# About | Eightstep > Eightstep is a security-led managed IT provider in Melbourne, for businesses that value protection over price. Who we're for, how we work, and the eight-step method behind the name. Source: https://eightstep.com.au/about # About Eightstep **Security-led IT for businesses that take protection seriously** We're a Melbourne managed IT provider built for clients who value protection over price: businesses that want IT so well governed it stops being a source of noise and risk altogether. [Get started](https://eightstep.com.au/contact) [See the method](https://eightstep.com.au/about#method) ## Trusted by Australian organisations ## Who we're for Two kinds of client, with one thing in common: they take their business seriously enough to protect it properly. ### Firms where the data is the business Wealth management, family offices, financial and professional services. Modern Microsoft 365 and Azure environments, mostly information workers, and smart people who want to use technology, including AI, and want it done safely. - Identity, data and devices governed to the standard the data demands - A safe path to AI, rather than a ban on it - Trusted by a private family office with the environment that protects significant family wealth - Trusted by a private wealth firm that has grown from a small team to 80 staff on our watch, layering in security investments as it scaled ### Operators where IT runs the floor Hospitality and other multi-site businesses. Point of sale, scanners, front-of-house devices, wireless, comms and industry applications all have to work together, across every location, every day. - One standard for every site, from the first to the newest - The counter keeps trading when a link or a device fails - Trusted by a national coffee roaster whose IT just works, quietly, across every location ## Four reasons to choose Eightstep What sets us apart, in the order it matters. ### Security without compromise Every security tool we deploy is chosen on one measure: how well it stops threats and protects your data and your uptime. Not how neatly it bundles, and not what it costs us. ### Frameworks change. Attack paths don't. Essential Eight, SMB1001, NIST: we map to whichever you need. What we work from sits under all of them: where your data lives, who and what can reach it, and the paths an attacker would take to get there. ### The Eightstep Method The name is the method. Each layer of your environment is assessed, remediated, documented and governed before we build on it. Nothing runs on top of cracks. ### We govern ourselves the way we govern you Controls on who in our team can grant rights in your environment, and on who can commit your money. A register of exactly what's protected, visible to you at all times. ## The Eightstep Method A staged journey through every layer of your environment, in order. Each step is assessed, remediated, documented and governed before the next begins, and every client knows which step they're at. ### Network The ground everything stands on: switching, firewalls and wireless. No unmanaged devices, no default credentials, no mystery boxes in the comms cupboard. ### Devices Every workstation, laptop and device accounted for, standardised and managed. The random hardware that drains support hours is retired. ### Identity and infrastructure Servers and cloud, whether Azure, AWS or on premises. Every identity current, every legacy account gone, and multi-factor authentication everywhere, with no exceptions. ### Data The pivot point of the method. Where every critical dataset lives, who can reach it, how an attacker would get to it, and proof it's backed up and restorable. ### Security tooling An audit of the security tools already in place. Anything outdated, unused or misconfigured is fixed or removed, so you stop paying for shelf-ware. ### Hardened layers The premium controls go on: the layers that tightly restrict what can run, who can get in and what gets through. ### Applications Your line-of-business applications, how they connect to each other, and whether each is correctly deployed, licensed and secured. ### AI Where AI is being used in your business, where it's being used without your knowledge, and the risks that creates. Then a path to use it safely and get ahead with it. ## Progress you can see Documentation that's current, not aspirational. You always have a clean, rapid view of your own environment, and of what we're doing in it. ### Which step you're on Every client knows where they are in the method, what's been done at each layer and what comes next. Progress is visible, not a feeling. ### What's protected A register of exactly what is backed up and exactly what we've chosen to protect, with the last proof that each one can be restored. ### Who can do what Controls on who in our team can grant rights in your environment, and on who can commit your money. Every grant and every purchase is approved and logged. ## The noise drops away The risk collapses. IT stops being the thing that constrains you, and the only limits left on your growth are your own product and your own market. 24/7 Priority 1 response when the work can't wait 98.4% customer satisfaction from end-user feedback last quarter 99.86% core infrastructure uptime across all clients over the past year 5 industries, with sites across four states and Singapore ## Questions, answered Anything else? [Ask us directly](https://eightstep.com.au/contact). **Are you the cheapest?** No, and we're not trying to be. We're built for businesses that value protection over price. What you get for that is an environment with no cracked foundations, tooling chosen for how well it protects you, and a team that governs itself as carefully as it governs you. **Which security framework do you work to?** Whichever you need. We map to the Essential Eight, SMB1001 or NIST as your clients, insurers or regulators require. Underneath, we work from the fundamentals every framework rests on: where your data lives, who and what can reach it, and how an attacker would get there. **Will you work with what we already have?** Yes, wherever it's sound. We audit what's in place and keep what works. Unmanaged switches, shared passwords and stale identities aren't managed around: they're fixed, early, in the first steps of the method. **Can you help with a one-off job?** Our clients join us for a journey rather than a ticket queue. The Eightstep Method is how we take on every environment, and it's what makes the later steps stick. If you want a one-off view of where you stand, start with our [Essential 8 benchmark](https://eightstep.com.au/essential-8). **Where are you based?** South Melbourne, at Level 5, 22 Albert Street. Metro sites get on-site support. Regional and interstate sites are supported remotely, with visits by arrangement. **How do we get started?** With one free meeting. You'll leave with a written scope and an indicative price for your environment.