New Clintonville IT firm tries to stay one click ahead of hackers
As the world continues to move at the speed of a computer keystroke, Daniel Maldet is trying to stay one click ahead of the hackers.
Maldet is the owner of CMIT Solutions of Downtown Columbus, a full-service tech firm that specializes in cybersecurity, located at 3316 N. High St. in Clintonville.
As more and more information moves online, hackers are looking for clever ways to access credit card and Social Security numbers, as well as other sensitive information.
"I think if you look at it from the hacker's point of view, it's an opportunity," said Maldet, a franchisee of the Austin-based CMIT Solutions.
"The reality is more small- and medium-sized businesses are targeted more than most people realize."
Maldet said his company, which has a territory that includes most of Clintonville and downtown Columbus and points west across the river, generally works with businesses with 100 or fewer employees.
"They don't have someone to work full-time" on cybersecurity, he said. "They also don't think they're at risk."
He said 93% of data breaches are caused by email phishing, where hackers send a message that looks legitimate, asking employees to click on a link or send vital information, such as a bank-account transfer of large sums of money.
He said 60% of companies that are hacked go out of business in 60 days.
"To some degree, any business is at risk," Maldet said.
Once the hackers are in, they can steal personal information from clients or hold the data for ransom, he said.
That's where RMM, or remote monitoring management, comes in. Using specialty-designed software, CMIT can monitor everything off-site. The clients also receive internal notifications from the software of any potential issue.
CMIT Solutions, once known as Completely Managed IT, also provides a number of other services, such as network installation, troubleshooting and printer setup, said Maldet, who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with an electrical engineering degree.
He also owned Tek Experts in Clintonville, but closed the business because of his new enterprise.
For now, the office has three employees, with room for a fourth – although the work can be done remotely ‒ and possibly many more, he said.
Maldet said he realizes there is a lot of competition, but there's plenty of work for everybody.
"I don't want to say unlimited, but there is room for growth," he said.
Nancy Kuhel, executive director of the Clintonville Area Business Association, said she's known Maldet since he owned Tek Experts and said he's "a top-notch guy with service."
"Having someone like that in our community is going to be very important for small- to medium-sized businesses," Kuhel said.
gseman@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekGary
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: New Clintonville IT firm tries to stay one click ahead of hackers
