Warren Averett’s Emily Jones and Scott Vance Featured in Birmingham Business Journal
Warren Averett Technology Group’s own Emily Jones and Scott Vance were recently featured as contributors to the Birmingham Business Journal’s (BBJ) Table of Experts Series in the Insights into Data Protection segment.
The BBJ’s Table of Experts Series highlights expertise from local professionals about important topics in the business community. In the Insights into Data Protection edition of the series, Emily and Scott provided answers to common questions about data protection and cybersecurity and what businesses should know and do to keep their companies secure.
In the BBJ’s feature, Emily noted, “Cybersecurity concerns are not new, but they’re growing. Hackers are becoming much more advanced in their attacks, and COVID-19 has provided an opportunity for bad actors to prey on companies that were not as prepared as they could have been. The major increase in attacks can largely be attributed to the number of users who have been accessing companies’ networks remotely and their lack of preparedness to do so safely. Companies can take corrective measures, but it requires an action plan that prioritizes security first.”
When it comes to some of the data protection best practices for companies and organizations, Scott Vance recommends a proactive approach, “There are three essential measures to consider: obtaining an assessment of your current system, utilizing a monitoring and early-detection solution, and securing a system to log and trace attacks. A technical security assessment will determine the current security status of your company’s technical environment based on best practices.”
Emily Jones serves as the Practice Leader and Director of Operations for Warren Averett Technology Group. She has more than 30 years of experience, including a 12-year career at a leading company in advanced technology and transaction solutions and 20 years with an accounting firm where she was a founding member of the technology group and held a leadership position. Emily leads a team of experts who provide technology solutions, business consulting and software solutions to clients. She manages all administrative and operational functions for Warren Averett Technology Group and is responsible for implementing processes that support client satisfaction. She has a varied skill set in technology that consists of business management, technical infrastructure, database management, software solutions, general IT consulting and customer service best practices. Working to ensure constant improvement and solving technology issues for others is what Emily enjoys most.
Scott Vance serves as a Security Services Manager for Warren Averett Technology Group. His previous experience includes 20 years of IT security, networking, cryptography and mainframe services in the United States Air Force. Scott also served as a senior security consultant for commercial and government agencies for eight years. He is responsible for Warren Averett Technology Group’s Technical Security Services Division. Scott performs various services which include penetration testing, web application assessments and vulnerability scanning. He also advises Warren Averett Technology Group consultants on all security matters regarding Information Technology best practices and network architecture. Scott directs and trains our monitoring team for PCI, HIPPA, DFARS and many other NIST-based compliance monitoring services. His role also includes technical auditing for network architecture, perimeter architecture and firewall rule sets for our Risk Assessment practices.
Data protect and cybersecurity remain a priority for Warren Averett, both as we seek to support our clients’ growth in a world of changing technology and as we seek to improve our own organization into the future. If you would like to read the Insights into Data Protection feature in full, you can access it here.