Managed IT Security Services

Managed Security Services for Australian Businesses

CRT Network Solutions provides managed security services for Australian businesses that want their cybersecurity handled properly, not just monitored. We run identity, endpoint, email, backup, and 24/7 monitoring on one platform, aligned to the ACSC Essential Eight, with senior technicians on the phone inside 3 minutes when something breaks. No first-level scripts.

Request A Free Quote

Why Australian Businesses Need Managed Security Services

Australian businesses are being targeted more, and losing more, than at any time on record. According to the ACSC Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024-25, identity fraud was the top reported cybercrime in Australia last year. The average small business lost $56,571 per incident, and medium businesses lost $97,166. Business email compromise accounted for 15% of all business cybercrime reports.

The reason a lot of these attacks succeed isn’t sophistication. It’s the same handful of gaps repeating across thousands of Australian businesses: MFA turned on for admins but not everyone, no monitored alerting, no incident response plan, no tested backup. Managed security services close those gaps and keep them closed, not with a one-off audit, but by owning the whole picture continuously.

What Our Managed Security Services Include

Every business we secure runs on the same underlying baseline. Here’s what’s typically included:

24/7 monitoring and alerting

Alerts from Defender, Sentinel, and endpoint tools go to a monitored inbox with defined response SLAs. Not a shared mailbox nobody reads.

Vulnerability management and risk assessments

Quarterly vulnerability scans across identity, devices, and infrastructure, with a written report and a prioritised remediation plan.

Incident response

A written IR plan tailored to your business, and a phone number to call at 2 am when something’s wrong.

Endpoint security

Managed endpoint detection and response (Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or equivalent) on every laptop and workstation, with 24/7 monitoring and automated incident response.

Identity and access management

Multi-factor authentication on every account, conditional access policies, Privileged Identity Management, and quarterly access reviews. Built on Microsoft Entra ID or the equivalent identity system your business already uses.

Email and phishing protection

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 tuned properly, with Safe Attachments, Safe Links, anti-phishing policies, SPF/DKIM/DMARC records configured, and inbound impersonation protection for senior staff.

Backup and disaster recovery

Third-party backup for your Microsoft 365 tenant and any on-premises data, encrypted at rest on Australian servers. Nightly runs, quarterly restore tests.

Managed firewall and network security

Business-grade firewall configured, patched, and monitored. DNS filtering on every device, whether it’s on the office network or someone’s home Wi-Fi.

Delivering the ACSC Essential Eight

The Essential Eight is the ACSC’s baseline for Australian businesses. Six of the eight controls map directly to what we configure and maintain as part of our managed security services: application control, patch applications, configure Microsoft Office macro settings, user application hardening, restrict administrative privileges, patch operating systems, multi-factor authentication, and regular backups.

We assess your current environment against the Essential Eight during onboarding, produce a written gap analysis with a maturity level score (ML1, ML2, or ML3), and remediate the gaps under an agreed plan. From there, ongoing managed security keeps you at the target maturity level without drift.

For regulated industries (medical, legal, radiology, financial services), we build the setup to meet the industry standard on top of the Essential Eight baseline. RACGP Information Security Standards for medical practices. LPCC guidance for legal firms. APRA CPS 234 for financial services. The compliance requirements aren’t optional; the way they’re delivered can be.

The ACSC’s parent body, ASD, is progressively releasing a new framework called the ASD Essentials series, starting with Essentials for Enterprise IT and expanding to cover cloud, operational technology, and potentially AI environments. During the transition, Essential Eight and the new Essentials guidance will coexist, and organisations already aligned to Essential Eight are well positioned for the new framework. We monitor the transition and update our managed security services baseline as new components are released.

Managed IT Security Services for Every Australian Business

Different industries have different risk profiles and different auditors. Our managed IT security services are built to match all businesses that require strong cyber security, including:

Medical practices and dental practices: RACGP, AHPRA, and My Health Records Act obligations built into the identity, sharing, and audit configuration. Best Practice, Medical Director, and PACS integrations secured properly.
Legal firms: Retention policies, sensitivity labels, and DLP configured to Legal Profession Uniform Law and LPCC guidance. Client confidentiality is not an afterthought.
Radiology practices: RIS, PACS, and home reporting setups secured across distributed reporters. Comrad, Karisma, and Voyager environments supported.
Accounting and financial services firms: APRA CPS 234 alignment, tax file number handling under the Privacy Act, and the audit trail your professional standards board expects.

How Our Managed Security Services Work

Getting your business onto our managed security services is a defined process. Most businesses are fully onboarded inside three weeks.

1. Discovery and Essential Eight gap analysis

We audit your current identity, endpoints, email, network, backup, and monitoring against the Essential Eight. You get a written report with a maturity score and a remediation plan.

2. Remediation and hardening

We close the gaps identified in the audit, roll out the security baseline (MFA, conditional access, Defender, DLP, backup), and get you to your target Essential Eight maturity level.

3. Ongoing managed security

From cutover day, we monitor the environment 24/7, respond to alerts, tune policies as your business changes, and run quarterly reviews to keep the maturity level from drifting.

Why Choose CRT as Your Managed Security Services Provider

Australian-owned, operating since 2006

Nearly 20 years of Australian business security experience. Not a franchise, not a rebadged offshore provider.

Senior technicians answer inside 3 minutes

Not a junior on a script. The person who picks up when your identity gets phished at 11 pm on a Sunday knows what to do.

Local Brisbane and Sunshine Coast offices

Physical presence in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, with Australia-wide remote coverage.

Professional services focus

Our client base is legal, medical, dental, radiology, accounting, and consulting firms. That’s the specific compliance overlay we specialise in.

One team for the whole environment

Identity, endpoint, email, backup, monitoring, and helpdesk all handled by the same team. No vendor finger-pointing when something breaks.

Testimonials

What Our Clients Say

Managed Security Services You Can Rely On

Speak With An Experienced
Managed Security Provider

At CRT, our MSSP experts have years of experience in it security and maintaining secure networks for our clients. Contact the team today to discuss the possibility of a complete security assessment for your business.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are managed security services?

Managed security services are a subscription arrangement where an external provider (an MSSP) takes ownership of your cybersecurity monitoring, prevention, and response. Instead of buying separate tools and managing them yourself, one team handles identity, endpoint, email, network, backup, and incident response, aligned to a security framework like the ACSC Essential Eight, with 24/7 alerting and defined response SLAs.

How is managed security different from cybersecurity software?

Cybersecurity software is a tool. Managed security is what happens after the tool. Buying Microsoft Defender and turning it on is not the same as configuring it properly, monitoring the alerts it generates, responding to the ones that matter, and tuning the policies as your business changes. Managed security services cover the operational work, not just the technology.

What is the ACSC Essential Eight, and how does it relate to managed security?

The Essential Eight is the ACSC's baseline set of eight mitigation strategies proven to prevent around 85% of common cyber attacks. Six of the eight map directly to Microsoft 365 configuration. Our managed security services assess your current maturity level (ML1, ML2, or ML3), remediate the gaps, and keep you at the target level continuously. For most Australian professional services businesses, ML1 is the practical target; regulated industries and government contractors often need ML2 or ML3.

Do I need managed security if I already have Microsoft 365 Business Premium?

Microsoft 365 Business Premium gives you most of the tools (Defender for Office 365, Intune, Entra ID P1, conditional access), but the licence alone doesn't secure your business. The tools have to be configured properly, alerts have to be monitored, incidents have to be responded to, and policies have to be tuned as your business grows. Managed security services do all of that; the licence is just the platform they run on.

Can you help us meet compliance obligations for our industry?

Yes. Our managed security services are built to meet the ACSC Essential Eight, the Privacy Act 1988 (including the Notifiable Data Breach scheme), RACGP Information Security Standards for medical practices, LPCC guidance for legal firms, and APRA CPS 234 for financial services. During onboarding, we identify which frameworks apply to your business and configure everything to meet them.

How fast do you respond when something goes wrong?

Senior technicians answer within 3 minutes for urgent issues. For confirmed security incidents (compromised account, active phishing, ransomware indicator), we begin containment within the first 15 minutes of the alert being triaged.

Is Essential Eight being replaced?

Not immediately. ASD is releasing a new framework called the ASD Essentials series, starting with Essentials for Enterprise IT, that will eventually cover cloud, operational technology, and potentially AI. During the transition, Essential Eight and the new Essentials guidance will coexist, and ASD has confirmed that organisations already using Essential Eight will have strong alignment with the new guidance. Nothing you invest in Essential Eight maturity today is wasted.

Request a quote

If you're weighing up managed security services for your Australian business, or unsure whether your current setup is actually managing the risk, we can walk you through where you stand. Call 1300 760 339 or request a quote online, and we'll book a discovery call and Essential Eight gap analysis.

Managed IT Security Services

Managed Security Services for Australian Businesses

Why Australian Businesses Need Managed Security Services