It’s one of the most common things we hear from agency leaders when the topic of cyber risk comes up: “We’re fine – we have an IT provider.”
It’s an understandable assumption. You’re paying for IT support, your systems are maintained, and someone is keeping the lights on. So why would you need anything more?
The answer is straightforward – quite simply, your IT team or MSP does not have you fully covered when it comes to cyber risk.
Your IT provider manages your infrastructure. Cyber risk management keeps you safe.
An IT provider keeps your systems running, your software updated and your hardware supported. That’s valuable. But cyber risk management is about far more than technology maintenance – it’s about peace of mind that your agency, and client and staff data is safe. Not to mention your reputation.
It’s about assessing vulnerabilities and closing gaps before they are exploited. It’s about staff awareness and training that changes behaviour – not just ticks a box. It’s about the policies, processes and governance that keep risk in check. And it’s about working with a specialist who can see across all three – your people, your technology and your governance
Policies drift. And nobody notices.
One of the most significant – and most overlooked – cyber risks in creative agencies is policy drift. Cyber security policies and controls that were put in place two or three years ago quietly become outdated as teams change, technology evolves and the pace of agency life takes over.
An agency might have been in good shape when its IT provider first set things up. But over time, new tools get adopted, freelancers come and go, and the controls that were once consistently applied start to slip – often without anyone realising. Access permissions that were never revoked. AI tools being used without a formal policy. Shared credentials that nobody thought to question.
Your IT provider isn’t responsible for monitoring whether your internal policies remain fit for purpose. That falls on you. And if nobody is actively checking, the gaps quietly grow before it’s too late.
Who is checking your IT provider?
Here’s the question most agencies haven’t asked: if a cyber breach comes through your IT provider, would you know? Would you be prepared? Who would protect you?
Supply chain attacks – where criminals target a trusted third-party partner to gain access to your systems – are now one of the most common methods of compromise. The very relationship that you’re relying on for protection can, if not properly managed, become a vulnerability in its own right.
Robust cyber risk management means having clear oversight of every third party with access to your systems – not just assuming they’re secure because they say they are.
The human element is your biggest exposure
Technology can only do so much. The vast majority of successful cyber attacks exploit human behaviour – a phishing email clicked, a password shared, a contractor given access that was never revoked. No IT provider, however competent, can fully protect you from this.
Agencies need regular, structured training that keeps people alert to social engineering tactics. They need clear processes for onboarding and offboarding freelancers and contractors. And they need a culture where security isn’t an afterthought – it’s part of how the business operates.
What good looks like
A well-managed cyber risk posture for an agency goes beyond having an IT provider in place. It includes:
- Regular assessments to identify where exposure has grown gaps
- Up-to-date, actively maintained cyber security policies
- Clear governance of who has access to what – including freelancers / contractors
- Penetration testing and vulnerability scanning
- Third-party risk management across your supply chain
- Documented processes to demonstrate compliance
Your IT provider is part of the solution. But cyber risk management is the strategy that holds it all together.
Ready to find out where your agency really stands?
If your position is “we have an IT provider” that’s a starting point, not the full picture.
We give creative agencies specialist oversight of their cyber risk, showing you where you’re exposed and what needs to be addressed.
That includes:
- Cyber risk assessments across your systems, people and processes
- Testing and validation, including phishing simulations and vulnerability scanning
- Policy and governance support to keep controls effective
- Supply chain assurance to reduce third-party risk
- Ongoing monitoring and board-level reporting
- Incident readiness and response support
We don’t just look at your IT, we give you a clear view of your real cyber risk.
Get a clearer view of your cyber risk – and where you’re exposed. Contact us today.
