Meet Autumn Wilkins
Driving cybersecurity excellence and IT operational efficiency at Petronella Technology Group. Autumn brings deep technical expertise, a passion for protecting businesses across the Raleigh-Durham-RTP Triangle, and a commitment to delivering world-class managed IT services to every client engagement.
Dedicated Cybersecurity & IT Professional
Autumn Wilkins is a key member of the Petronella Technology Group team, based in Raleigh, North Carolina. With extensive experience in information technology and cybersecurity operations, Autumn plays a vital role in ensuring that PTG clients across the Triangle region receive proactive, responsive, and security-first IT management. Her background spans endpoint protection, network administration, security monitoring, compliance support, and hands-on technical troubleshooting for businesses of all sizes.
At PTG, Autumn works directly with small and mid-sized businesses in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and Research Triangle Park areas to implement robust security frameworks, maintain critical IT infrastructure, and respond to emerging threats. Her day-to-day work encompasses everything from deploying advanced endpoint detection and response solutions to coordinating incident response procedures and conducting security awareness training for client organizations. Autumn is particularly skilled at translating complex cybersecurity concepts into actionable guidance that business owners and non-technical stakeholders can understand and implement within their organizations.
Her commitment to continuous professional development, combined with her practical experience across diverse industry verticals, makes her an indispensable part of the PTG mission to deliver zero-breach (for managed security clients) cybersecurity protection. Autumn has contributed to PTG's track record of protecting over 2,500 companies without a single client breach, a distinction that underscores her dedication to maintaining the highest standards of information security and IT service delivery throughout North Carolina and beyond.
Why Businesses in the Triangle Need Expert IT Professionals
Growing Cyber Threat Landscape
Businesses across Raleigh, Durham, and the Research Triangle Park face an increasingly sophisticated array of cyber threats. Ransomware attacks increased by over 150% in recent years, and small to mid-sized businesses are the primary targets because attackers know they often lack dedicated security personnel. Without experienced cybersecurity professionals monitoring systems around the clock, organizations remain vulnerable to data breaches, phishing campaigns, business email compromise, and advanced persistent threats that can devastate operations and erode customer trust. The cost of a single data breach now averages over four million dollars, a sum that many Triangle-area businesses simply cannot absorb without severe financial consequences.
Compliance Complexity
Regulatory frameworks like HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC 2, CMMC, and NIST CSF continue to evolve, placing increasing demands on businesses to maintain documented security controls, conduct regular risk assessments, and demonstrate ongoing compliance. For companies in the Triangle without in-house compliance expertise, navigating these requirements can feel overwhelming. Failure to comply can result in substantial fines, legal liability, and reputational damage. Organizations need team members who understand both the technical and regulatory sides of cybersecurity to bridge the gap between IT operations and compliance obligations effectively.
How Autumn & the PTG Team Protect Your Business
At Petronella Technology Group, Autumn Wilkins operates within a proven framework that has been refined over 22 years of delivering cybersecurity and managed IT services to businesses throughout the Raleigh-Durham-RTP Triangle and across North Carolina. Her approach combines proactive threat detection, rapid incident response, and strategic IT planning to ensure every client receives comprehensive protection tailored to their specific industry, size, and risk profile.
Autumn begins every client engagement with a thorough assessment of the organization's current IT environment, identifying vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and gaps in security controls. This includes evaluating endpoint protection, firewall configurations, email security, backup and disaster recovery systems, user access controls, and compliance posture. Based on these findings, she develops a prioritized remediation plan that addresses the most critical risks first while building toward a mature, layered security architecture that aligns with industry best practices and regulatory requirements.
Ongoing monitoring is central to Autumn's methodology. She leverages PTG's advanced security operations tools, including SIEM platforms, endpoint detection and response solutions, and automated threat intelligence feeds, to maintain continuous visibility into client environments. When anomalies or potential threats are detected, Autumn coordinates with the broader PTG team to investigate, contain, and remediate incidents before they can cause damage. This proactive stance is a key reason why PTG has maintained its strong security track record for clients on our managed program across more than 2,500 client organizations.
Beyond technical defense, Autumn is deeply involved in client education and security awareness initiatives. She understands that technology alone cannot prevent breaches; people are often the weakest link in the security chain. By conducting regular security awareness training sessions, phishing simulations, and policy reviews, she helps organizations build a culture of security that extends from the executive suite to every employee. This human-centric approach, combined with PTG's robust technical defenses, delivers a comprehensive security posture that gives Triangle-area businesses the confidence to focus on growth and innovation.
Areas of Professional Focus
Endpoint Detection & Response
Autumn specializes in deploying and managing advanced endpoint detection and response solutions across client environments. This includes configuring real-time monitoring agents on workstations, laptops, and servers to detect suspicious behaviors such as unauthorized file encryption, lateral movement, privilege escalation, and anomalous network communications. She manages alert triage workflows to rapidly distinguish genuine threats from false positives, ensuring that critical incidents receive immediate attention while minimizing disruption to daily business operations. Her expertise in EDR technology has been instrumental in stopping multiple potential ransomware attacks before encryption could begin across client networks in the Raleigh-Durham area.
Network Security & Administration
Network infrastructure forms the backbone of every organization's IT environment, and Autumn brings extensive experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining secure network architectures. Her work includes configuring enterprise-grade firewalls with granular access control policies, implementing network segmentation to limit lateral movement in the event of a compromise, deploying intrusion detection and prevention systems, and managing secure VPN solutions for remote workforce connectivity. She regularly conducts network vulnerability assessments and penetration testing coordination to identify weaknesses before attackers can exploit them, providing Triangle-area businesses with resilient network defenses that adapt to evolving threat landscapes.
Compliance & Risk Management
Navigating the complex world of regulatory compliance is one of the most challenging aspects of modern IT management. Autumn assists PTG clients with achieving and maintaining compliance with frameworks including HIPAA for healthcare organizations, PCI DSS for businesses handling payment card data, SOC 2 for technology service providers, CMMC for Department of Defense contractors, and NIST Cybersecurity Framework for organizations seeking best-practice security baselines. Her compliance work includes gap assessments, policy development, technical control implementation, evidence collection for audits, and ongoing monitoring to ensure continuous compliance rather than point-in-time checkbox exercises.
Security Awareness Training
Recognizing that human error remains the leading cause of security incidents, Autumn develops and delivers comprehensive security awareness training programs for PTG clients. These programs include interactive workshops covering phishing identification, password hygiene, social engineering tactics, safe browsing practices, and incident reporting procedures. She also designs and manages simulated phishing campaigns that test employee readiness and provide personalized feedback to individuals who need additional training. By tracking metrics like phishing click rates and reporting rates over time, Autumn helps organizations measure tangible improvements in their security culture and demonstrate due diligence to auditors and regulators.
Incident Response & Recovery
When security incidents occur, speed and precision are critical. Autumn is trained in PTG's structured incident response methodology, which follows established frameworks for identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned. She coordinates closely with clients during active incidents to minimize business disruption while ensuring thorough investigation and remediation. Her incident response experience covers a wide range of scenarios including malware infections, business email compromise, unauthorized access, data exfiltration attempts, and insider threats. Post-incident, she leads after-action reviews to identify root causes and implement preventive controls that reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
Backup & Disaster Recovery
Business continuity depends on having reliable backup and disaster recovery systems in place. Autumn designs and manages comprehensive backup strategies for PTG clients that include local and cloud-based backups, automated backup verification testing, documented recovery procedures, and defined recovery time and recovery point objectives aligned with each organization's business requirements. She regularly conducts disaster recovery drills to validate that backups are functional and that recovery procedures can be executed within acceptable timeframes. This proactive approach ensures that Triangle-area businesses can recover quickly from hardware failures, natural disasters, ransomware attacks, or any other event that threatens data availability and business operations.
Contributing to PTG's Proven Track Record
Ready to see what PTG can do for your business? Schedule a free consultation and join the businesses across the Triangle that trust us with their technology.
919-348-4912Autumn's contributions to client security and satisfaction are reflected in PTG's outstanding reputation throughout the Raleigh-Durham-RTP Triangle. Her hands-on approach, technical depth, and commitment to continuous improvement help PTG consistently deliver outcomes that exceed client expectations and keep businesses safe from the ever-evolving world of cyber threats targeting organizations in North Carolina and beyond.
Serving Diverse Industries Across the Triangle
Autumn's expertise extends across multiple industry verticals, enabling her to tailor security strategies and IT solutions to the unique requirements and regulatory obligations of each sector. From healthcare organizations bound by HIPAA to financial firms navigating SOX and PCI DSS, her versatility ensures every PTG client receives industry-specific protection and support.
Accounting & Financial
Protecting financial data, ensuring SOX and PCI DSS compliance, and securing client-facing portals for accounting firms across the Triangle.
Architecture Firms
Enabling secure collaboration, large file management, and reliable IT infrastructure for architecture and design practices in Raleigh-Durham.
All Case Studies
Explore the full library of PTG success stories across healthcare, legal, construction, non-profit, and more throughout North Carolina.
Meet Craig Petronella
Learn about the founder and CEO of Petronella Technology Group, his vision, certifications, and 22+ years leading cybersecurity innovation.
The Petronella Difference
strong security track record for clients on our managed program
Over 22 years of serving 2,500+ companies with zero client data breaches. This is not a marketing claim; it is a documented, verifiable track record that demonstrates PTG's unwavering commitment to security excellence and the caliber of professionals like Autumn who make it possible every single day.
Local Triangle Expertise
Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, PTG serves the entire Triangle region including Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Morrisville, and Research Triangle Park. Our team understands the local business landscape, regulatory environment, and unique challenges facing Triangle-area organizations across every industry vertical.
People-First Culture
PTG invests in talented professionals like Autumn Wilkins because we believe that exceptional people deliver exceptional results. Every team member undergoes rigorous training, holds relevant industry certifications, and participates in continuous professional development to stay ahead of evolving threats and technologies.
Comprehensive Service Delivery
From managed IT services and cybersecurity to compliance consulting, cloud solutions, and disaster recovery, PTG delivers end-to-end technology solutions through a single trusted partner. This integrated approach eliminates vendor sprawl, reduces complexity, and ensures seamless coordination across all aspects of your IT environment.
Common Questions About Our Team
Ready to Work With PTG's Expert Team?
Connect with Autumn Wilkins and the entire Petronella Technology Group team to discover how our cybersecurity expertise, managed IT services, and compliance consulting can protect and strengthen your business. Whether you are a small business in Raleigh or a growing enterprise across the Research Triangle, PTG delivers the security, reliability, and personalized attention your organization deserves. Schedule your free cybersecurity assessment today and take the first step toward a stronger, more resilient IT environment.