Free Guide — Ransomware Readiness

Is your business ready for
a ransomware attack?

South African organisations are increasingly targeted — and most don’t find out until it’s too late. This free guide reveals the 10 controls every business must have in place before an attack occurs.

  • The 10 essential ransomware controls explained in plain language
  • Board-level questions your IT team should be able to answer
  • Written for South African businesses and their specific risk landscape
  • No jargon. No fluff. Straight answers.

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80–90%
of breaches stopped by MFA alone — yet most SMEs still don’t have it everywhere
2 hrs
The first two hours of a ransomware attack often determine the final outcome
10
Controls in this guide. Miss any one of them and you have a gap attackers will find

What’s inside

The 10 controls covered in the guide

Each control is explained in plain language — what it is, why it matters, and what failure looks like in practice.

01

Immutable, Tested Backups

If your backups can be encrypted by an attacker, they are not backups. Learn the 3-2-1 strategy and why untested backups are as good as no backups.

02

Multi-Factor Authentication Everywhere

MFA blocks 80–90% of common breaches. The guide covers where it must be enforced — email, VPN, remote desktop, and admin accounts.

03

Endpoint Detection & Response

Traditional antivirus does not stop ransomware. EDR detects behaviour — and can stop encryption before it begins.

04

Patch & Vulnerability Management

Most breaches exploit vulnerabilities that already have fixes available. The guide explains why monthly patching cycles are no longer sufficient.

05

Least Privilege Access

One compromised user account should not mean a fully compromised company. This control limits how far an attacker can spread once inside.

06–10

Email Protection, Segmentation, Remote Access + more

The remaining five controls cover your biggest remaining exposure points — including the Incident Response Plan that most SMEs don’t have.

Everything above is covered in plain language — no IT degree required.

Get the free guide →

Also included

Three questions every board should be able to answer

The guide includes a board-level section specifically written for finance directors and business owners — not just IT teams.

How long would we be offline after an attack, and what is the total downtime cost to the business?

Do we have verified backups — and have they actually been tested and proven to restore successfully?

Who is responsible during an incident — and does everyone know their role before the crisis begins?

If your IT team cannot answer all three questions with confidence, your business has a risk gap. The guide shows you what the answers should look like.

Written by AtomGate — Durban’s managed IT and cybersecurity specialists

AtomGate works with South African SMEs to implement the controls in this guide — and to respond when things go wrong. This guide is written from direct experience, not from theory.

We work with finance directors and business owners who need straight answers about their IT risk — not technical jargon. If you’d like to talk through your current exposure, we’re available.

Speak to a specialist →

Certified Partner

SonicWall Gold

AtomGate is a SonicWall Gold Partner — one of a small number of firms in South Africa recognised at this level.


Also partnered with

Microsoft  ·  Edge Connect  ·  Olivetti  ·  TP-Link  ·  MiWiFi