Pacific Transcription

Pacific Transcription successfully attains Maturity Level One in the Essential Eight Cyber Threat Mitigation Strategies

Catherine Byrne — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 05:41:11 +0000

Pacific Transcription is pleased to announce that the company has successfully attained Maturity Level One across all eight Australian Signals Directorate’s Essential Eight Cyber Threat Mitigation Strategies, and is aiming to attain Maturity Level Two by the end of 2025.

What is the Essential Eight?

In November 2022, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) published a baseline set of mitigation strategies, called the “Essential Eight”, to help Australian companies mitigate cyber security incidents caused by various cyber threats.

While no set of mitigation strategies is guaranteed to protect against all cyber threats, implementing the Essential Eight Cyber Threat Mitigation Strategies helps Australian businesses make it much harder for adversaries to compromise their systems.

What Types of Cyber Threats are Targeted by the Essential Eight?

The types of cyber threats targeted and addressed by the Essential Eight Cyber Threat Mitigation Strategies include:

targeted cyber intrusion, such as those executed by advanced persistent threats (i.e. foreign intelligence services) and other external adversaries who steal data,
ransomware denying access to data for monetary gain, and external adversaries with destructive intent (i.e. to destroy data and prevent computers/networks from functioning),
malicious insiders who steal data such as customer details or intellectual property, and/or who destroy data and prevent computers/networks from functioning,
Business Email Compromise (BEC), where an adversary uses email to trick someone into sending money or divulging confidential company information, and
industrial control systems.

The development of the Essential Eight Cyber Threat Mitigation Strategies has been informed by the ASD’s significant experience in responding to cyber security incidents, performing vulnerability assessments, and penetration testing in Australian government organisations.

What does this mean for Clients?

The implementation of the Essential Eight Cyber Threat Mitigation Strategies, as well as the successful and ongoing attainment of both ISO:27001 (Information Security Management Systems) and ISO:9001 (Quality Systems) Certifications, means that Pacific’s clients can continue to have peace of mind that their data is safe with Pacific.

What do Maturity Levels One and Two Cover?

Maturity Level 1

The focus of this maturity level is malicious actors who are content to simply leverage commodity tradecraft that is widely available to gain access to, and likely control of, a system.

For example, malicious actors opportunistically using a publicly available exploit for a vulnerability in an online service which had not been patched or authenticating to an online service using credentials that were stolen, reused, brute forced or guessed.

Generally, malicious actors are looking for any victim rather than a specific victim and will opportunistically seek common weaknesses in many targets rather than investing heavily in gaining access to a specific target.

Malicious actors will employ common social engineering techniques to trick users into weakening the security of a system and launch malicious applications. If user accounts that malicious actors compromise have special privileges, they will exploit it. Depending on their intent, malicious actors may also destroy data (including backups).

Maturity Level 2

The focus of this maturity level is malicious actors operating with a modest step-up in capability from the previous maturity level. These malicious actors are willing to invest more time in a target and, perhaps more importantly, in the effectiveness of their tools.

For example, these malicious actors will likely employ well-known tradecraft to better attempt to bypass controls implemented by a target and evade detection. This includes actively targeting credentials using phishing and employing technical and social engineering techniques to circumvent weak multi-factor authentication.

Generally, malicious actors are likely to be more selective in their targeting but still somewhat conservative in the time, money and effort they may invest in a target.

Malicious actors will likely invest time to ensure their phishing is effective and employ common social engineering techniques to trick users to weaken the security of a system and launch malicious applications. If user accounts that malicious actors compromise have special privileges, they will exploit it, otherwise they will seek user accounts with special privileges.

Depending on their intent, malicious actors may also destroy all data (including backups) accessible to a user account with special privileges.

Cyber Security Continues to be a Major Concern for All Companies

As we are all acutely aware, cyber security continues to be a major concern for all companies. Much company time, expenditure, investment in infrastructure and secure systems, and external tests to evaluate data security, is invested in identifying and mitigating these risks. However, the complexity and delivery of cyber threats continually evolve, making it difficult for everyday companies to keep abreast of developments.

Thankfully, the Australian Signals Directorate, through the dedicated teams committed to monitoring, mitigating, testing, and preventing cyber threats, is actively helping companies by sharing the ASD’s wealth of experience.

The Essential Eight Cyber Threat Mitigation Strategies is just one of the many tools developed by the ASD. The ASD is continually developing and communicating detailed and accurate cyber threat mitigation strategies and other useful information. Australian companies use these strategies, information, and tools to prevent and proactively address most threats to their cyber security systems.

For further information on the strategies and other tools Pacific Transcription implements to mitigate cyber threats, contact us today!

For further information on the ASD’s Essential Eight Cyber Threat Mitigation Strategies, contact the Australian Signals Directorate.

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ALERT: Scheduled Maintenance – Client area will be unavailable from 9AM – 9:30AM AEST Saturday 31 August 2024

Catherine Byrne — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 04:45:50 +0000

On Saturday 31 August 2024, 9AM – 9:30AM AEST ( 7AM – 7:30AM AWST, 8:30AM – 9AM ACST) the Client Login area will undergo scheduled maintenance.

This means clients will not be able to log in to client accounts for approximately 30 minutes. We appreciate your patience and understanding and apologise for any inconvenience caused during this time.

Please don’t hesitate to contact the Enquiries Team or phone us on 1300 662 173 if you have any queries.

From the Pacific Transcription Teams

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Data Security in The Cloud – What This Means for Pacific Transcription Clients

Catherine Byrne — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 05:09:21 +0000

Data security in the cloud, privacy protections, and confidentiality remain key factors clients consider before engaging a transcription company to transcribe their confidential and highly sensitive recordings.

Read this article to find out how Pacific Transcription’s recent move to the cloud and IT infrastructure improvements provide added protection to client data and improve data security in the cloud.

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Data Security in The Cloud – What This Means for Pacific Transcription Clients

Catherine Byrne — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 04:58:15 +0000

Data security in the cloud is a key factor clients consider before engaging a transcription company to transcribe their confidential and highly sensitive recordings.

Recently Pacific Transcription moved their entire information technology ecosystem to the cloud. The decision to move to cloud-based data storage was made after considerable deliberation, observation of the developing data security in the cloud environment, the encroaching obsolescence of physical hardware, including servers, and careful assessment of risk – both to clients, contractors, suppliers, and Pacific Transcription itself.

I’m happy to report that the move to the cloud was successful. But what does this significant change mean for clients?

Clients can rest assured that Pacific Transcription’s cloud-based data storage is safe and secure. Pacific Transcription now utilises Australian-based instances of the Microsoft Azure cloud network. Many features of this cloud-based network enhance the security of data, and therefore the security and confidentiality of client information.

Enticing Features of Pacific’s Data Security in the Cloud Include:

A primary protection layer, which includes deployment of a high-specification Fortigate Firewall appliance, fully optimised with IPS/IDS,
A secondary layer of protection with the existence of a demilitarised zone (DMZ) which separates all file servers from public access points via deployment of a reverse proxy server,
Utilisation of Microsoft Entra ID cloud-based identity and access management solution, as well as protection by Microsoft Defender for Business, and
Configuration of the environment to include encryption of all files at rest, with a high-level AES256 encryption algorithm.

Cloud-based Data Storage Additional Features:

Additional to these features are cloud-to-cloud, real-time backups which mean that Pacific Transcription has disaster protection and recovery plans for its operating environment that has World-class metrics for Recovery Point Objective (RPO – or time interval during which data is potentially exposed to loss), and Recovery Time Objective (RTO – or how quickly full operational systems can be restored).

Client Access Remains Auditable, Password-Protected, & Encrypted

Access to the client portal remains auditable via IP number, and all client accounts are password-protected – clients set their passwords, which are stored in a secure encrypted format.

Independent Penetration Testing Is Conducted Regularly

Pacific Transcription regularly commissions independent penetration testing of its systems with credentialled client account access. The last independent penetration test, conducted in October 2023, identified a few non-minor issues, all of which have since been completely remediated. The remaining minor issues are being progressively dealt with, as part of an ongoing code upgrade process.

ISO 27001 Information Security Management Systems Certified

Pacific Transcription continues to hold ISO 27001 Information Security Management Systems certification, a leading international standard focused on information security. This standard was developed to help organisations of any size in any industry, to keep their information and the information of clients, safe and secure.

The Information Security Management System (ISMS) standard is a framework of policies and procedures that includes all legal, physical, and technical controls involved in an organisation’s information risk management processes.

Contact Us

Further information on Pacific Transcription’s data security in the cloud, cloud-based data storage, and the security measures Pacific Transcription takes can be found on our website and in the Terms and Conditions and Privacy policies on our website’s brochures page. Or contact our Enquiries Team for more information – phone 1300 662 173 or email enquiries@pacifictranscription.com.au.

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How to use speech-to-text with Philips SpeechLive

Catherine Byrne — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 02:56:32 +0000

Are you interested in exploring speech-to-text options? Read this article to find out how to use speech-to-text with Philips SpeechLive. For further information or to purchase the app, contact our Products Team.

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HOW TO USE SPEECH-TO-TEXT WITH PHILIPS SPEECHLIVE

Julius Lynch — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 00:30:40 +0000

This article explains the many different ways that you can use Philips SpeechLive to convert a recording to text. You can now upload finished recordings and create a generated transcript for correction. The speech-to-text functionality is available through the SpeechLive smartphone app or through the use of a feature that allows you to dictate directly into other applications on your computer and have text appear. For professional and high quality desktop dictation, consider the Philips SpeechMike Series by exploring our Desktop Dictation range. All of these options are available starting with a SpeechLive subscription and the speech-to-text add-on package. Watch the videos below to learn more!

Front-End Speech-to-Text in the SpeechLive App:

Back-End Speech-to-Text in the SpeechLive App:

Sending recorded files to speech recognition via the SpeechLive web application:

Front-End Speech-to-Text via the SpeechLive web application:

Speech-to-Text via the SpeechLive Desktop App into third party applications:

If you have any questions on the content above, comment below or contact us now!

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Benefits of Transcribing Interviews – Who is it for & how to make the most of it!

Catherine Byrne — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 04:45:37 +0000

There are so many benefits to transcribing interviews. Find out more here.

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Benefits of Transcribing Interviews

Catherine Byrne — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 00:06:49 +0000

Find out who interview transcription is for, and how to make the most of it!

What are the benefits of transcribing interviews? And what is interview transcription anyway? Interview transcription is the process of typing up, in Word or a similar format, the words spoken by participants during recorded interviews.

Interview transcription helps the researcher better understand and analyse the content of the interviews, provides empirical and non-empirical evidence to the researcher, and in turn, helps inform and add weight to the research results and conclusions.

Typically, interview transcription is used by academics, researchers, Ph.D. students, research programs and institutions, and investigative bodies. Interview transcription topics are as varied as the types of research conducted.

The benefits of transcribing interviews are many and include:

providing a written and accurate document of what was said, and by whom, which may last into perpetuity;
providing documented evidence that adds credibility and integrity to the research and the researcher;
freeing up the time of the facilitator to fully engage with the interview process and the interviewees, rather than being distracted by having to take notes, or remember everything that was said;
providing the researcher (and safeguarding against any future legal challenges!) with an assurance that the direct quotes documented in the research are accurate and attributable;
saving the researcher time, so they can concentrate on their research, rather than having to produce transcripts of the interviews;
providing the researcher with a more streamlined, leaner transcript, without the distractions of side conversations or irrelevant, superfluous, or off-topic communication;
facilitating opportunities for further collaboration between colleagues and other researchers; and
providing opportunities for in-depth reflection by the researcher, which may elicit further insights into the research topic, and their own practice.

What are some real-world scenarios which show the benefits of transcribing interviews?

Scenario One: Ph.D. Student conducts interviews as a part of their theory-driven research, which results in the writing and publication of a book.

Did you know that there are many popular authors whose books had their genesis in the Ph.D. research of the author? Authors such as Stephen Hawking, Hannah Arendt, Jared Diamond, Richard Rhodes, Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, and Thomas Kuhn, to name a few, turned their Ph.D. theses into books.

The benefits of transcribing interviews for Ph.D. students means that the student has written transcripts of their interviews which document important data provided by experts, interviewees with lived experiences of their research topic, and others who contribute valuable information to the research process and results.

Often the Ph.D. student, after publishing their thesis, will go on to write a book on their research topic. Having a copy of the interview transcripts at hand forms an integral part of the writing process, and can further facilitate the successful publication of the book.

Scenario Two: Employer conducting applicant interviews.

Did you know that many employers now record their applicant interviews and get the recordings transcribed, so they can more fully interrogate and assess each interview, afterward?

It is not easy recalling every little detail that was spoken or reading your hurriedly written notes taken during the interview. In this scenario, the benefits of transcribing interviews include helping employers further review the applicants after the interview is finished, thus refreshing their memory of what transpired. Having an interview transcript assists the employer to make the right employment choices for their company.

Scenario Three: Researchers interview people with lived experiences that inform the research topic.

Many researchers who conduct a qualitative analysis of their research spend literally hundreds of hours interviewing people directly associated with their research topic. These interviews are transcribed, so the researcher has later access to the details of each interview.

Further, the interview transcripts can be analysed using qualitative analysis software, improving the researcher’s understanding of the data, and assisting them in drawing logical and empirically-based conclusions.

While interview transcription can be done by researchers themselves; it is much more efficient, practical, and easier to engage a professional transcription company to provide this service.

What’s more, the researcher no longer has to worry about style and format – leave that to the professionals! The professional transcription company will make sure the transcript is formatted correctly, so it is compatible with the qualitative analysis software being used by the researcher.

Discover the benefits of transcribing interviews with Pacific Transcription. We are here to help. Get in touch by phoning us at 1300 662 173 or online, to get started with transcription services. Why not reach out to Pacific Transcription for your next batch of interview transcription?

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Best Dictation & Transcription Workflow Setups for 2023

Julius Lynch — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 03:35:06 +0000

The best dictation and transcription workflow setups allows for a simple way to dictate letters and have them transcribed as quickly as possible.

Pacific Transcription offers a range of different options for our customers to experience a seamless workflow.

Dictation, using a voice recorder or a smart phone recorder app, makes it easier to take notes in meetings, keep track of important conversations and then have documents transcribed while on the go. By using interacting dictation and transcription software you can lighten the workload as you streamline the workflow.

Keep reading to find out what we believe are the top 5 dictation and transcription workflow setups in 2023.

1. Olympus Dictation Delivery Service (ODDS) with AS-9000 Transcription Kit

Current price: $495

Reasons to buy:

Excellent value
Dictate directly with mobile phone app.
Free trial available
Software compatible with Windows & Mac

Reasons to avoid:

Subscription based app licence

Olympus Dictation Delivery Service (ODDS) manages the transfer of dictations recorded with the Olympus Dictation app for iPhone and Android. In the event that an unexpected dictation is needed, and you do not have your professional voice recorder with you, you can easily record and push the dictation into the organisation’s system workflow to get it transcribed before you’re back in the office.

ODDS manages the transfer of dictations recorded with the Olympus Dictation app for iPhone and Android. In the event that an unexpected dictation is needed, and you do not have your professional voice recorder with you, you can easily record and push the dictation into the organisation’s workflow system to get it transcribed before you’re back in the office.

To get the most out of your dictation app, use ODDS together with the ODMS R7 transcription software, which is included in the AS-9000 transcription kit. The transcription software can be configured to receive the dictations as they are sent from the app.

Read more about ODDS

2. Philips SpeechLive Cloud Dictation/Transcription

Current price: $825

Reasons to buy:

One of the only cloud solutions on the market
High security standards
Excellent workflow management
Work anywhere and at anytime
Free trial available
Can be used with handheld dictation device or smart phone app
Author receives free phone app
Author + typist licence, headset and foot pedal all included in bundle
Compatible with Windows & Mac

Reasons to avoid:

Higher price
Subscription based service

Dictating and transcribing have never been easier. Philips SpeechLive Cloud dictation/transcription solution allows users to choose whether they want to dictate on their mobile phones or on their dictaphones. Transcriptionists can now type without having to download any software!

Doctors and lawyers are constantly on the go, whether it is travelling from offices to courtrooms to meet with clients or travelling from one hospital/clinic to another. Philips SpeechLive allows you to work from anywhere, anytime. Your files are stored on a secure cloud server, so you can access them from any device with Internet access.

Read more about SpeechLive

3. Olympus DS-9000 & AS-9000 Dictation and Transcription Bundle

Current price: $1,021

Reasons to buy:

DS-9000 has superior microphone, which can be switched to dictation mode or conference mode
No subscriptions – pay a one off charge
Dictate from a professional handheld dictaphone that has been tested and used by thousands of satisfied customers
Simple workflow to send and receive dictations on different computers
Software compatible with Windows & Mac

Reasons to avoid:

No cloud solution
No Wi-Fi capabilities on DS-9000 dictaphone

4. Philips DPM8000 & LFH7277 Dictation and Transcription Bundle

Current price: $1,099

Reasons to buy:

DPM8000 has superior microphone, which can be switched to dictation mode or conference mode
Dictate from a professional handheld dictaphone tested and used by thousands of satisfied customers
Simple workflow to send and receive dictations on different computers

Reasons to avoid:

Dictation & Transcription software licences needs to be renewed after 2 years
SpeechExec not compatible with Mac

5. Olympus DS-9500 & AS-9000 Dictation and Transcription Bundle

Current price: $1,089

Reasons to buy:

DS-9500 has superior microphone, which can be switched to dictation mode or conference mode
No subscriptions – pay a one off fee
Dictate from a professional handheld dictaphone that has been tested and used by thousands of satisfied customers
DS-9500 has Wi-Fi capabilities
Simple workflow to send and receive dictations on different computers
Software compatible with Windows & Mac

Reasons to avoid:

No cloud solution

For more information on the best dictation and transcription workflow setups for 2023, get in touch or email products@pacifictranscription.com.au

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Best Dictation & Transcription Workflow Setups – 2023

Catherine Byrne — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 00:33:54 +0000

We rank the top 5 dictation and transcription setups for 2023. Find out more here.

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