The cybersecurity landscape is one that is constantly evolving and shifting in its current state. The Essential 8 framework, developed by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), provides a practical approach to enhancing cybersecurity for businesses. This framework, which we here at Adept IT Solutions follows as a point of reference, is crucial for businesses seeking to improve their overall cyber safety levels. Let’s take a deeper look into what exactly the Essential 8 framework is, why is it so important for businesses, and how managed IT services can help implement it.

The Essential 8 is a set of standard cybersecurity strategies designed to protect businesses from cyber threats. These eight strategies are not only a guideline, but also a proactive measure to mitigate various types of cyber risks. Implementing these 8 strategies ensures that your business is best set up to combat potential cyberattacks, and have the greatest chance of preventing them.
The mitigation strategies that establish the Essential 8 are:
- Patch Applications
- Patch Operating Systems
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- Restrict Administrative Privileges
- Application Control
- Restrict Microsoft Office Macros
- User Application Hardening
- Regular Backups.
What are the Essential 8 Strategies?

Let’s take a look at each of the Essential 8 strategies to see how they work, and how they can best set your business up for success.
Essential 8 – Patch Applications
Patching applications is one of the most critical elements of the Essential 8 cybersecurity strategies. This process involves regularly updating software to fix security vulnerabilities and improve functionality. For businesses, keeping applications up to date is not just a technical task but a crucial component of maintaining a robust cybersecurity posture.
Unpatched applications are a prime target for cybercriminals. By exploiting known vulnerabilities, attackers can gain unauthorised access to systems, steal sensitive information, or deploy malware. Regularly applying patches ensures that these vulnerabilities are addressed promptly, reducing the risk of exploitation.
Essential 8 – Patch Operating Systems
Patching operating systems is a critical component of the Essential 8 cybersecurity strategies. Just like applications, operating systems (OS) require regular updates to fix security vulnerabilities, improve performance, and ensure stability. For businesses, keeping operating systems up to date is vital for maintaining a secure IT environment.
Patches often include bug fixes and performance enhancements that improve the overall reliability and efficiency of the operating system. By keeping the OS updated, businesses can ensure that their systems run smoothly, reducing downtime and boosting productivity.
Essential 8 – Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a key component of the Essential 8 cybersecurity strategies, designed to significantly enhance the security of business operations. MFA adds an additional layer of security by requiring users to provide two or more forms of verification before gaining access to a system.
These forms of identification typically fall into three categories:
- Something You Know: This usually involves a password or a PIN.
- Something You Have: This could be a physical token, a smartphone with an authentication app, or a smart card.
- Something You Are: This involves biometric verification, such as a fingerprint, facial recognition, or voice recognition.
By requiring multiple forms of authentication, MFA ensures that even if one factor (such as a password) is compromised, unauthorised access is still prevented without the other factors.
Essential 8 – Restrict Administrative Privileges

Restricting administrative privileges is a crucial element of the Essential 8 cybersecurity strategies. Administrative accounts, often referred to as “admin” accounts, have elevated permissions that allow them to make significant changes to systems, applications, and network configurations. If these accounts fall into the wrong hands, the consequences can be devastating.
By minimising the number of users with elevated permissions and ensuring that administrative access is tightly controlled and monitored, businesses can significantly enhance their security posture. IT support and managed IT services play a vital role in implementing and maintaining effective strategies for restricting administrative privileges. Through continuous monitoring, regular audits, MFA, and Role Based Access Controls (RBAC), these services ensure that businesses remain resilient against evolving cyber threats.
Essential 8 – Application Control
Application control, also known as application whitelisting, is a fundamental aspect of the Essential 8 cybersecurity strategies. It involves specifying which applications are allowed to run on an organisation’s systems, thereby preventing unauthorised or malicious software from executing. This strategy is particularly important for businesses aiming to protect their IT environment from a wide range of cyber threats.
This process typically involves:
- Whitelisting: Creating a list of approved applications that are allowed to execute.
- Blacklisting: Identifying and blocking known malicious or unauthorised applications.
- Greylisting: Allowing conditional execution of applications based on specific criteria or user permissions.
By implementing application control, businesses can prevent unapproved software, including malware, from running on their systems, thereby reducing the risk of cyberattacks.
Essential 8 – Restrict Microsoft Office Macros
Restricting Microsoft Office macros is a key component of the Essential 8 cybersecurity strategies. Macros are powerful scripting tools that can automate tasks within Microsoft Office applications, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. While they can enhance productivity, macros also pose significant security risks if misused or maliciously exploited.
They are widely used for legitimate purposes, such as generating reports, performing calculations, and streamlining workflows. However, cybercriminals often exploit macros to execute malicious code, deliver malware, and steal sensitive information. This makes controlling and restricting macro execution a critical security measure.
By controlling and limiting the execution of macros, businesses can prevent malware attacks, protect sensitive data, enhance compliance, and reduce the attack surface.
Essential 8 – User Application Hardening

Regular backups are a crucial component of the Essential 8 cybersecurity strategies. They involve creating copies of data and systems to ensure that information can be restored in the event of data loss, corruption, or a cyberattack.
A backup is a copy of data or system configurations stored separately from the original source. Regular backups ensure that these copies are updated frequently, capturing the latest data and changes. Types of backups include:
- Full Backups: Complete copies of all data and systems.
- Incremental Backups: Copies of data that have changed since the last backup.
- Differential Backups: Copies of data that have changed since the last full backup.
Essential 8 – Contact Adept IT Solutions to Implement Today
Whilst the Essential 8 cybersecurity strategies listed above are all incredibly vital to a business’ overall level of IT protection, it can be quite a significant task for a company to implement themselves. Managed IT Service providers, such as the team here at Adept IT Solutions, can assist with this.
Equipped with the latest knowledge, certificates and technical expertise, the staff at Adept IT Solutions follow the Essential 8 mitigation strategies to ensure the safety and security of all business IT infrastructure involved. If you would like to know more about our cutting-edge cyber security awareness and training platform, click here.
A leading provider of IT support and IT services in the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Central Coast and Sydney areas, Adept IT Solutions has the experience and reliability required for such an important investment in your business.
If you would like to chat further about the Essential 8 cybersecurity strategies, or even any of our extensive list of services, please contact us at 1300 423 378 (ADEPT) or email us at info@adept-it.com.au. We look forward to helping your business remain cyber safe!