Managed IT Services Blog

Ransomware, phishing scams, malicious email attachments, hacker attacks — the list of potential cybersecurity threats just continues to grow. Most experts agree that it’s a matter of when, not if, an organization will be the target of a cyberattack.

Given the strategic importance of IT in business operations, you’d think that organizations would focus their IT budgets on initiatives to increase productivity, enhance customer service or gain competitive advantages. However, the latest research from SMB Group finds that support is the No. 1 reason why midsize organizations hire IT staff. Despite the difficulty finding skilled technical personnel, 55 percent of midsize organizations dedicate their in-house IT staff to support roles.

Email attacks remain one of the most significant security threats organizations face today. With hundreds of billions of emails sent and received daily, hackers have a massive attack surface to exploit. Organizations must take steps to secure access to email systems and to prevent the spread of malicious content and attachments.

Most IT teams have their hands full responding to user support requests, making sure backups run, patching servers, and handling a host of other operational tasks. It’s difficult to find the time to sit down and develop an overarching cybersecurity strategy.

Businesses that sell to consumers are rightfully concerned about delivering a high-quality customer experience (CX). In a recent survey of 2,000 consumers conducted by 3Gem Research and Insights, almost 90 percent of respondents said they would remain loyal to a company following a positive customer experience, while almost 75 percent said they would take their business elsewhere after a single negative experience.

As our healthcare heroes work around the clock during the COVID-19 pandemic, the IT systems that support them are also being put to the test. Healthcare organizations are expanding their networks to support additional clinics, labs and testing facilities. More medical devices are connecting to the network, as well as the smartphones, tablets and wearables of clinicians, staff and patients. Employees who can work from home are connecting to systems remotely.

Only the very largest organizations have a fully staffed, around-the-clock security operations center. In most firms, the IT team works during business hours, with an on-call rotation to handle after-hours support requests. If there are IT personnel working nights and weekends, they’re likely short-handed. If a cyberattack occurs, they’re going to have a hard time responding quickly to mitigate the threat.

Problems or issues with projects often result when the customer and the project manager are not on the same page regarding how the project will work. The longer this misunderstanding exists, the higher the risk of project failure. A good project manager should address these issues very early in the life of the project, putting the project manager and the customer on the same page from the beginning.

Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) technology has revolutionized connectivity for branch offices. In the past, interconnecting remote locations meant provisioning telco circuits and implementing and managing networking gear and security appliances. Organizations had to weigh whether it was worth all that cost and complexity to provide secure connectivity for a relatively small number of employees.

Like young children a few minutes into a car trip, many of us are already wondering, “Are we there yet?” We’re not, of course. Experts say it will be weeks before businesses can start allowing employees back into the office. Even after being given the “all clear” by state and local authorities, some employees will want to continue to work from home.

Working from home can be challenging for employees who are accustomed to going to an office every day. It’s not just a matter of loneliness and work-life balance. Many employees are likely struggling to make their home technology work as well as what they’re used to in the office.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, state and local governments are implementing measures to ensure social distancing. That’s forcing organizations in virtually every industry to modify their operations in order to stay in business. Many are implementing pickup and delivery services and remote consultations to continue to serve customers.

In our last post, we discussed a ransomware attack that forced a natural gas compression plant to shut down operations. The attacker compromised Windows 10 systems on the company’s IT network, then was able to access the operational technology (OT) network due to a lack of network segmentation. Luckily, the plant never lost control of its operations, but the incident highlights the need for stronger OT security controls.

In a previous post, we discussed the importance of enterprise-class conferencing and collaboration tools in any work-from-home strategy. As states shut down nonessential businesses and employees seek to maintain social distancing, collaboration tools help keep your company running by enabling staff to work remotely. The GDS nCONTACT Unified Communications-as-a-Service solution gives employees the tools they need to maintain productivity while they do remote work.

When thinking about the best way to articulate defense tactics against the cyber bad guys, I was struggling with an analogy that would really resonate. The thought came to me as I was brushing my teeth the other day, hygiene! Having a strong security posture is basically like having a good hygiene routine.

In a recent report, Gartner introduced a new term called “secure access service edge” (SASE). The research firm believes that networking and security functions will merge to address the challenges created by growing numbers of users accessing the network from outside the secure perimeter. GDS agrees — in fact, we have already incorporated SASE principles into our managed, secure SD-WAN solution.

A disaster is, by definition, an unexpected event. Even with some advance notice of an impending calamity, organizations can suffer serious losses. That’s why it’s critically important to have an up-to-date and tested business continuity plan. Personnel need to know what to do in the face of disaster to maintain critical operations and minimize disruption.

As organizations worldwide prepare for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many are temporarily closing offices and encouraging employees to work from home. This enables the “social distancing” that health officials say will help slow the spread of the virus.

Once upon a time, doctors commonly visited sick patients in their homes. Although the practice has long since fallen out of favor, telemedicine creates a high-tech version of the house call by enabling real-time, two-way interactive video consultations between physicians and remote patients.

A natural gas compression plant was hit by a ransomware attack that forced it to shut down for two days, according to a Feb. 18, 2020, alert from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The attacker was able to access the plant’s IT network, and then move to its operational technology (OT) network. DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said a lack of network segmentation allowed the attacker to cross the IT / OT boundary.

The increased use of digital technologies, cloud services and connected infrastructure has allowed oil and gas companies to increase efficiency and uptime, improve safety and reduce costs. However, it has also exposed the industry to heightened risk of cyberattacks.

Many of us have been the customer for a large project before. Perhaps for a home renovation. Perhaps for implementing a new system or installing new equipment at work. If these projects went well for you, you can probably recognize that the project manager made a significant effort to identify and manage your expectations. This led you to believe, throughout the life of the project, that things were under control. This eased your fears about the ultimate success of the project.

Every year, the Ponemon Institute puts out its Cost of a Data Breach Report. The latest edition shows that the cost of a breach has risen 12 percent over the past five years and now totals $3.92 million on average.

Firewalls are among the most important elements of network security, filtering traffic to allow the free flow of legitimate communications while preventing unauthorized access. However, rising management complexity is actually making firewalls a source of exposure.

Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) continues to see strong adoption in organizations of all sizes. In a recent Frost & Sullivan survey, 15 percent of respondents said their organization has already deployed SD-WAN, and 18 percent said that deployment was currently under way. A whopping 61 percent said they plan to deploy SD-WAN within the next 12 to 24 months. That leaves just 6 percent with no plans to implement the technology.