Cyber attacks can wreak havoc on our industries, global supply chains and personal security.

That’s why Tony Wittock, director/CTO of Mount Laurel-based Cyber Security Consulting Ops, encourages his clients to prepare by training their employees to detect and avoid potential threats.

“You can be one click away from inviting someone into your system,” Wittock said.

His business, which started in 2017, is a risk-management cybersecurity consulting firm focused on helping organizations prevent data loss and system lock-ups before a cyber breach.

Wittock spent years working for Comcast and later Cisco before starting his business. “It’s something I love to do,” he said of his work protecting his clients online.

Wittock’s own experiences are also top of mind as he works to protect others from cyber attacks.

Many years ago, his personal home security system was hacked. “I felt violated,” Wittock said of the breach.

He figured out what happened and realized he could help others avoid the pitfalls of doing business online.

“In 2017, I decided to put a name to it,” he said, explaining his clients are small businesses and “any organization online that is seeking to protect its assets.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, the business suffered as clients’ priorities changed, but Wittock adapted, developing online courses for employers and employees designed to help them recognize and avoid potential threats.

While he enjoys his work, Wittock said starting a business has had its highs and lows. “I thought it would be easier than it turned out to be,” he said. He learned that “the key to business was to generate relationships.”

Now, more established, he has developed those crucial connections and built his client base by engaging with chambers of commerce and using good old-fashioned word of mouth.

He also uses online marketing with a focus on search engine optimization (SEO) and the value of keyword searches.

One of his clients recently found him with a simple Google search.

Wittock had heard of the New Jersey Business Action Center after attending an event hosted by NJBAC at Rowan University a couple of years ago, but it wasn’t until he received an email from the Small Business Administration about exporting that he started to work with the NJBAC’s Office of Export Promotion.

Now, he hopes to expand and serve clients outside the United States with the aid of a NJ State Trade Expansion Program (NJSTEP) grant to help translate his website into multiple languages and reach an international audience.

His advice to new business owners? “Before you start a business, maybe a year or two before, start socializing and building relationships,” Wittock said. Learn more at www.cybersecurityconsultingops.com