I really enjoyed it and at one point took some vacation time just to help. It was at that point that I started to contemplate the idea of starting my own business with a friend, quickly realizing that between the two of us, we had six or seven clients, so we started an MSP called Innovative Network Solutions,” Vincent shares.
About six years ago Vincent realized that MSPs could not serve as both, the Technical and Cyber Security Governing body for an organization. This is when he decided to launch an MSSP that would only focus on Cyber Security and Cyber Security compliance. Confident in his sales and business acumen Vincent set out to build the organizational structure for his company but needed help with the nuts and bolts of Cyber Security.
Fortunately, his unique set of service offerings were in great demand leading him to form an alliance with his current partner Jeffery Walker, who was a Security Manager at Morgan Stanley at the time. Initially naming the organization, Cyber Security Operations Consulting, Vincent credits his partner Jeffrey with suggesting to call the organization CyberSecOp, a name that is now revered in the cyber-security industry.
As CEO, Vincent focuses on business growth and operations. Since the company’s founding in 2017, they have grown to nearly 50 employees in 10 global offices. “We are always open to qualified security professionals looking to join our team. We have a broad range of security experts, including network engineers, security analysts and consultants, ethical hackers, and others who together hold over 20 of the highest-level technical certifications,” shares Vincent.
"Sometimes it’s more important to show you are part of the team and not always the one driving it."
Driving Change
Vincent agrees that failure is an inevitable part of any entrepreneur’s journey. It is how you tackle failure that makes a person into a resolute leader. “You’re focused on meeting demands and maintaining customer satisfaction, but this can lead to a lot of unforeseen outcomes, especially when your business becomes national and international with different laws and regulations,” he shares.
To address areas of concern, Vincent’s approach is to hire experts in his areas of weakness because “you can’t be an expert at everything,” he states. As a leader, Vincent feels that no matter how smart or charismatic an individual may be, most people will follow and respect those that lead by example. “Sometimes it’s more important to show you are part of the team and not always the one driving it,” Vincent says.
He treats his employees and clients like family stating, “If you’re fair to them, they will often show you the same fairness in return.” He feels that actively listening to his employees and clients has offered him great insight over the years and has helped him grow as a business leader.
To sustain his company’s competency, Vincent and his partner advocate continual learning and reward their employees to stay current with their craft. “Part of that education will come from vigilance through many different venues aligned with the FBI, Homeland Security, etc., along with strategic partnerships and developing in-house expertise across the different standards and regulations,” he shares.
A frequent speaker at industry and government events, Vincent often addresses how virtually every organization has employee, health, or financial information and needs at least some basic protections in place to avoid being seen by hackers as low-hanging fruit. More broadly, he seeks to bring the public and private sectors together to address key cybersecurity issues – confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Vincent also attributes his success to his father who developed and started his own business many years ago. “He never ceased to amaze me. He had an incredible work ethic, there was almost nothing he didn’t believe he couldn’t do and most times he was correct,” Vincent shares.
Outside of work Vincent’s passions revolve around the water. He loves to Scuba Dive and fish and finds that there is nothing more peaceful to him during his downtime.
Upcoming Trends
In an ever-evolving digital landscape, change is inevitable as regulations are constantly changing, and new vulnerabilities are identified daily. New technologies, such as AI and blockchain have altered how business is conducted by integrating new vulnerabilities, new tools, and new threats. Despite emerging technologies, there are many things an organization can do to be secure and compliant without breaking the bank if they are willing to put in the effort.
“I see there is a lot of focus around AI in both preventing AI threats and utilizing it as a prevention mechanism. We must keep in mind that threat actors have access to the same tools we do so this recent push into AI can be leveraged offensively and defensively,” states Vincent. “In the end, every business needs to ensure the protection of their sensitive data to reduce the risks of data breaches to protect their brand and client information,” he concludes.
