Financial Services · Cybersecurity & Compliance

Cybersecurity & APRA Compliance for Financial Services

Protect client data, meet regulatory obligations, and achieve audit-ready security. APRA CPS 234 & CPS 230 aligned frameworks, Essential Eight implementation, and 24/7 monitoring — from assessment to audit-ready in 90 days.

Book a Compliance Assessment 1300 425 548
Your Compliance Coverage
APRA CPS 234 Information Security — controls, testing & incident response
APRA CPS 230 Operational Risk — resilience, continuity & vendor management
Essential Eight ASD baseline — patching, MFA, application control & backups
SMB1001 Practical security baseline recognised by insurers & auditors
Assessment → Audit-Ready in 90 Days Clear milestones. Documented evidence. No surprises.
90 Days Assessment to Audit-Ready
24/7 Threat Monitoring & Response
E8 + CPS Dual-Framework Aligned Controls
Zero Gaps Left Undocumented
The Compliance Gap

Most Financial Services Firms Have These Gaps Right Now

APRA doesn't accept "we didn't know." These are the most common compliance failures we find when financial services firms let us in — each one a regulatory liability.

High Risk
Former staff still have access to client records and financial systems. Without documented offboarding and access reviews, ex-employees — including former advisers and administrators — can remain in your systems months after leaving. APRA and the Privacy Act require you to demonstrate controlled, reviewable access at all times.
Obligation Under APRA CPS 234 · Identity & Access Management
High Risk
Auditors ask for your incident response plan. You can't produce one. APRA CPS 234 requires regulated entities to maintain and test documented incident response procedures. Most smaller practices have none, or a document last updated years ago that no one has tested. This becomes an immediate finding in any regulatory review.
Obligation Under APRA CPS 234 · Incident Response Planning
High Risk
Third-party platforms have unchecked access to client data with no oversight process. Xplan, IRESS, Class Super, and other platforms hold sensitive client information. APRA CPS 230 requires documented third-party risk management — including reviewing what access vendors have, how they protect data, and what happens if they fail. Most firms have no process in place.
Obligation Under APRA CPS 230 · Third-Party Risk Management
What We Implement

Aligned to the Frameworks Regulators and Auditors Expect

We structure your IT and cybersecurity controls to address each regulatory obligation — with documented evidence you can hand to an auditor, insurer, or board at any time.

APRA CPS 234

Information Security

Controls, testing, and incident management aligned to APRA's information security standard for regulated financial entities.

  • Identity and access management with role-based permissions
  • Documented security controls and annual testing
  • Incident response plan — written, tested, and maintained
  • Cybersecurity awareness training for all staff
  • Vulnerability management and patch schedules
APRA CPS 230

Operational Risk Management

Resilience, continuity, and vendor oversight aligned to APRA's operational risk management standard.

  • Business continuity plan documented and tested
  • Backup and disaster recovery — scheduled and verified
  • Third-party and vendor risk assessments
  • Change management processes and documentation
  • Operational resilience testing and reporting
Essential Eight

ASD Security Baseline

Australia's practical security baseline — aligned to ASD's Essential Eight and recognised by cyber insurers and auditors.

  • Multi-factor authentication across all systems
  • Application control and allowlisting
  • Patch management — applications and operating systems
  • Restrict administrative privileges
  • Regular backups with tested recovery
SMB1001

SMB Cybersecurity Framework

A practical, implementable standard for financial services firms — recognised by insurers and used as evidence in cyber insurance renewals.

  • Structured security baseline with tiered maturity levels
  • Evidence-ready documentation for insurers
  • Aligns with Essential Eight for consistent posture
  • Supported by All IT Services implementation guides
  • Annual review and attestation support
The All IT Difference

What You Get With All IT Services

01

Audit-ready systems from day one

Identity and access management, documented change processes, clear records of who accessed what and when, and systems designed to meet APRA expectations — not scrambled together before an audit.

02

Cybersecurity that protects without slowing your team

MFA, encrypted devices, secure file sharing, and network security configured so advisers work productively — while client data stays protected at rest and in transit.

03

Evidence for auditors, insurers, and regulators

Documentation of system changes, access reviews, backup and recovery testing, and incident response procedures — ready the moment APRA, your insurer, or your board asks for it.

04

Planned changes that don't create compliance gaps

Updates and system changes are planned, documented, tested, and communicated — so nothing disrupts client work, creates undocumented risk, or opens a gap in your controls at an inconvenient time.

How We Get You There

Assessment to Audit-Ready in 90 Days

A structured, three-phase process that closes your compliance gaps, builds documented evidence, and positions your firm for confident regulatory engagement — without disrupting your day-to-day operations.

1
Weeks 1–4

Assess & Map

We audit your current IT environment against APRA CPS 234, CPS 230, and Essential Eight — identifying every gap, risk, and missing control before any remediation begins.

  • APRA gap analysis report
  • Current-state security assessment
  • Access and identity review
  • Third-party risk inventory
  • Remediation priority plan
2
Weeks 5–10

Implement & Document

We close your identified gaps — implementing controls, writing policies, and building the documented evidence base regulators and insurers need to see.

  • Essential Eight controls deployed
  • MFA and access management configured
  • Incident response plan written & tested
  • Backup and DR procedures established
  • Vendor risk assessments completed
3
Week 12 Onwards

Monitor & Maintain

Ongoing 24/7 monitoring, quarterly reviews, and annual control testing — so your compliance posture stays current as regulations evolve and your firm grows.

  • 24/7 threat detection and alerting
  • Quarterly access and change reviews
  • Annual Essential Eight assessment
  • Ongoing staff security awareness
  • Audit-ready reporting on demand
Our Services

Cybersecurity Solutions for Financial Services

APRA Gap Assessment

A structured review of your current IT environment against CPS 234 and CPS 230 obligations, producing a prioritised remediation plan and executive summary.

Essential Eight Implementation

End-to-end deployment of all eight ASD security controls — from MFA and application hardening through to backup testing and privilege management.

Identity & Access Management

Role-based permissions, MFA enforcement, documented onboarding and offboarding, and regular access reviews — aligned to CPS 234 requirements.

24/7 Threat Monitoring

Continuous monitoring of your environment for threats, anomalies, and policy violations — with documented alerting and response procedures aligned to your incident response plan.

Audit Documentation & Evidence

We maintain and organise the documentation APRA auditors, cyber insurers, and boards expect: control registers, change logs, testing records, and incident documentation.

Data Protection & Encryption

Device encryption, secure email and file sharing, network segmentation, and data classification — ensuring client data is protected at rest and in transit under Privacy Act obligations.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is APRA CPS 234 and what does it require of our firm? APRA CPS 234 is the information security standard that applies to APRA-regulated entities and their service providers. It requires firms to maintain information security capabilities proportional to the threats they face, document and test security controls, implement access management, establish an incident response capability, and notify APRA of material incidents. We design your IT environment to align with these requirements and maintain the documented evidence to demonstrate compliance.
How does APRA CPS 230 affect our IT obligations? APRA CPS 230 (Operational Risk Management) requires regulated firms to manage operational risk through documented processes, business continuity planning, and effective oversight of service providers. For IT, this means tested backup and recovery procedures, third-party risk assessments for key technology vendors (including practice management platforms like Xplan and IRESS), and clear change management processes. We structure and document your IT environment to satisfy these obligations.
Do we need Essential Eight compliance to meet APRA obligations? APRA doesn't mandate Essential Eight specifically, but implementing it provides a strong, demonstrable security baseline that directly supports your CPS 234 obligations. Auditors, cyber insurers, and boards recognise Essential Eight as evidence of a mature, structured security posture. We recommend it because it gives you a practical, implementable framework with clear maturity levels — and the evidence it produces is exactly what regulators want to see.
What does "audit-ready in 90 days" actually mean? It means that within 90 days of engagement, we will have completed a gap assessment, closed your priority control gaps, written or updated your incident response plan and business continuity documentation, implemented Essential Eight controls, and produced the evidence register you need for regulatory reviews. You will have a documented, tested, and maintained security posture — not just a checklist. Timelines depend on the size and complexity of your current environment.
Does our cyber insurance require APRA compliance or Essential Eight? Most cyber insurers now ask detailed questions about your security controls at renewal — and many require evidence of MFA, patching, backups, and access management before offering competitive premiums. Implementing Essential Eight and SMB1001 provides exactly the documented baseline insurers want to see. Firms with structured, documented controls typically receive better coverage at lower premiums. We can prepare an evidence package aligned to insurer requirements as part of our engagement.
We work with Xplan, IRESS, and Class Super — how does this affect our compliance? These platforms hold sensitive client data, which means APRA CPS 230 requires you to maintain documented oversight of each vendor — including what data they can access, how they protect it, and what your business continuity plan is if they experience an outage. We conduct third-party risk assessments for your key platforms, document access controls, and maintain vendor oversight records that satisfy APRA expectations during audits and reviews.
Book a Compliance Conversation

Ready to Know Where You Stand?

A 20-minute readiness conversation with our Finance IT team gives you clarity on your current compliance posture, your key risk areas, and what to prioritise first — at no obligation.

Book a Compliance Assessment 0424 444 609 Tom Buckley · Director of Business Development
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