Q&A: How Secure Are Your Company’s Applications?

 Organizations of all types today face an ever evolving threatscape and growing pressure to rethink security strategies for long-term sustainability. Today’s enterprises operate in a complex technological environment, with a variety of devices, applications, and users accessing the network. Fortinet’s Mark Byers discusses the issues and trends affecting the security of enterprise applications.

Q&A with Mark Byers

What do companies need to know about security as it relates to their application infrastructure?

When most companies think about cyber security Florence SC, they think of their network. This is a great place to start—but it’s not the whole picture. The question we need to ask is, what exactly needs to be secured, and why? At the end of the day, we’re really talking about the need to secure data—whether it’s customers’ credit card data, health information, corporate financial data, employee information, proprietary information, etc. And that means we need to consider all the different access points that need to be secured. One of the weakest links is applications. You can have multiple layers of network security, but once you expose an application to the Internet, your network security is not enough. When a company provides users access to an online application with a user ID and password, that user and attackers now have access to the data that can potentially bypass many layers of carefully crafted security protections.

 

 

So where do companies need to focus to ensure their applications are secure?

This sounds daunting but the truth is, they need to consider everywhere. You need to protect all access points to data – where it sits in a repository or server, where and when the data is accessed through an application, and when it’s shared with other applications or users. This is why a security fabric is critically important. You need policies to ensure enterprise users have different passwords for certain systems, two-factor authentication to verify they are who they say they are and that they’re authorized to access particular systems or information. Companies need increased intelligence of network services that allow users to identify threats in emails and machine learning that helps detect threat signatures. Administrators need a system strategy that correlates data and helps identify threats spanning multiple systems. They need security systems that are deeply integrated so that they can share threat intelligence and events to close the gap between devices and applications.

Talk about some of the well-known application security issues we have heard in the media. What’s happening?

From an enterprise perspective, the UK telecommunications company TalkTalk was in the news in October 2015 when nearly 157,000 customer data records were compromised. At fault was a breach in an application code; a simple SQL command opened up a back door to their data. This event resulted in the loss of more than 200,000 customers and significant dip in their revenues.

In general, though, some of the most well-known security issues involve Adobe Flash. In fact, Google recently announced that their Chrome browser will no longer support Flash by the end of 2016. Flash is so pervasive; it’s used by the majority of devices. And the challenge is that when a critical vulnerability is  uncovered, it’s then only a matter of days before an attack occurs. That means one vulnerability in this one platform can have a widespread effect. What’s also concerning is that users do not regularly update to the latest version of Flash as it’s available. According to the Verizon 2016 Data Breech Investigations Report (DBIR) in one year’s time 45 percent of devices still had not updated to the latest version of flash and so still have no patch to address security issues.

It seems like there are patches pushed every day. We are constantly being asked to update our applications. Are they really that insecure?

The short answer is yes. The common vulnerability and exposures section of DBIR is important to review to understand the variety of issues. As soon as vulnerabilities are exposed, malicious attackers will instantly act on and exploit these vulnerabilities. Using Flash again as an example, should users update Flash as soon as a new version is pushed out? Yes. Do they? No. And the consequence is that one infected computer can affect the rest of the system.

If you’re running an enterprise system and the SSL protocol is compromised, this must be updated as soon as possible. There are tools available to help patch security holes, to scan for problems and malware, and to help mitigate those situations when updates don’t occur regularly.

There are lots of different types of applications: cloud apps, enterprise apps, consumer apps, database apps. Are there different security concerns that customers need to address?

Cloud-based applications are generally fairly good in terms of their security. But if an end user doesn’t change his/her password regularly, then your data could be compromised. In most instances, breaches occur because users are sharing credentials, or they’re not changing their passwords regularly. So it’s really a user issue and not an application issue.

On the enterprise side, an organization may have great e-commerce system all based on code that needs to be kept up to date. As long as you’re patching regularly and staying up to date, you’re fine. Companies need to employ application firewalls to help with zero day attacks. And they need to isolate their systems so that they’re not sitting directly on the Internet, which makes them more vulnerable. If applications and data are on the same server, you need to ensure that all information is channeled through a secure access point. Often within a company there’s a need to bring up a web-based application quickly for many users to access, and simple steps are overlooked that are the security equivalent to forgetting to lock the door behind them.

Data is growing exponentially, and our use of applications to run our businesses and our lives is never ending. What lies ahead for security and applications?

It’s becoming more and more important to have a deeply integrated security fabric that can help close the gaps, share intelligence across systems, and sift through vast amounts of data rapidly. Companies and security administrators don’t have the ability to review thousands of pages of data only to realize that a breach occurred the prior week. Every minute counts.

Technology is trying to stay ahead of the bad guys, to better identify threats and determine behavior abnormalities. Advanced persistent threats are many times customized to an organization and can employ multiple attack types until the target is compromised. Behavioral tools with advanced heuristics can help diagnose attacks as they’re happening, even if they’re different from previously identified attacks. Companies can run a baseline behavioral view in as little as an hour, and then this information helps the system identify abnormal behaviors. It could be as overt as a user attempting to access unauthorized systems or as unique as a user who is logging into applications from an unknown device at an atypical time of day.

 

Companies need to enforce a robust security policy that includes passwords, two-factor authentication, and regularly updated training. Call SpartanTec, Inc. now for more information.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Why Should Your Business Switch To SD-WAN?

 Internet connection is an important part of almost all business operations today. Its relevance continue to rise along with the rising demand for cloud based application. Connections that are of poor quality do not just affect browsing. Its impact is felt in the whole operational system, decreasing profitability and revenue down the road. This connectivity becomes more problematic for companies with several connections, who depend on WAN links to keep things operating seamlessly. Unfortunately, WAN connections such as these tend to come with bandwidth constraints, which leads to latency issues. The good news is SD-WAN technology is here to help.

What is SD-WAN?

SD-WAN Florence SC or software defined wide area network offers excellent network control to the cloud, putting together connections as well as orchestrating software to give more efficient and consistent data transport.

 

 

Why Choose SD-WAN?

You will be taking on a big task if you switch network technology and that is why companies ask the question why they should choose SD-WAN. The simple answer is that it is much better than the WAN system, offering broacher capabilities and improved science. For a more comprehensive explanation, here are the many different benefits of SD-WAN technology.

1. Transport flexibility – SD-WAN provides better independence as well as flexibility in the methods used to transport data. This virtualized WAN lets a business make the most out of any transport protocol.
2. Greater security – compared to conventional WAN solutions that take care of security on a per branch basis, SD-WAN may include universal security functions. At every level. SD-WAN could add cloud web content filtering, intervention protocols and malware defenses, leading to a more robust security while reducing the cost to the user.
3. Smart Control – Probably the most important advantage of SD-WAN is its clever pathway control. This system channels traffic based on the application that is being used and could be set by a centralized control system to be executed on all locations. Every site could have its very own traffic control protocol with varying protocols for each IP addresses, port numbers, application profiles, as well as quality of service markings.
4. Automatic provisioning – deploying the WAN systems can be inconvenient for businesses. SD-WAN will make it so much simpler. SD-WAN allows enterprises to send equipment to every branch unconfigured because every device could download its own policy, keys, and cryptocertificate. Provision will be simpler because the system can learn traffic patterns.

SD-WAN solutions are great systems for businesses that are looking to have the greatest IT efficiencies possible, and using this technology, your company can gain more traction.

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now if you want to know more about the many benefits of switching to SD-WAN or if you need the help of an IT expert to determine which system is best for you.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

How To Manage Remote Employees and Boost Productivity?

 Remote work comes with a lot of benefits like easy access to talent, lower costs, and increased productivity. However, migrating full time workers to more time at home has lots of disadvantages, too. And one of them is relationship decay.

Relationships connect people in workplaces. Without them, businesses will just be filled with ergo chairs and old laptops. Working from a distance is not the only barrier to forming relationships with others.

As your employees transition to remote work Florence SC at co-working spaces and in cafes, and less time close to each other, the social fabric of their work will weaken. Email, slack, and video meetings become more efficient, but if they are the main or the only way your workers interact with others – your staff will lose out on those moments when they get to know each other on a more personal level.

In case leaders do not deal with this relationship decay, this could lead to a backlash that would erode a work revolution not only your employees but your company and the whole economy, too.

Why should you care about building work relationships? Collaboration between your employees needs more than just data transfer. When Google launched Project Aristotle, researchers found out that trust was the special ingredient that’s common across high performing teams. Emotional awareness and trust won’t be possible if you don’t really know who your co-workers are.

 

 

To improve relationships, here are a few things that leaders, managers, and employees can do when redesigning the remote team dynamics.

1. Begin with a personal check-in

During virtual meetings, you can create a personal connection by asking others how their weekend was at the beginning of the meeting.

2. Use Your Camera

In order to communicate better, humans depend on nonverbal communication. It’s better to turn on the camera so that you and your employees don’t miss any information during the conversation.

3. Non-work Related Video Chat

Video chats are not exclusive for projects or clients. You can also have video chats even if it’s not work related. Leaders aren’t the only ones who can start this. All employees should be encouraged to create opportunities to connect with others.

4. Set The Rules

Establish how you want things to be done right from the very beginning. You also need to know what your employees’ preferred communication style is as well as the best productivity windows. Cybersecurity experts also suggest setting rules on what should be avoided when working from home.

5. Make Everybody Remote

It’s very easy to forget in meetings when almost everyone are in the room that somebody has dialed in. Consider adding a version wherein if one member is remote then all the others must be remote, too.

6. Replicate the Features of Working Together

It’s best if you can recreate situation awareness among all your remote teams. Products such as Remo.co and Sococo can make an office map that shows who’s in when they are available.

7. Real Presence Should Be A Priority

Lastly, make it a point for everyone to meet in person every once in a while. Gatherings can never be replaced by video conferencing.

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team of IT experts ensure cybersecurity as your workers transition to remote work.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

IT Services: Why Is The Break/Fix Model On The Verge of Death

 A break fix model is an IT service that’s given and billed on whenever it’s needed. It is not an ongoing service that requires a fixed monthly payment. The transformation in the digital space has continued to change how small and medium businesses handle their IT infrastructure.

How often new technologies come up continue to affect the break fix operating model since more companies choose to hire managed IT services.

You only have to check MSPs projected market growth to notice this rapid disruption. It is expected to reach nearly $300 billion globally in 2023. As firms try to grapple with the complexity of IT infrastructure, the break/fix model no longer works. Why?

Many small and medium business that has limited in house IT team do not have or do not want to spend their resources just so they could stay updated with the most recent technologies while upgrading and maintaining their on-premise systems and networks.

 

 

SpartanTec, Inc. has dedicated IT teams who will make sure that their clients can make the most out of their new technology to boost productivity and cut back on their expenditure on IT infrastructure every year.

Break/Fix Vs. Managed IT Services

The break/fix model is a reactive approach when it comes to maintaining one’s IT infrastructure. The firm will only work with external IT experts in case of an IT problem or when their in house IT professionals are unable to fix the issue. The company will have to settle the bill once the issue is resolved. This as per required method has no ongoing expenses and does not require a monthly agreement.

Meanwhile, managed IT services Florence SC are offered for a fixed monthly fee and is based on an SLA or Service Level Agreement. They will monitor the networks and devices using remote access tools and take care of any issues. Other services may be included in the contract but this will depend on the nature of IT operations of the company in question.

Problems with Break/Fix Model

1. Companies don’t have a real control over the costs of the IT services.
2. It does not incentivize IT service providers to invest in the digital infrastructure or network of the company.
3. Providers of the break/fix model does not offer a certain response and repair time.

Benefits of Managed IT Services

1. With managed IT services, you and the IT company you hired can define and specify the requirements in the contract clearly.
2. Organizations can regain control over their IT expenses, which means budgeting will be predictable and consistent.
3. The provider of managed IT services will monitor your IT system proactively.
4. Problems can be resolved well before the client knows about it and before it turns into a huge concern.
5. MSPs will respond to any incident immediately and effectively.
6. MSPs will make sure that your network and systems work smoothly and they will only send an IT engineer to your establishment as final resort.
7. MSPs will help create an effective digital strategy method and align their objectives with the company’s operations.

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team of IT experts improve your business functions and manage your networks to further your company’s strategic objectives instead of operating on a one-and-done basis.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Cybersecurity Tips For Work From Home Employees

 There’s an increasing number of Americans who have shifted to work from home, which means most of the operations are done online. However, cybersecurity experts are wondering if the work’s remote nature may lead to internet security problems later on.

Even though most employees are used to working at the office where there’s a well designed IT system, it’s almost never possible to determine the number of permutations of a home internet setup. If you are working from home, here are some cybersecurity Florence SC tips that can help reduce your security risks.

Common Cybersecurity Weaknesses In Remote Workspaces

Most companies were unprepared when they were asked to transition their employees to telecommuting. Because of this, many Americans have started to work using their personal devices. This may offer familiarity and convenience, but these devices don’t have any other protection aside from basic firewall and antivirus program.

At the office, there’s an IT department that will make sure that everything is up to date. But at home, your employees are unlikely to keep up with software patches and don’t use VPN, which increases the risk for a data breach.

If your employees are using a family computer, cybersecurity is even more difficult to obtain because other people in the house are also using the computer. Their computer habits may negatively affect your work’s confidential data. If they download an infected file or visit a shady website, your sensitive data could be put at risk.

 

 

Tips To Secure Data While Working From Home

Poorly secured data while working for home can negatively affect your business. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make sure that the worst won’t happen.

1. Update your network security – while you have to do this regularly, be sure that your devices are updated with the latest security patches because these can help secure your data. Update your router, antimalware and antivirus programs, as well as your operating system.
2. Avoid phishing emails – When COVID-19 struck, scammers immediately used it to smokescreen their attempts to steal sensitive data. One of the classic ways they do that is through phishing emails. These emails appear like legitimate business offers or an important message from a familiar company. But in most cases, these emails ask you to click on a link or download a file. Do not be fooled because if you do that, malware will be installed in your device and your system will be compromised.
3. Use multifactor authentication – passwords could be broken. Humans have been breaking codes for as long as codes were made. So, it’s not surprising to know that there are certain programs that were made to break passwords. Having good password etiquette is good but it’s better if you use multifactor authentication.
4. Set up remote access – you should find ways for your company to develop remote access protocols.
5. Reinforce confidentiality – remind your workers to maintain the same level of professionalism just like when they’re working in the office especially when it comes to sensitive and secure data.
6. Update emergency contacts – you should have a way to get in touch with your employees in case of an emergency. Be sure to compile their phone numbers or set up a secure method to get in touch with top employees that avoids any online breach.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let us help shore up the cybersecurity of your work from home employees.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

New Updates For Office 365 Will Include Phishing Protection

Are you an Office 365 user? If so, be aware that Microsoft is adding some powerful new protections to the software suite, designed to make you safer.

Hackers commonly target Office 365 Florence SC users with a type of attack known as "Consent Phishing." That basically means that the hacker in question will use a variety of social engineering techniques to try and trick a target victim into giving up his or her Office 365 access, usually by way of an app that asks for permissions. If the user grants those permissions, the app can install all manner of malware on the target's device.

 

The new security upgrades that Microsoft is rolling out makes users safer in three different ways:

 

• First by a general tightening of app consent policies
• Second, by placing a greater level of scrutiny on publishers of OAuth apps during the verification process
• Third, by changing the rules surrounding user consent when consent is asked for by an unverified publisher

These changes are already in place, and since their initial rollout, Microsoft has verified more than 700 different app publishers and more than 1300 individual apps. Verified apps can be recognized by the small blue badge with a white check mark in its center. Those apps, you can install with confidence.

 

 

As a Microsoft representative explained:

"To reduce the risk of malicious applications attempting to trick users into granting them access to your organization's data, we recommend that you allow user consent only for applications that have been published by a verified publisher."

It's good advice, and these are excellent (even if they're somewhat overdue) changes to the company's policies. Kudos to Microsoft for rolling out the upgrades to their processes, and to the legitimate publishers who are already moving to embrace the recent changes. This will help keep users safe, and that's a very good thing.

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now if you want more information about our Office 365 & Cloud Migration services.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Why Does Your Business Need DRaaS?

DRaaS, also known as disaster recovery as a service, involves replicating the hosting of virtual or physical servers by a third party in order to provide failover in case of a natural or man-made catastrophe. DRaaS could be particularly useful for companies that do not have the needed expertise to provide, configure, or test a DRP or disaster recovery plan.  

 

How is DRaaS useful?

Millions of companies all over the globe face some kind of natural disaster. Imagine if a hardware failure, power outage, flood, earthquake, tornado, winter weather, thunderstorm, file corruption, or even human error strikes your data center. You can expect your website to go down or client data loss to happen. A study showed that unplanned downtime costs businesses an average of $8,850 every minute. The Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that about 43% of organizations that faced a natural disaster failed to reopen and about 29% of businesses that were affected had shut down within 2 years after it happened. Disaster recovery Florence SC as a service concentrates on a short recover point goal. This implies that the data that was restored would be as close to its existing now state as it can be, of course through IT outsourcing. The general recovery time goals happen within four hours and would bring up machines that are geographically located in another location. For instance, if your company’s data center is located in Florida and it gets affected by a strong hurricane, DRaaS will make sure that your data won’t be lost by changing to live mirrored servers located in a different location, which isn’t affected by the natural disaster. 

  

 

Important Considerations When Choosing A DRaaS?

 

1. Get a performance SLA or service level agreement – draw up an SLA contract between you and your IT service provider to guarantee predefined performance like a one hour service level agreement that guarantees that all your critical applications will be working properly in an hour.
2. DRaaS costs are variable – be careful of hidden fees like retrieval costs that charge for every gigabyte which could add up quickly. So be sure to ask your IT consulting company about it.
3. Couple DRaaS with data protection – the cloud is the best place for the long term retention of data since it is isolated from the production data and it is remote from ransomware.
4. You pay only for what you use – pick a managed IT service provider that provides various DRaaS services for different types of applications.
5. Cloud seeding options – with cloud seeding, you have the option to use a physical media like hard disk, server, or tape to preload the data into the cloud and then restore a local database that has failed.
6. DRaaS could protect cloud applications – install a backup appliance in the cloud and then point the cloud applications to backup the software in another cloud facility than where your existing cloud applications are running.
7. Don’t forget automated test recover – you must have the automated testing at least once every month and once there’s any change to the infrastructure to make sure that all your applications will really recover.
8. Benefits of purpose built clouds – they work well with the cloud backup appliances, holistic support, as well as predictable recover times.

 

How can SpartanTec, Inc. Florence help?

SpartanTec, Inc. develops cloud management systems that allows a business to migrate applications, provide backup and disaster recovery, and hybrid cloud management. We provide Managed IT Services by automating disaster recovery and backup to the cloud. 

  

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now for more information.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence