As customer preferences, business operations, and enterprise competition evolve, IT leaders must ensure their data storage solutions meet customer needs. For that reason, an enhanced security and data recovery strategy is required for thriving in today’s fast-paced digital economy. One method to achieve this objective is implementing unified storage, which consolidates all data into a single, scalable platform and mitigates potential threats. This allows businesses to replace ineffective data storage systems and deploy a simplified, efficient solution that minimizes downtime and streamlines operations.

We’ve identified how important unified storage

When considering the implementation of unified storage, organizations have two main options: a web-based sandbox or rolling out on-prem. Each approach offers distinct advantages, and businesses should choose the option that best aligns with specific needs and business objectives.

Web-Based Unified Storage With Nutanix Test Drive

The easier of the two options to implement unified storage is leveraging web-based sandboxes with supported functionality. This approach allows organizations to seamlessly integrate the advantages of the service into their current IT infrastructure with minimal preparation.

Nutanix offers a feature that allows users to simulate the entire process of creating within a sandbox-like environment. This feature accurately reflects the organization’s current data structure – including an option to present storage as to physical machines – and provides access to powerful analytics and data management tools in real-time. Nutanix’s software-as-a-service platform also offers improved reporting capabilities. The web-based sandbox approach reduces upfront costs and provides a risk-free environment for organizations to explore the benefits of unified storage.

If your team is looking for a way to articulate the functions and justify the investment for a storage solution, the Test Drive approach is an excellent choice to demonstrate the benefits of unified storage to upper management.

Rolling Out On-Prem

If your organization already knows the value of unified storage but wants to reduce license costs, another option is to adopt an on-premise solution. This approach combines the advantages of the service with simplified deployment and eliminates the need for additional virtual machines. However, it’s important to note that you cannot run your usual VMs, including loading a SQL server.

Nutanix provides an implementation that enables enterprises to streamline their storage infrastructure, helping to cut back the costs associated with multiple systems and maintenance. This service leverages enterprise-grade features such as high availability, data deduplication, snapshots, and cloning to ensure the security and accessibility of stored data. This on-prem software also supports sharing and distribution among IT teams within a terabyte range, allowing them to explore the powerful features and capabilities of this service firsthand. This process provides stakeholders with a direct, tangible encounter with the benefits of unified storage solutions.

Final Thoughts

Nutanix stands out with its unwavering commitment to top-notch security measures, earning a place in WEI’s list of impressive . With unbeatable customer support, businesses can expect fully secured data, maximum performance, and cost efficiency.

As a valued partner of Nutanix, WEI’s team of experts provide the essential guidance and comprehensive assessment processes to ensure your enterprise’s journey toward unified storage is a success. Contact us today to learn how Nutanix’s innovative solutions empower your businesses to streamline operations, reduce costs, and achieve your IT security goals.

The post How To Take The Best Approach For Your Unified Storage Journey appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

The quantity and severity of ransomware attacks are expected to rise once again in 2023, and businesses need to take steps to protect themselves from these costly and disruptive incidents. According to , “Ransomware will cost its victims around $265 billion (USD) annually by 2031.” These attacks have a devastating impact on enterprises, causing critical data loss and downtime. In addition, businesses may also be liable for the cost of the ransomware attack itself.

Because organizations generate a large amount of data every day and have increasingly large workloads moving between hybrid and multi-cloud environments, unified storage has become important for ransomware protection. In this post, we cover what unified storage is and how it addresses ransomware.

What Is Unified Storage?

Unified storage is a single platform that manages data from multiple sources, whether they be on-premises or in the cloud. This makes it an ideal solution for businesses looking to move to hybrid or multi-cloud environments, as it eliminates the need to manage data across multiple platforms.

, director of product marketing for storage services at Nutanix writes, “Supporting data access where it’s created and consumed is critical, and a unified approach to storage delivery is foundational. Unified storage provides a software-based, consolidated storage solution on top of many flexible shared-nothing nodes. Pooling resources and putting the intelligence in the software layer creates flexibility of scale, allowing for deployments of any size that can fit any deployment location.”

This can be helpful because it makes it easier for your IT team to find and use your data. Unified storage also provides ransomware protection and data loss prevention, making it an essential tool for companies of all sizes.

Benefits Of NCP Unified Storage

Unified storage is designed to help businesses by providing a single view of all enterprise data, regardless of where it is stored. This enables IT teams to make judgments about how much capacity remains in the storage pool in the event of a ransomware attack.

, a global leader in cloud software, has created helpful data storage solutions with their cloud platform. The Nutanix Cloud Platform (NCP) is a unified storage platform that delivers ransomware protection, data storage solutions, and simplified operations. It helps eliminate storage silos and provides a common platform for file, object, and block storage along with virtualized workloads.

Nutanix file storage led to:

• 60% more efficient IT storage management
• 82% less time needed to deploy new files storage
• 56% more efficient IT security teams
• 75% less time needed to deploy new objects storage

These benefits make Nutanix a leading choice for unified storage, ransomware protection, and data storage solutions.

Ransomware Protection With Nutanix Unified Storage

Nutanix unified storage solutions also offer strong ransomware protection and data recovery capabilities. Nutanix provides a unified storage solution that is secure from the ground up. Their security baseline documents are based on U.S. DoD STIGs and cover the entire infrastructure stack. This ensures that your data is safe when deployed in the field.

Nutanix offers unified storage solutions with robust security features, including self-encrypting drives and software-only encryption capabilities. This provides peace of mind that your data is safe at rest. To ensure data in transit protocols, Nutanix features secure in-flight encryption for SMB, NFS, and S3 and WORM support for both files and objects.

Data Lens

Nutanix provides customers with the highest levels of data security available, offering visibility and control with Data Lens. Data Lens is an advanced software-as-a-service solution that provides analytics and ransomware defense for Nutanix unified storage. With Data Lens, users can benefit from ransomware protection, audit trails, anomaly detection, and data age analytics.

Ransomware protection includes file blocking with automatic signature updates and ransomware file access pattern detection. When ransomware events are found, you can choose to block the client and user or set the entire file server to read-only. Further, a snapshot is automatically taken at the time of the attack to provide a recovery point. Recovery workflows flag all files which may have been impacted and recommend which snapshot to restore. In the words of WEI’s Senior Architect and Virtualization Ambassador, , “If you’re looking to develop a business continuity plan as well as a disaster recovery plan, there’s a lot of cool things you can do with just those core capabilities they have of doing snapshots.”

Conclusion

Businesses are particularly vulnerable to ransomware attacks as they have valuable data that is targeted. To protect your business from ransomware, it is important to have a reliable data storage solution in place that effectively addresses these threats.

A unified storage system provides ransomware protection by combining multiple layers of security features into one unified platform. This can help to ensure your data is safe from ransomware and that you can quickly and easily recover from any attacks that occur. Also, unified storage systems offer performance and scalability benefits that can be essential for businesses with large amounts of data.

If you are looking for a data storage solution to protect your business from ransomware, Nutanix offers a terrific option. With its combination of security features and performance benefits, Nutanix’s storage tool can help keep your data safe and your business running smoothly. Contact us today to learn more about how unified storage solutions can help you improve your cybersecurity and facilitate a smooth recovery.

Next Steps: Listen to Mark Gabryjelski’s advice in this to learn more about unified storage and how it addresses ransomware. Mark leads numerous Nutanix workshops annually, which are accessible to WEI customers.

The post How Unified Storage Addresses Ransomware Threats, Enables Recovery appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Security concerns are constant for every enterprise. More employees working from home (or anywhere, really) and other factors leads to network complexity and growth in the cost of data breaches. This also impacts how much organizations are expected to spend on cybersecurity prevention. It is anticipated that companies will increase cybersecurity spending by 26% over the next five years. Luckily, there are advanced solutions such as Extended Detection and Response (XDR) that can help automate threat detection and save time and effort on staying cyber secure. In this article, we cover what XDR is and why it should be included in your future cybersecurity goals.

What Is XDR?

XDR is a rising cybersecurity solution that gives companies complete visibility into their entire network. XDR is a term used when you do not have the capabilities to cover a wide range of threat vectors. As an advanced cybersecurity solution, XDR focuses on endpoints and deals with threats directly and efficiently. XDR uses a lot of what makes security and information event management (SIEM) and security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) useful and extends each of these functions for a better cybersecurity solution.

simply explains, “XDR capabilities provide visibility and actionable insights across networks, clouds, endpoints, applications, and workspaces to help Security Operation Center (SOC) teams to hunt, investigate, and remediate threats.” Basically, these abilities allow for quicker detection of threats and improved investigation and response times through security analysis.

Why XDR Matters

Since XDR is a newer addition to the security solution market, it has many benefits that other options don’t feature. Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated, and SEIM and SOAR are not developed for these advanced attacks. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) and Network Detection Response are similar to XDR, however, they cannot respond to sophisticated threats quickly enough compared to XDR. Because of this, every organization should consider XDR. This solution has many benefits such as:

1. Consolidated threat visibility: XDR delivers visibility through data collection from email, endpoints, servers, and cloud networks.
2. Easy detections and investigations: XDR helps IT teams focus on high-priority threats. This cybersecurity solution can automatically detect stealthy threats and isolate anomalies that may come across as insignificant.
3. End-to-end orchestration and response: XDR provides automated alerts and strong response actions for sophisticated cyber threats.

Along with these main benefits, XDR solutions address a growing network’s complexity by detecting threats faster for more efficient threat blocking. XDR can automate threat detection and remediation to save IT teams time and effort by automatically discovering attacks while also looking for malicious activity. XDR approaches like aim to help companies with organization and control when it comes to cybersecurity.

About Cisco SecureX

Cisco SecureX is a security cloud-native platform that broadly connects Cisco’s integrated security portfolio and enterprise infrastructure for a consistent experience. It strengthens security across your network, endpoints, applications, and cloud and enables automation without needing to add new technology to your current security setup.

Cisco SecureX is also an optimal platform for integrating other security solutions. It simplifies the user experience by bringing together key security technologies that are necessary for Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) flexibility and zero trust. This platform combines cloud security from Cisco Umbrella with zero trust capabilities from Cisco Secure Access. Users can incorporate a wide range of other tools with ease into Cisco SecureX. You can benefit from this integrated platform whether you only have one Cisco security product or many. It can serve as the foundation for a SASE architecture and protect your assets by integrating both new and existing technologies into your network.

Many organizations are already enjoying the benefits of XDR with Cisco SecureX. IT teams can focus on improving overall security efficiency and can spend less time working on manual tasks such as correlating alerts. SecureX helps companies detect, investigate, and resolve security events quicker with better insight. This security platform reduces the risk of a data breach by .

If you are just starting your journey of applying an XDR approach to your enterprise security or are looking for ways to improve your current XDR platform, SecureX is a strong solution to extend your detection and response.

The WEI security experts have extensive experience with Cisco network and security solutions. Lean on our experience to help you determine how your company can benefit from leveraging Cisco’s suite of security solutions and SecureX. Contact us today.

Next Steps: Read our solution brief titled, to learn more about the benefits of operating under a single dashboard. This will enable your security teams to have the necessary security visibility of your network endpoints, cloud, edge, and applications.

The post Why XDR Matters And How It Can Help Reach Modern Security Goals appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

There used to be a single test to determine the effectiveness of your data backup strategy. It centered around successfully restoring your data from a backup, and you would rest easy knowing that you would, in theory, recover from a data loss event. It was really that simple. Still, there were some security concerns as you did not want just anyone accessing the backups who might accidently (or inadvertently) delete them. There was also the threat of confiscating a backup tape containing sensitive or valuable data by an imposter. For the most part, the data backup system was out of sight and out of mind for everyone other than the backup administrator.

Ransomware Backup Protection Systems are Now Actively Targeted

Ransomware attacks involve the loss of data, thus giving data backup systems a critical role in the battle against increasingly rampant malware. As you can imagine, the evolving nature of ransomware eventually changed the practice referenced at the start of this article. While some organizations lacked a working backup, those that had implemented and operationalized a proven system were able to elude the extortion payment.

Despite a commitment to implementing adequate backup strategies, many company leaders still consider paying the ransom. The decision to do so involves more than simply regaining access to a company’s data. Often, it is looked at as a business decision in which the opportunity cost of spending days or even weeks rebuilding virtual data stores and recovering data directories can exceed the ransom itself. While government authorities continue to discourage paying the ransom, the opportunity to recover quickly often makes practical business sense.

As you can imagine, it didn’t take long for ransomware gangs to learn that a data backup can often be the one thing holding them back from a handsome payday. That’s why backup systems have a prominent bullseye on them now. Take out the backups, and the odds are in favor of the attackers. But if your cyber security team holds the line of attack against your backups, the odds are suddenly back in your favor. That’s also where your ransomware backup protection strategy plays such a pivotal role.

While there are still plenty of threats out there involving less sophisticated attackers who look for easy prey and quick payouts using Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) applications, the large-scale ransomware attacks we read about in the headlines every week are carried about by highly experienced hackers using well-coordinated attack strategies. It is these high-caliber ransomware organizations that you must prepare for.

Ransomware Attacks are Performed in Stages

Infiltrating your network is only the first step of a multipronged ransomware attack. Attackers now spend weeks or even months silently observing your systems to not only find where your data resides, but to also discover how it is protected. Unnerving, isn’t it? It is during this undetected period of observation that the attackers decide how to best eliminate your data backup system.

You may be surprised to know that these ransomware groups are more familiar with the popular backup systems on the market than the customers that use them. It’s in the best interest of the attacker to understand how to eliminate your backups, whether that means deleting, corrupting, or adjusting them. Once your backups are eliminated, the next target is your virtual infrastructure, which they intend to destroy as well. After they shut down your servers, they begin the process of encrypting your data stores. For VMware environments, the objective is then to destroy the vCenter and encrypt the VMware data stores. They use similar strategies to take down Hyper-V or Nutanix architectures as well.

Follow Recommended Cybersecurity Practices for Enhanced Ransomware Backup Protection

Properly securing your backups starts with implementing the best security standards. While air gapping is often discussed, do you know what that strategy entails? As a backup/recovery expert, I serve as WEI’s solutions architect. I regularly conduct workshops throughout the year, and recently discussed the many challenges at hand and how to prepare for them. I also identified prominent mistakes that we continue to find in real world environments.

Here are some of the top mistakes that internal cybersecurity professionals make all too often. While my discussion exclusively involved Veeam solutions, these mistakes also apply to other backup platforms:

1. Remoting into the server that hosts your backup solution: Never RDP into your backup server as these sessions can easily be compromised. Instead, use the backup system’s remote console software so that you are not logging onto the actual server.
2. Joining your backup system to Microsoft Active Directory: Besides targeting your backup system, hackers are diligently working to crack your AD. Once compromised, they can get access to privileged accounts with administrator rights to your backups.
3. Installing your backup software on a virtual server: One of the primary purposes of Veeam is to back up your VMs. If the hackers take out your virtual infrastructure, your backup system is gone, too. Consider using a physical server to host your backup solution whenever possible.
4. Only relying on passwords to protect log-on processes: Many organizations use multifactor authentication to secure their O365 logons, yet solely rely on password authentication to protect their backup logons. Sometimes this is due to the outdated attitude of “it’s only the backup server.” In this new era of ransomware, the backup server is one of the most important systems in your security arsenal. It is no longer “just the backup server.”
5. Leaving the local firewall disabled because they are unsure of what ports the hosted backup solution requires: They disable the firewall to install the new backup solution with the intention of properly configuring it at a later point. This leaves a wide-open opportunity for attack avenues that hackers easily take advantage of. Take care of your firewall configurations immediately!

Win Each Malware Battle with Robust Ransomware Backup Protection

Ransomware is a war, but it is a winnable war if you have the correct enterprise cybersecurity strategies in place. Within this war, there are battles you don’t have to fight alone as WEI’s team of backup and cybersecurity specialists can help outline a ransomware backup protection plan that fits your particular risk environment and budget. You may contact our experts at your convenience.

Next Steps: If you want to discover more proven tips and strategies to securing your backup solutions, we have published a fresh whitepaper titled, ““

The post Solidify Your Ransomware Backup Protection Strategy appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Over the last decade, the topic of cybersecurity has shifted from being a technical subject to a mainstream topic impacting every facet of the organization. As cyberattacks become increasingly more sophisticated, frequent and disruptive executive leaders now face a new complex blend of issues, including economics, business processes, and psychology.

During a recent event, presented in partnership with , we featured Michael Daniel, an industry thought leader and expert in cybersecurity. Serving as former Cybersecurity Advisor to the White House and current president and . Michael shared his outlook on the global security landscape and applicable steps to help you avoid becoming the next breaking cybersecurity story.

In the article below, we’ll share the top three strategies to level up your cyber game.

1. Change Your Cybersecurity Mindset

When it comes to cybersecurity, it’s often treated as a problem that you just purchase a solution for. The reality is cybersecurity is constantly evolving and requires a new mindset to protect the organization from emerging threats.

Here are two reasons why cybersecurity isn’t just a technical problem.

1. Cybersecurity is an economic problem. Enterprises need to develop incentives for their employees by addressing cybersecurity as a shared risk and promoting that through collaboration across organizational boundaries.
2. Cybersecurity is a psychological problem. Cybercriminals have been manipulating people for years and enterprises still struggle to apply the correct solutions because they are solving the problem only through technology.

By shifting your mindset about cybersecurity from a problem to be solved to a long-term strategy focused around a blended approach encompassing economics, business processes and human psychology, enterprises are better equip to manage risk and protect the enterprise from emerging threats.

2. Redefine Success For Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity lives inside cyberspace, which doesn’t operate like the physical world does. It’s difficult to understand cyberspace because none of the features of cyberspace work in the real world.

According to Michael, “Everybody will always say that cyberspace is borderless and that’s not true.”

It’s actually the complete opposite – borders are everywhere in cyberspace. There are routers, firewalls, and switches that create the borders. It’s just a difficult concept because the borders aren’t the same arbitrary political boundaries we’ve made in the physical world. Border security doesn’t work in cyberspace, and since our mental models can’t translate a borderless network, enterprises struggle with protecting themselves from cybersecurity threats.

Michael explained four ways cybersecurity threats are consistently evolving.

1. Cybersecurity threats have become more diverse. The number and type of devices to attack is getting larger by every passing year. The volume and the diversity of connected devices increases the complexity of cybersecurity threats making it difficult to defend.
2. The volume of malicious activity is increasing as the barriers to entry are low and the returns are high. Cybercriminals can make a lot of money or gain information with the low probability of being arrested and prosecuted.
3. Cybersecurity threats are increasingly more sophisticated. In the last couple of years cybersecurity threats have increased exponentially. The criminal ecosystem is now diversified and highly specialized making cybercrime is far more organized than you think. They have access to key resources making them better prepared and knowledgeable. Cybercrime runs like a business and the “big ticket items” are enterprises. That’s why there has been an increase in ransomware.
4. Cybercriminals are designing cyberthreats that are increasingly more disruptive. The impact of cyber incidents has increased because enterprises and individuals are more digitally dependent than ever. Having a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy involves acknowledging how cybersecurity threats are evolving in order to properly protect ourselves.

Cybersecurity is often seen as something you can simply fix, but rather a part of doing business in the modern world. You want to treat cybersecurity like a core operational risk that will occur throughout the life of your business. If not, one cyber incident could be catastrophic.

3. Recognize That Cybersecurity Is Still “New”

Cybersecurity is still very “new.” Many enterprises will say cybersecurity has been around for a long time. However, they haven’t been able to develop customs, habits, policies, or laws that consistently work well in cyberspace. We understand cyberspace as this highly connected and interactive environment – the internet. People are connected to the network all the time, more so every single year. Only in the last 20- 25 years has the network really evolved. In regard to customs, policies, and laws this is a very short amount of time.

How Cisco SecureX Aligns With Your Cybersecurity Strategy

Cisco offers a simplified security experience that allows enterprises to continue using the three strategies to successfully protect themselves from cybersecurity threats. , built-in platform that connects their secure portfolio and an enterprise’s infrastructure seamlessly for a consistent experience. SecureX unifies visibility, enables automation, and strengthens security across your network. It does this without replacing your current security infrastructure or layering on another technology. confidently secure every business aspect, lets you build your own customizable security, collaborates across shared workflows and teams, and turns security from a blocker into an enabler. It aligns with Michael Daniels’ three strategies and will keep you updated on any approaching cybersecurity threats.

NEXT STEPS: Lack of visibility across your entire IT estate is often the biggest challenge when it comes to effectively securing your company from intrusion. Cisco can help you spot those vulnerabilities faster with a proactive security strategy. It really comes down to having the right tools AND frequent cybersecurity training for your employees, but let’s start at square one and take a look at what’s possible when you have full visibility!

The post Top 3 Cybersecurity Strategies From CEO Of Cyber Threat Alliance, Michael Daniel appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Days after the attack on the Colonial Pipeline, MIT Sloan School of Management professor, Stuart Madnick, said , “I often say the worst is yet to come.” While this is not a time for pessimism, the trend certainly appears to be headed in the wrong direction. 2021 has brought significant, far-reaching cyber catastrophes: ransomware has taken down one of the largest oil pipelines in the country, the largest meat processing company in the world and the police department of our nation’s capital. Even a ferry operator in Martha’s Vineyard found itself attacked.

Meanwhile the perpetrators behind these assaults grow rich off their malicious deeds. One example is the notorious Russian ransomware gang that is applicably named, Evil Corp. The group is headed by named Maksim Yakubets, whose license plate spells out THIEF. Yakubets started out his criminal career extorting cafes in Moscow. Now he heads an international operation that employs dozens of people whose mission it is to extort money from organizations within 43 countries across the world. The enemy is highly organized and experienced.

Ransomware 2.0

One of the contributing reasons for ransomware’s success is that its creators ensure that it keeps evolving in order to improve upon itself. In what is now commonly referred to as Ransomware 2.0, hackers now exfiltrate the data prior to encrypting it. They then threaten to publicly release sensitive information or sell it on the dark web if the victimized organization balks at paying for the decryption key. That PR nightmare that may ensure could cause irrevocable damage to the brand. Of course, the real threat has always been having your data inaccessible forever. The worst instance involved an attack on the in which the hospital could no longer treat some chemotherapy patients because the attack wiped out their records. The price of ransomware is far greater than just a monetary cost.

We Need a New Way to Combat Ransomware

It is increasingly obvious that ransomware is not going away and that criminal gangs like Evil Corp are growing more brazen with each big payoff. While the FBI and other governmental agencies highly discourage organizations from paying ransoms that is easier said than done. Often times, organizations are between a rock and hard place: Cave to the extorsion demands of the attackers or stay offline for days or even weeks as internal IT furiously rebuilds the network. It is growing more apparent each month that our nation and society needs a better template in how to cope with ransomware.

Even more important however, it’s time for organizations to take a “man on the moon” approach to combatting ransomware. Too often, IT uses a best of breed mentality in which a newly discovered attack demands a new attack solution. Cybersecurity vendors are all too willing to release new shiny objects to combat new threats. While these tools may indeed be effective at combatting specific cyberthreats, this practice requires internal IT to constantly toggle between an array of cybersecurity tools. According to ESG Research, 31 percent of organizations use more than 50 different security products, while 60 percent use more than 25. Now couple this statistic with a defined correlation outlined in the that shows how the amount of downtime attributed to a cybersecurity incident increased in lock step with the number of security vendors a company used.

The Need for a Platform Approach

It has become apparent that a single magic tool approach is not going to save us from ransomware. It is time we realized that we are in a war, a cyber war, and that we need an encompassing platform approach to deal with it. We need a system of tools that reside at all of the various layers of a multi-level cybersecurity plan. We need to eliminate the cybersecurity silos that exist across our IT estates in which security tools work in isolation of one another. What we need is an organized system in which security tools work in tandem with another in a single unified front in which intelligence is shared between them. In turn, internal IT needs to be able to monitor and manage everything from a single pane of glass. By taking a platform approach, security and attention gaps are eliminated.

Four Best Practices for Combatting Ransomware

There isn’t a magic pill to defeat ransomware. It must be done through a collaborative effort across multiple fronts using this best practice arsenal.

1. Prevent the initial infiltration

Stopping ransomware from infiltrating your network is three-fourths of the battle. There are two primary attack avenues that ransomware utilizes. Those are email and internet downloads. You must be able to root out malicious email attachments and embedded links that coerce users to click on them. It’s also essential to incorporate internet security filtering that strips your web traffic of malicious code before it can take hold on a device. Cisco Cloud Email Security with Advanced Malware Protection uses analytics to identify malicious links and attachments and obliterate them before users can see them. Cisco Umbrella with DNS and IP layer enforcement stops ransomware and other malicious code from making its way from the internet over all ports and protocols. What’s more, these two tools operate in in cohesion with one another to eradicate invading ransomware at its initial stage.

2. Fortifying the Perimeter

Perimeter security solutions such as Cisco Firepower Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) are required today in order to deliver comprehensive, unified policy management of firewall functions, application control, threat prevention, and advanced malware protection from the network to the endpoint.

3. Endpoint ProtectionYou must arm your endpoints in this battle. That means more than relying on the signature-based antivirus solutions of yesteryear. You need intelligence-based systems supported by analytics that continually draw data from millions of endpoints across the globe as reconnaissance. Cisco Advanced Malware Protection for Endpoints can stop ransomware files at the point of entry for every client device and server on your network.
4. Complete Visibility

You can’t fight an enemy you can’t see and you can’t protect things that aren’t visible. Cisco SecureX provides a single pane of glass interface that gives your IT team complete visibility of the battlefield at hand. is built into the Cisco Security solutions you already have so there is no need for rip-and-replace components. SecureX simplifies and unifies your security infrastructure in such a way that 95 percent of customers report that the solution helps them quickly take action and remediate threats.

Partner with WEI & Cisco to Combat Ransomware

And finally, you need a comprehensive backup solution that incorporates both on-premises storage as well as cloud-based. Yes, it’s a multi-front approach, but it’s a multi-front war out there and in order to win, you need to be allied with a vendor that has a comprehensive strategy to win. The Cisco security platform is more than a tool set. It’s an across-the-board solution set that provides blanket style security across your entire IT estate. Yes, there is hope in defeating ransomware. In this case, hope is spelled C-I-S-C-O.

Next steps: See how Cisco SecureX is bring unparalleled visibility to the enterprise in this quick demo video.

The post 4 Best Practices for Defeating Ransomware appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Today’s cybercriminals are better equipped and are utilizing technology that’s more advanced by the day. With the value and importance of data only growing, protecting that data has never been more essential and enterprises need all the help they can get. With this in mind, we recently held a cybersecurity event to share information on key topics including:

• The best strategies enterprises can use to keep data safe.
• The anatomy of a hacker.
• The tools hackers utilize to gain entry to your systems.
• Cybersecurity predictions for the upcoming year and beyond.

This virtual event, presented in partnership with , featured Theresa Payton, a legendary figure within the cybersecurity and IT world. Her resume was already impressive, with executive level roles in banking technology, but she made history as the first woman to serve as the CIO of the White House. She currently leads as CEO.

In the article below, we’ll share the top three takeaways from the event that you need to know to effectively combat cybersecurity threats.

1. Web Browsing Is A Minefield

Hacking isn’t as it appears in the movies. Instead of brute forcing your firewalls or other cybersecurity solutions, cybercriminals will exploit any simple way into your digital environment. Many of these opportunities can be as simple as a user clicking on a theoretically safe link.

As shared by Theresa, things like clickbait, fake ads, and chat bots are often utilized by cybercriminals to lead your employees astray. While they may not contain malware or other nefarious programs, the demographic data that’s exposed and tracked once clicked on can be all hackers need to get started.

The ad itself or the advertising company running the ads may be genuine, but bad actors that gain access to that data can take the information gathered, such as operating system, IP address and username, and use it to build social engineering campaigns, fraud campaigns, and other carefully constructed personas to further trick your employees into opening the doors to hackers.

2. Bad Actors Are Using AI To Impersonate Key Players

As previously mentioned, today’s hackers have access to technology far beyond what their predecessors could even dream of. One of the most insidious tools being utilized is AI technology that leverages internet photos and audio to create deepfake profiles.

Deepfakes are synthetic media built using artificial intelligence (AI) to alter the appearance or sound of a piece of media, such as a video or audio recording. In the wrong hands, this technology is being used to create fake user profiles, impersonate employees, and using an executive’s ‘likeness’ to authorize fraudulent bank transfers.

As shared by Theresa during the cybersecurity event: “An international company with international lines of business needed to do a wire transfer to a vendor. The vendor sends a typical message to the CFO, who receives it and waits for the multi-factor authentication. In their case, the authentication is a phone call and voice authorization. CFO receives it [from the CEO] and makes the transfer.”

Unfortunately for this company, it was not the CEO on the phone and the transfer was fraudulent. By utilizing deepfake technology, hackers are creating a world where enterprises cannot trust what they see and hear and must rely on additional security layers, like codewords and separate lines of communication, to keep these incidents from happening.

3. We Have To Work Together To Stand Against Cybercriminals

As more enterprises fall victim to ransomware and large scale incidents wreak havoc ( being a perfect example), the cybersecurity community must come together to catch these bad actors.

Many enterprises seek to hide evidence of breaches to save face, but in doing so, they’re making it easier for bad actors to continue on with their actions. Instead, when attacks happen, information regarding it should be shared with the community in general, not just internally or only with law enforcement.

“We need international cooperation. Cybercrime has to be dealt with and we need to have an international accord that says an attack against a private sector company is an attack against all of us and it will not stand,” Theresa said.

Ensure Comprehensive Cybersecurity With WEI & Cisco

Having a trusted technology partner like WEI can help you build the right security foundation with secure tools, such as those found in We can walk you through a cyber-savvy strategy to identify vulnerabilities and take a proactive approach to risk mitigation. Contact WEI today to start a cybersecurity conversation that will deliver the security outcomes your business requires.

NEXT STEPS: Lack of visibility across your entire IT estate is often the biggest challenge when it comes to effectively securing your company from intrusion. Cisco can help you spot those vulnerabilities faster with a proactive security strategy. It really comes down to having the right tools AND frequent cybersecurity training for your employees, but let’s start at square one and take a look at what’s possible when you have full visibility!

Meet Cisco SecureX in two ways.
Watch the Demo and Read the Solution Brief.

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In today’s rapidly changing work environments, enterprises can no longer mix and match solutions in an attempt to provide security for on-premises and remote employees. Instead, enterprises need one solution that can provide comprehensive, holistic security from edge-to-cloud.

This is a critical time in cybersecurity. Over the last 18 months we’ve seen new security challenges arise as a direct result of the pandemic, including:

• A rise in shadow IT-related incidents fueled by the exodus to remote working.
• Increased cyberattacks, especially ransomware attacks.
• Massive growth of the attack surface as enterprises prioritized performance and productivity over security.

Mix in the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and the inherent security challenges associated with cloud computing and it seems impossible that one platform can secure your on-site users, your remote employees, and the multitude of other devices used across your enterprise every single day.

, begs to differ. Keep reading to find out how Aruba Networks’ built-in security solutions can protect against advanced threats.

1. Aruba For Device Discovery And Profiling

Regardless of the industry, enterprises have huge numbers of devices to manage, whether they’re known and are IoT devices, are utilized by employees, or are unknown and belong to vendors, customers, or other visitors. To stay ahead of the security challenge presented by these devices, enterprises need a solution that can bring visibility and control. Through Aruba ClearPass Device Insight, IT can address the risk associated with these devices and block security holes before bad actors find them.

2. Network Access Control For Wired, Wireless, And WAN

With Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager, IT can rest assured that vulnerable data is protected through centralized user and device authentication, role-based access policies, and continuous attack response.

Through this dynamic, real-time device management system, access for authorized users is simplified, improving employee productivity and reducing risk. ClearPass also supports BYOD initiatives, further improving user experience.

3. Unified Threat Management For SD-WAN

Unlike other security solutions, doesn’t sacrifice performance for security. Through built in edge- and cloud-based security controls, enterprises can reap the full benefits of their cloud and broadband investments.

Despite the attention devoted to performance, enterprises can be confident that the network is secured from edge-to-cloud. Through firewalls placed at the edge, to dynamic segmentation and advanced threat response, Aruba prevents and contains threats, regardless of how distributed your environment is.

4. Secure Remote Access VPN Solutions

These days, you can never be sure where your employees are going to be working from. While many enterprises made plans to go back to the office this fall, those plans have been put on hold due to the ongoing health crisis. Instead, many users continue to work from home, from the road, from hotels, and basically anywhere with an internet connection.

As a result, enterprises need to be ready with secure remote access virtual private network (VPN) solutions. This same technology can also be applied for micro and macro branch locations, reducing the need for multiple, often incompatible solutions or complicated integration scenarios.

5. Policy Enforcement Firewall

With Aruba Networks, enterprises can take security right to the source of data with a policy enforcement firewall (PEF), which provides automated dynamic segmentation for wireless and wired access security in any Aruba Networks environment.

By placing a firewall at the point of connectivity, Aruba Networks is giving enterprises a simple way to control access to the network without creating additional cost or complexity.

6. Integrated Protection For Aruba WLAN

Last but not least, software prevents denial-of-service and man-in-the-middle attacks, while also reducing the risk of over-the-air security threats. As a result, enterprises no longer need to install separate RF sensors or security sensors if they’re using Aruba wireless LAN.

Securing the future of ‘work’ looks different than yesterday, but WEI and Aruba can help.

The edge will only grow and become more complex if you don’t start taking an active approach to integrating security at the endpoints of your business. If you’re interested in any of the security strategies discussed above, WEI can help. offers the holistic security and architectural simplicity needed to stay competitive in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape. By taking advantage of Aruba’s full portfolio of security solutions and out-of-the-box integrations, enterprises can fully secure their remote, hybrid, or on-premises workforces.

To make the transition easy, talk to WEI. Our team of network security experts know Aruba’s portfolio inside and out an have implemented it for customer across several different industries. While the details of each project may be different, the goal is always the same, secure my business and the way people interact with it, at the edge.

NEXT STEPS: Just about every business we talk with has long-term remote workforce initiatives, and security has become a larger focal point of each conversation because devices are no longer protected by the traditional enterprise perimeter. Don’t leave security to chance with your remote workforce. See how Aruba is solving the challenge with Aruba Remote Access Points, and find out just how easy Aruba RAPs are to implement and manage in our tech brief below.

The post Six Ways to Achieve Edge-To-Cloud Security With Aruba appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

As global industry evolves, digital innovation that features a hybrid, “from anywhere” business environment has become critical to modern workforces. New formats, like zero-trust access (ZTA), allow employees and external partners to utilize digital resources, no matter when or where they choose to work.

But this new approach creates complications for CISOs and other because business applications and data leave traditional corporate perimeters. Specifically, it broadens the attack surface of internal networks. Combined with evolving threats, this factor dramatically expands the risk of potential breaches.

In this article, we’ll explore how a zero-trust access approach to security featuring endpoint protection can help.

Mitigating Risk At The Edge

Conceptually, traditional security models feature “gateways” whereby permitted entry means users and devices can be trusted in perpetuity. But unpredictable and broadening access points render this traditional approach obsolete. Bad actors can steal credentials and access networks from any device, for example. This threat increases the complexity and risk of more frequent, more nuanced attacks.

ZTA is therefore critical to security as digital innovation continues. With ZTA, CISOs and other executives can ensure all users, devices, and applications are consistently authenticated, trustworthy, and managed. ZTA ensures users have only the correct frequency and depth of access as well.

What Is ZTA With Endpoint Protection?

The ZTA framework features a combination of security solutions that continuously and holistically identify, authenticate, and segment users and devices seeking network and application access. With these capabilities, security teams can:

• Establish identity through multiple authentication and certificate measures
• Enable role-based privileged access
• Ensure ongoing network control through automated orchestration and threat response
• Optimize the user experience, even with rigorous security measures

Essential Zero-Trust Access Capabilities For Modern IT Security

ZTA does more than offer superior security as enterprise attack surfaces expand. Enterprises that incorporate ZTA with endpoint protection as part of their integrated security strategy also enjoy the flexibility to support their business needs, beyond traditional security models.

Three critical capabilities ZTA features that optimize security and workflows on expanded networks include:

1. Authentication for Every Device, Every Time

Unlike traditional perimeter models, a ZTA-based security strategy assumes every user and device poses a risk. In this paradigm, ZTA authenticates every device before access is authorized. Because ZTA provides a seamless experience for users, automated security features can continuously authenticate devices every time a new or familiar device requests access, without adding friction to user workflows.

2. Role-Based Access for Every User

In this paradigm, security teams continuously monitor every user, no matter the user’s apparent risk. As part of this approach, security teams have visibility into the role-based access of every user, emphasizing a “least access policy” whereby users only access resources that are necessary for their roles.

3. Asset Protection, On and Off Network

Increased remote and mobile activity among users means that there is a greater risk they will expose their devices to bad actors. In doing so, they expose organizational resources to security threats, whether they realize a risk is present or not.

The ZTA approach improves endpoint visibility to protect against the risks associated with remote endpoint devices. Endpoint security measures share security telemetry data each time the device reconnects to the enterprise network. This provides security teams with visibility into vulnerabilities and threats, as well as into missing security patches and missing updates to role-based access, when applicable.

5 Essential Features Of Today’s Leading Zero-Trust Access Frameworks

Once CISOs and other IT executives understand the rationale behind ZTA frameworks, they must understand the ZTA market and the leading features each solution provides.

Consider the following five essential features as you review the leading solutions available today:

1. Automated Discovery Classification

Network access control discovers and identifies every device on, or seeking access to, the network. The ZTA system automatically scans those devices to ensure they are not compromised, then classifies each device by role and function.

2. Zone-of-Control Assignment

The system automatically assigns users to role-based zones of control where they can be monitored continuously, both on and off network. Network access control microsegments users in mixed environments featuring vendors, partners, contingent workers, and others in addition to employees, supporting robust capabilities even as companies expand the edge.

3. Continuous Monitoring

This feature is founded on the premise that no single user or device can be trusted, even after authentication, a device may be infected or a user’s credentials could have been compromised. ZTA frameworks continuously monitor users and devices, imposing streamlined authentication at every point of access as a result.

4. Secure Remote Access

The ZTA framework provides users with safe but flexible options for VPN connectivity, improving the user experience even as it imposes more robust security features. The framework also ensures internet-based transactions cannot backflow into each VPN connection, which would put the enterprise at risk.

5. Endpoint Access Control

The framework uses proactive visibility, defense, and control to strengthen endpoint security. Discovering, assessing, and continuously monitoring endpoint risk streamlines endpoint risk mitigation, risk exposure, and compliance. The framework supports encrypted connections across unsafe networks and continuously retrieves telemetry data to measure endpoint security statuses as well.

Consider Fortinet ZTA For A Fully Integrated Security Strategy

As an IT leader, your ultimate responsibility is not only to keep your company, resources, and users secure but also to help users innovate, improve the bottom line with new efficiencies, and generally meet the needs of the business. That’s why the experts at WEI recommend to IT and security executives who are re-thinking their approach to enterprise security as risks and business requirements evolve.

Framework includes:

1. Complete and continuous control over who is accessing applications
2. Complete and continuous control over who AND what is on the network
3. Integrated ZTA solution for Fortinet Security Fabric that works on-premises and in the cloud over LAN, WAN, and remote tunnels
4. A complete, integrated solution coming from one vendor

Featuring comprehensive visibility and control across infrastructure, users, and devices, Fortinet ZTA provides security leaders with the capabilities they need to both protect enterprise resources and enable modern workforces, no matter the location of each user or device.

Fortinet is leading the way with zero-trust for the enterprise

Fortinet offers comprehensive and holistic security solutions for the largest enterprise, service provider, and government organizations in the world. From firewalls to cloud security, Fortinet ensures security without compromising performance. Here at WEI we have expertise across all Fortinet solutions and can help you evaluate and determine the best approach to an integrated security strategy that delivers on your desired business outcomes.

Next Steps: Download our eBook highlighting the right mix of security solutions for your enterprise to help protect your business from emerging threats while keeping your users productive and happy. Click below to start reading!

The post 5 Critical Features Of Your Zero-Trust Access Strategy appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Regardless of the subject, there’s no one better to learn from than the experts. With this thought in mind, we recently held a featuring Kevin Mitnick, a famous hacker and New York Times bestselling author, James Morrison, a Distinguished Technologist and a former FBI agent, and our own Greg LaBrie, an enterprise security industry veteran and our Vice President of Technology Solutions and Services.

The webinar titled “Hack Me If You Can!” is now available for , and it shared expert insights on key cybersecurity topics including:

• Common threats and tactics used by today’s hackers
• Which new technologies can improve your cybersecurity strategy
• How to turn the tables on cyberattacks through offensive and defensive security strategies

In this article, we’ll share the top three takeaways from the webinar that you need to know to effectively combat today’s evolving cybersecurity threats.

1. Identifying Your Priorities Should Be The First Step In Your Cybersecurity Strategy

In the last year and a half, enterprises around the world have been faced with a substantial, new challenges. In terms of IT and cybersecurity, the exodus to remote working, maintaining that, and the evolution of the hybrid workspace has stretched enterprise security teams to the breaking point. Unfortunately, the bad guys know it and have no qualms about taking advantage.

According to a from INTERPOL, the rapid deployment of remote systems and networks allowed criminals to take “advantage of increased security vulnerabilities to steal data, generate profits and cause disruption.”

Even now, as some companies go back to the office and others delay in-person plans, or adopt a hybrid approach, cybercriminals are waiting for their opportunity to strike and these transitional periods are the perfect target.

In addition to the confusion and uncertainty created by the pandemic and the subsequent rise in cybercrime, companies are overwhelmed as they re-evaluate their security strategy and solutions as they begin to implement a more comprehensive cybersecurity strategy.

During the cybersecurity webinar, Greg LaBrie shared how the amount of enterprise security solutions on the market and the complexity of setting up security throughout an enterprise’s digital environment is making it hard for companies to determine their security priorities. As a result, many companies end up utilizing solutions that aren’t the best fit for their needs or leave vulnerabilities by neglecting to secure certain aspects of their digital environment.

“Don’t just buy any server, but look carefully at your server. Just don’t throw any solution out there, but really look at one of these confusing acronyms like ZTNA (zero trust network access). It means you have to have endpoint protection. It means you need to have multi-factor authentication. It means you need to have network access control and identity management,” Greg shared during the webinar.

“Put those solutions in place and also have a plan B. Have a backup. Have a way that if you do get ransomware that you can recover. That you don’t need to even be concerned about paying a ransom or the threat of paying ransom.”

2. Utilize Penetration Testing To Analyze Your Cybersecurity Strategy

Once your cybersecurity strategy is in place and you’re up and running, the next step should be to test for any vulnerabilities. That’s where ethical hackers like come in.

After getting himself into some hot water utilizing his talents in not-so-legal ways, Kevin eventually began operating a cybersecurity testing company and now helps enterprises determine areas of improvement in their defense strategy.

“I think penetration testing is absolutely necessary, because how do you know what weaknesses are in your security controls? How do you know that your network services aren’t exploitable? What about your web applications?” Kevin said during the webinar.

During the course of a penetration test, teams like Kevin’s make use of strategies that today’s hackers would utilize, using their creativity and expertise to determine how a cybercriminal could gain access and then, figure out what needs to be done to remove that vulnerability.

Sometimes it’s the simplest things that give cybercriminals the keys to your digital environment.

“I can’t tell you how many times organizations we tested that have all the privileged passwords sitting there on unencrypted Excel spreadsheets on the IT drive. And that’s the first place a bad actor is going to look.”

3. You Don’t Have To Go It Alone

Just like any other predator, cybercriminals want their prey scared and isolated. Thankfully, as it is in the animal kingdom, there is strength in numbers when it comes to cybersecurity.

New security guidance is coming out every day and sharing information is one way we can get ahead of bad actors.

For enterprises, another method is to work with a partner like WEI on your cybersecurity strategy.

As shared by James Morrison during the webinar, security is being built into tools that never had it before and while not every solution is going to fit your enterprise, by talking to your IT solutions provider, you can better determine what your cybersecurity needs are.

“Modernization is not just about us tech companies trying to sell the new gadget. There are new security features built into a lot of the things that we do. So, let’s have that conversation. Don’t just ignore it because you think we’re trying to pump a product. If it’s ransomware that bugs you, let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about ransomware avoidance, ransomware remediation, ransomware recovery. All of these things, but we’ve got to start with having that honest conversation. Can you afford $11 million for ransomware? Because if you think your insurance is going to protect you from it, that ship is sailing.”

Ensure a Comprehensive Cybersecurity Strategy With WEI

Having a trusted technology partner like WEI can help you build the right security foundation with secure tools like integrated with Processors, while walking you through a cyber-savvy strategy to identify vulnerabilities and take a proactive approach to risk mitigation.

NEXT STEPS: Watch the webinar for other cybersecurity pearls of wisdom as you take a closer look at strengthening your own security posture. You can also sign up for a one-on-one .

The post 3 Key Takeaways From WEI’s Cybersecurity Webinar appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

In the last six months, the fear of cyberattacks has grown significantly, largely due to several high-profile incidents that left enterprises struggling to deal with the fall out and the general public fearful of the next attack.

Today’s cybercriminals aren’t just targeting corporations or financial institutions. They’re paralyzing oil pipelines, shutting down public transportation, and holding police forces hostage. Anyone and anything can be a target and businesses need to prepare accordingly.

So, what are you doing to protect against omnipresent cyberthreats? Below we have provided five tips that can help IT leaders ensure their cybersecurity strategy is comprehensive.

1. Carefully Consider Your Cybersecurity Budget

According to , cybersecurity spending is to exceed $1 trillion over a five-year period ending in 2021. That constitutes a growth rate of 12 percent to 15 percent a year. However, that the cost of cybercrime around the world will rise to $6 trillion over that same period.

Obviously, there seems to be a disconnect. We are spending more money to protect against threats that are in turn costing an increasing amount of money. You don’t have to be a financial advisor or CFO to know that the ROI on that $1 trillion isn’t very good.

A conducted by Deloitte showed that financial institutions spend an average of 10 percent of their IT budget on cybersecurity, while a 2019 showed a mean of 15 percent.

While there is no hard answer to how much a company should spend on cybersecurity, companies should be getting some type of return on their investment, just like any other IT acquisition. Just throwing money at the problem won’t make it disappear if you don’t have a strategic plan for those funds.

2. Make Sure You’re Focusing On The Right Threats

involving approx. 1,100 cybersecurity executives showed a blaring disconnect between the security solutions their organizations spent money on and the solutions they actually needed to address their most pertinent threats.

While 30 percent of the respondents classified their organizations as “very or extremely vulnerable to data attacks,” 62 percent listed network security as their top spending priority, while 56 percent cited an endpoint solution. As it turns out, data-at-rest security solutions ranked last.

So, why does spending not match up with cybersecurity vulnerabilities? One possible explanation for this quandary is that companies continue to purchase what they are used to or what has worked in the past. However, threats are continually evolving, therefore your required solution sets must evolve as well. Another factor is that many organizations implement security measures without first assessing what their digital environment truly compasses, leading to an incomplete picture of their cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

3. Don’t Get Caught Up On Every New “Best Of Breed” Solution

If you’re involved with IT solution purchasing, you should be familiar with the term “best in breed,” which signifies a solution is the best option available. In theory, best of breed sounds wonderful and at WEI, we stand behind solutions that we can attest are the best solution available for your unique business needs.

That being said, when it comes to purchasing, cybersecurity is a bit different than other areas of IT. Cybercriminals evolve quickly and new attack strategies emerge every day. Trying to stay ahead of these developments by snapping up every new best in breed solution is an inefficient strategy and may actually create more cybersecurity risks. According to a , 40 percent of security professionals say that purchasing from a multitude of security vendors adds cost and purchasing complexity to their organization. In fact, the underscored a direct correlation between the number of security vendors a company had with the amount of downtime they experienced as a result of a security incident.

The bottom line is that more solutions create more complexity and reduce the effectiveness of your overall cybersecurity strategy. Unfortunately, adequately defending your digital environment is more complicated than just picking up the newest and hottest cybersecurity solution.

4. Avoid Cybersecurity Silos At All Costs

You’ve probably heard this a million times already. To be truly successful, enterprises need to break down IT silos. We often associate silos with management systems or data storage solutions and while companies have made great headway over the years in breaking these down, the average cybersecurity estate remains plagued with them.

Each tool works independently and forces IT professionals to perpetually bounce back and forth between tools, creating both visibility and attention gaps. It also creates a deluge of unfiltered alerts. According to the 2020 CISO Benchmark Study, 44 percent of organizations see more than 10,000 daily alerts, of which only half are addressed. The same study showed that 82 percent of CISOs acknowledged that orchestrating alerts from multiple vendor products was challenging.

5. Utilize A Cybersecurity Platform

Today’s enterprises need a security strategy that enables a more holistic and collaborative approach to combat threats, especially as the industry suffers from a lack of qualified cybersecurity professionals.

While many IT leaders are familiar with the concept of solution-based platforms, such as an endpoint protection platform or the platform of tools conglomerated in a next generation firewall appliance, portfolio-based platforms allow you to integrate the products you already use now with the products you may want to use in the future, even third-party products.

These agnostic security platforms, such as , can unify visibility across all parts of your infrastructure through a combined console that vastly increases operational efficiency. These platforms provide actionable automation when it comes to workflows in order to better hunt and remediate threats.

In particular, security platform enables better decision making through comprehensive threat detection, powerful analytics and security policy management. In addition to its security offerings, a modernized security platform provides value through greater efficiency and ROI metrics that can greatly accelerate time to value.

Achieve Comprehensive Cybersecurity With Cisco

As a leader in enterprise security, and with products ranging from to , Cisco can help any enterprise ensure comprehensive cybersecurity. With Cisco SecureX, enterprises can simplify their cybersecurity strategy and improve response efficiency without compromising data.

NEXT STEPS: Learn more about how Cisco SecureX is unifying and simplifying enterprise security in our free solution brief download below. Click below to start reading.

The post 5 Tips For A Comprehensive Cybersecurity Strategy appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

In the past year and a half, securely facilitating remote working has become a priority for a majority of enterprises. It’s also become clear that remote working is going to be a longer-term or permanent working model enterprises will need to support.

In the early days of the pandemic, ensuring uninterrupted access took priority over security, but as time has gone on, enterprises have started the process to replace emergency patchwork measures with secure, long-term solutions.

Thankfully, there are a variety of strategies available to secure both off- and on-premises infrastructure. In this blog, we’ll be discussing the current state of secure access service edge (SASE), zero trust architectures, and software-defined wide-area networks (SD-WAN), as shared in a recent report by Ponemon Institute and sponsored by .

Simplifying Through SD-WAN

At its core, SD-WAN is a simplified approach to managing the wide-area network (WAN) architecture. This is achieved by decoupling the network hardware from the control mechanism, allowing enterprises to build WAN infrastructure at lower cost and with better performance.

In terms of security, architecture utilizes encryption and VPNs to secure traffic, offering significant benefit for enterprises with a remote or hybrid workforce.

In the course of their research, Ponemon found that 44% of the 598 North American IT professionals surveyed as part of the study considered themselves “familiar” with SD-WAN technology, compared to 64% who expressed familiarity with zero trust and 45% that were familiar with SASE.

In terms of implementation, 35% of respondents indicated that they had already deployed or will deploy SD-WAN within the next 12 months.

Ponemon also found that when it comes to implementation, a majority of respondents found that, “the network team has the most influence in the deployment of SD-WAN solutions with advice from the security team.”

Take Control With Zero Trust

Zero trust describes both an IT solution and a security philosophy. When utilizing zero trust as part of a networking strategy, enterprises take the approach that no device can be trusted by default and that mutual authentication provides enhanced protection compared to other methods.

As previously identified, Ponemon found that respondents were overall more familiar with zero trust strategies than SASE and SD-WAN. That also translates to implementation, with 43% of North American respondents indicating they had deployed or will deploy zero trust within the next 12 months.

It was also found that enterprises that self-reported as “highly confident” in their security architecture were more likely to have implemented at least one of these security strategies, with a majority of organizations within that group having implemented zero trust (48%) compared to SASE (43% ) and SD-WAN (33%).

Utilize The Cloud For Security With SASE

For many enterprises, architecture is an attractive networking solution because it simplifies both WAN and security by delivering both as a cloud service directly to the source of the connection. This is particularly helpful for organizations with remote or highly mobile workforces that frequently utilize cloud applications.

Of the three strategies covered by Ponemon in their study, SASE was the least utilized, with only 30% of North American respondents having already deployed or planning to deploy SASE in the next 12 months.

In terms of implementation, a majority of respondents indicated that when it comes to SASE, they would select a “best-in-breed” vendor when, “deploying both SD-WAN and cloud delivered security for a SASE architecture.”

It was also found in the course of the study that a majority of respondents said they would “use leading vendors who focus on cloud-delivered security services” when implementing cloud-delivered security services.

Take Your Network Security To The Next Level With Aruba

If your enterprise is interested in any of the security strategies discussed above, WEI and Aruba can help. offers the holistic security and architectural simplicity needed to stay competitive in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape. By taking advantage of Aruba’s full portfolio of security solutions and out-of-the-box integrations, enterprises can fully secure their remote, hybrid, or on-premises workforces. What’s more, you don’t have to go it alone. Our team of Aruba experts are ready to answer your toughest questions. We have extensive knowledge across Aruba’s entire network security portfolio and can architect and deploy custom solutions unique to your business needs. .

NEXT STEPS: See how Aruba is helping enterprise companies secure their remote workforce with Aruba Remote Access Points in our tech brief below. And ask us about our experience with Aruba RAPs!

The post Network Security Trends: SASE, Zero Trust and SD-WAN appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Even as enterprises put the chaos of 2020 behind them, cybersecurity holdovers from the past year continue to haunt IT security teams. In addition, new security threats rear their ugly heads every day, keeping IT on their toes.

For many enterprises, it’s not a question of “if” a security breach will happen, it’s “when.” This mindset helps enterprise security teams stay proactive about cybersecurity efforts, but when the threat landscape is as wide as is today, it’s hard to know what to focus on and what poses the highest threat.

To help you stay ahead of the game, we’ve put together a list of three top security trends, as reported by Fortinet in their Global Threat Landscape Report.

1. Securing The Branch And Home Offices

While many employees have returned to the office (or have plans to do so soon), there’s a significant portion of the workforce that will be continuing to work from home. As a result, enterprise security must adapt to ensure these remote employees aren’t creating undue security risks.

In 2020, the home office became an appealing target for cybercriminals looking to take advantage of the chaos. even as IT teams scrambled just to keep the lights on. While a majority of enterprises have moved passed the initial hurdles to provide remote employees what they need to be productive, security remains an issue.

As reported by Fortinet, the proliferation of remote employees could contribute to what they refer to as the “final nail in the coffin of trust-based security.”

When it comes to security, it pays to be cautious. Or even paranoid. Strategies like zero trust access, where devices are given the fewest possible access privileges and all devices require authentication, are becoming a popular solution to the remote working conundrum.

2. Threats Targeting The Digital Supply Chain

While last year’s breach is the most well-known of recent attacks, threats to the digital supply chain have been steadily increasing as cybercriminals become more advanced.

In the case of the SolarWinds breach, which appears to have originated from nation-state attackers, U.S. government agencies and several prominent tech companies were included among the victims, raising the stakes even higher and putting the security risks supply chains pose into perspective for many.

In their report, Fortinet described that attackers went to “extraordinary lengths to maintain operational secrecy around the initial compromise of SolarWinds, the distribution of the malware, the deployment of the second-stage payload, and in C2 communications.”

The type of attack used by the SolarWinds perpetrators is referred to as an advanced persistent threat (APT), which can often go unspotted by anti-malware and endpoint detection tools.

Today, when cyber threats are at their most advanced and can have the highest impact, enterprises must stay one step ahead of attackers, who are only getting more advanced and creative by the day.

3. Ransomware Continues To Be A Persistent Threat

Ransomware took center stage in 2020 and that trend is continuing into 2021. Like attacks focusing on the home office, many ransomware attackers used the chaos of the pandemic to their advantage, especially against organizations in the healthcare sector. The frequency of attacks rapidly grew in the latter half of 2020 and the threat of ransomware continues to loom for organizations worldwide.

As shared by Fortinet, effectively dealing with ransomware threats requires a significantly different toolset and strategy than other cybersecurity risks. Some of the suggested strategies to prevent or minimize the impact of a ransomware attack include utilizing aforementioned zero trust access, cloud-based security solutions like , and advanced endpoint security. Having an effective backup and disaster recovery strategy in place is also key, and remove the attackers leverage of holding data hostage.

The recent attack on , which has had an impact on many outside of the tech industry, should serve as an effective motivator for organizations that have yet to prioritize preparing for ransomware threats.

A Cybersecurity Partner, Not Just a Solutions Provider

Fortinet offers comprehensive and holistic security solutions for the largest enterprise, service provider, and government organizations in the world. From firewalls to cloud security, Fortinet ensures security without compromising performance. If youo have questions about how Fortinet can support your business and your security goals, contact WEI today. Our experience as a top Fortinet partner can prove valuable to your security strategy, and we are here to help!

NEXT STEPS: Do you have the right mix of enterprise security tools in your arsenal? See what top IT leaders agree to be the right mix of security solutions for the digital world in our eBook below!

The post Top 3 Enterprise Security Trends To Act On Today appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

As an IT leader, cybersecurity threats are constantly on your mind. They lurk in dark corners, lay in wait and when a moment of vulnerability presents itself, they strike!

The threat of cyberattacks is constant, pervasive, and exhausting. As cybersecurity technology improves, cybercriminals also grow more advanced, keeping up and sometimes outpacing the enterprise technology you’ve grown to trust.

So, what can IT security teams do, other than wait, prepare, and fervently hope they’ll be able to stop an attack before it does too much damage?

With Cisco SecureX, IT security teams can take the upper hand and strike first.

What Are Cisco SecureX and Threat Hunting?

offers a simplified security experience as a cloud-native, built-in platform. As the bridge between the portfolio and enterprise infrastructure, it allows IT teams to drastically reduce dwell time and automate previously manual tasks.

Beyond just simplifying the existing security ecosystem and providing integrations with third-party solutions, SecureX also offers a unified visibility experience with a customizable dashboard and allows IT to automate routine tasks using prebuilt workflows built to suit common use cases. Enterprises can also create their own workflows with SecureX’s no-to-low code, drag-and-drop canvas.

SecureX is also included with every Cisco Secure product and offers an 85% reduction in time to respond to security threats and remediate.

But what if you’re ready to take the fight to the security threats? With SecureX Threat Hunting, you can.

Traditional cybersecurity efforts are reactive. IT security waits for malicious activity to begin and then reacts. Threat hunting starts long before the damage occurs.

As an analyst-centric process, it allows IT security teams to find hidden and advanced threats before they cause damage. It’s a proactive approach to enterprise security and is empowering IT to take an active role in fighting cyberthreats, instead of just waiting and reacting once the damage begins.

However, Threat Hunting with SecureX doesn’t replace traditional efforts, it enhances them. It provides a way for IT security to go on the offensive and augments existing defensive measures.

How Does Threat Hunting With Cisco SecureX Work?

Now that we’ve explained what threat hunting is, let’s get into the nuts and bolts of how Threat Hunting With Cisco SecureX works.

The backbone of threat hunting is utilizing a hypothesis driven methodology. The process can be broken down into a several repeatable steps:

1. Analysts identify current techniques being used by cybercriminals using incident response observations, reports from security groups, or other research techniques.
2. Using the knowledge collected in the first step, analysts formulate a plan of action and the scope of the project.
3. Implement the plan of action.
4. After the plan is executed and data is collected, analysts perform automated analysis and analytics.
5. As a final step, analysts adjust or accept the hypothesis and then repeat the process.

While this is a fairly simple set of steps, many enterprises are still facing significant barriers that keep them from adopting threat hunting.

These barriers include:

• Limited resources.
• An overwhelming number of alerts.
• Sourcing and utilizing up-to-date threat intelligence.
• A growing attack surface.
• A slow implementation process for threat hunting.

Cisco has created Threat Hunting With Cisco SecureX as way for enterprises of any size and budget to apply established, mature threat hunting practices to their IT security infrastructure, without the heavy cost and large time commitment they would face when doing it on their own.

Enterprises that already have threat hunting practices in place can also benefit, as Cisco’s methodologies will overlap, compliment, and support existing capabilities.

As a result of implementing the solution, IT organizations instantly improve cybersecurity posture, reduce alert fatigue, and stop cyberattacks in their tracks.

So, are you ready to go Threat Hunting with Cisco SecureX?

As a leader in enterprise security, and with products ranging from to , Cisco can help any enterprise ensure continued cybersecurity. With Threat Hunting With Cisco SecureX, enterprises can take an active role in warding off threats and protecting confidential corporate data.

Next Steps: Get everyone onboard with enterprise security, especially your executives! Grab a copy of our Security Strategy Checklist by clicking below.

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Even as employees return to the office, just as many are choosing to stay remote. As a result, many enterprises need solutions that can provide specialized security for remote workforces.

Unlike in an office setting where IT can effectively control the who, what, when, where, and why of device usage and network access, remote workforces present unique challenges. To keep corporate data secure, these challenges must be addressed with strategies that have been developed with remote workers in mind.

Remote work environments also require cloud-based security, an additional challenge when selecting the perfect solution. The benefit is that cloud adoption makes all your security controls, including network, email, endpoint, identity, access management, authentication, and others “follow” remote employees wherever they go, rather than remain confined to an often irrelevant on-premises environment.

Three Areas To Address For Remote Workforces

While security is always a priority for enterprise IT, there are several specific areas of concern that must be addressed when it comes to ensuring security for a remote workforce.

These areas of concern can be broken down as follows:

• Email security – Today’s enterprises are dependent on email for communication. In a remote working scenario, especially when it’s unexpected, email can become the primary way employees share important and oftentimes confidential information or documents. As a result, email is frequently targeted by cybercriminals and should be prioritized when it comes to security for remote workforces.
• Device security – When employees are working from home or other remote locations, the security of their devices should be carefully considered. Not only is it important to ensure that devices cannot be accessed by those without the proper login credentials, it’s equally important that employees know what they can and cannot use their devices for.
• Insider threats – One of the largest threats to enterprise security comes from within. Employees that lack the proper training to spot cyberattacks or who are unclear of the security risks that certain behaviors create offer cybercriminals an easy way past your security.

How To Address Areas Of Concern With Mimecast

Enterprises in need of security solutions created with remote workforces in mind need look no further than Offering cloud-based , and web security, Mimecast can help enterprises secure their environment and prevent cyberattacks from succeeding.

Mimecast’s cloud-based Secure Email Gateway offers protection for employees using any cloud or on-premises email platform and defends against spear-phishing, whaling, malware, spam and other attack types. By combining custom applications and policies with multiple detection engines and intelligence feeds, Mimecast offers the first line of defense for email-dependent enterprises.

When it comes to online activity outside of email, Mimecast’s cloud-based web protection at the DNS level prevents malware attacks and inappropriate web use regardless of whether employees are at the office or at home. It also helps mitigate shadow IT risks from cloud app usage. Best of all, it integrates with Mimecast’s email security for consistent cyber protection.

Should an employee still somehow encounter a cyberthreat, Mimecast offers the training they need to learn how to spot suspicious activity and respond appropriately. Mimecast’s security awareness training reduces the risk of human error and helps IT minimize the impact of insider threats by adding an extra layer of protection against cyberattacks.

Long term remote work causes the lines to blur between home and work life for many employees, but with Mimecast’s security awareness training, you can positively impact security culture throughout the enterprise and help employees internalize critical cybersecurity concepts that help keep your data safe.

Want to learn more about Mimecast’s Security Solutions?

Mimecast helps companies protect their employees, intellectual property, customer data, and brand reputations by providing comprehensive, cloud-based security and compliance solutions that mitigate risk and reduce the cost and complexity of creating a cyber-resilient organization. It is an ideal option for hybrid workforces now and into the future. If you have questions about how to get started with Mimecast, today.

NEXT STEPS: How we secure our enterprise has changed drastically in less than one year, especially for those managing a much larger network of devices and remote workers. Find out what your security strategy might be missing with our tech brief below, “.”

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The threat landscape is ever evolving, and today’s enterprises face more cybersecurity challenges than ever. Between the rise of cloud computing, increased utilization of internet of things (IoT) devices, and the distributed nature of today’s workforces, the attack surface has never been larger.

To keep ahead of cybercriminals and ensure data is secured, enterprises need security that’s built-in at the foundational level of the digital environment, not tacked-on later.

Common challenges for server security

While virtualization has become increasingly important for enterprise success, it has also created additional avenues for attack. In terms of server security, the fewer physical servers an organization has, the more important it is that each of those servers is secure. If an attack is successful, the fallout is much more severe in these scenarios than times past.

The bottom line is that as enterprises prioritize digital transformation efforts and more and more data is kept in fewer physical locations, protecting that data becomes mission critical.

For this reason, has prioritized cyber resiliency when designing its servers. Dell EMC has identified the following as key to providing data center security.

1. Built-in vs. bolted-on security

As previously stated, security must be included in the overall design of the server to offer comprehensive protection. To this end, Dell EMC builds protection into the server architecture, ensuring security from server deployment to retirement.

2. Security by design

Comprehensive server security shouldn’t just stop attacks, it should also include the functionality to determine when an attack has succeeded and provide data recovery. Dell EMC’s PowerEdge servers feature its powerful hardware root of trust, which provides security by authenticating BIOS and firmware during the server boot process.

3. Server integrity from silicon to system

Whenever issues threaten your environment, whether they be a cybersecurity attack or software bugs, they must be identified and dealt with quickly to minimize their impact. Dell EMC’s , integrated into the PowerEdge servers, continuously monitors the system and sends alerts regarding changes to configuration parameters across the environment.

4. Rapid recovery

As previously mentioned, comprehensive server security includes the tools for rapid recovery. Dell’s PowerEdge servers include built-in automatic recovery, which will restore the server to a trusted state in the event of a cyberattack, even if the attack is made directly against the BIOS, firmware, signed drivers, or any signed components.

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Three requirements for your path to security

The requirements for comprehensive server security can be broken down into three categories: protect, detect, and recover. Dell’s PowerEdge server offers a number of features and key components that deliver security in these key areas.

1. Protect

When it comes to protection, Dell EMC utilizes the aforementioned hardware root of trust, as well as cryptographically signed firmware which enforces a secure platform environment. Self-encrypted disks (SEDs) are utilized to protect data at rest and the iDRAC offers agent-free management that ensures server security throughout the environment.

2. Detect

In terms of detection, Dell EMC employs physical intrusion detection to identify any physical tampering of servers, as well as drift detection, which offers continuous detection of configuration and firmware changes. Dell’s PowerEdge servers also log every event and provide alerts, including recommended actions in the event of an issue, further ensuring end-to-end server security.

3. Recover

Ensuring that data can be recovered in the event of an incident is just as important as preventing it in the first place. To this end, Dell EMC PowerEdge servers offer seamless recovery to a protected BIOS image after a security breach or other event. Automatic restoration of server configuration after hardware updates or replacement is also offered, reducing time and resources spent on administration during upgrades.

Through Dell EMC’s security-centric infrastructure, enterprise can improve the cyber resiliency of their infrastructure, make data more available, and improve productivity throughout the enterprise.

Are you looking to improve your server security?

Whatever your enterprise’s specific situation, Dell EMC can deliver the protection you need to keep your data safe. Through the Dell EMC PowerEdge server portfolio, enterprises can simplify management and reduce costs, while ensuring end-to-end data protection, attack detection, and data recovery.

Next Steps: Dell EMC VxRail also comes out of the box with built-in security thanks to their PowerEdge server. VxRail has also been a leading hyperconverged system for enterprises across all industries, and for several good reasons, 10 of them in fact! Find out why IT leaders turn to VxRail to achieve their data center modernization goals in our tech brief below, “Top 10 Reasons Why Customers Choose VxRail.”

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The greatest measure of an IT security solution, besides its usefulness in protecting the enterprise from threats, is how cost-effective it is. This is especially true in the eyes of enterprise leaders and decision makers, who continually expect more out of IT while offering fewer resources.

So how can IT security teams ensure the continued protection of the enterprise, while keeping costs low? The key is operational efficiency. By keeping day-to-day costs low, the overall impact of security on the enterprise budget is lowered.

To offer support to enterprises on this efficiency journey, we’ve compiled five tips for running a cost-effective security program, as detailed by Cisco in their

Be proactive about tech refreshes

This might seem a bit backwards, but by spending money and regularly updating the tools that power your security systems, you can be sure your team has what they need to work quickly and efficiently, without wasting time dealing with malfunctioning or legacy systems. Let’s also highlight the importance of patches and updates, which can expose major vulnerabilities if not properly and quickly addressed.

In terms of hardware, new technologies also usually come with a reduced footprint and power usage, which reduces operational costs in the long run.

According to Cisco’s research, proactive tech refreshes are the top success factor for running a .

Utilize automation effectively

This may seem like a bit of a no brainer, but by effectively utilizing automation to eliminate repetitive day-to-day tasks, you can reduce the resources spent on administering your security system, which directly translates to dollars saved.

However, the key word here is “effectively.” Many enterprises hop on the automation train without fully considering how best to integrate automation across the IT environment, which can actually result in increased costs, and give IT teams a massive headache. Instead, approach holistically, and with a plan in place.

As shared by Cisco, utilizing automation effectively offers enterprises a 6.3 percent increase in the probability of success when running a cost-effective security program.

Respond to incidents quicky

Like our second tip, this third tip is fairly obvious, but according to Cisco, it’s one of the most important factors in running a cost-effective security program. A report from Accenture in 2020 found that the average cost per attack for non-leading companies was $380,000 per incident. For enterprise-level organizations, the costs are significantly higher.

To reduce overall costs, ensure your IT security team is ready to go in the event of an incident. Ensure that your incident response plan includes disaster recovery, and that you have tested your DR strategy!

Ensure threat detection is accurate

When it comes to IT security, the only thing worse than a false alarm is an actual attack. That said, responding to a false-positive is nothing but a waste of resources, and can actually reduce your IT team’s effectiveness in the event of an actual security breach. In order for a security program to be effective, accurate threat detection is a must.

Reduce unexpected work and wasted resources

This last tip is the bottom line when it comes to reducing costs in any situation, IT or otherwise.

To run an efficient security program, you have to shore up inconsistencies, reduce waste and reduce the number of unexpected projects your IT security team undertakes. Having a carefully planned and executed is the first step to achieving these goals.

Bonus: keep your IT security budget reasonable

As a final bit of advice, finding your security budget sweet spot can also benefit the efficiency of your IT security program. As said in Cisco’s report, “There’s a Goldilocks zone for security budgets when it comes to this outcome. Too little, and you can’t get everything done no matter how hard you try. Too big, and wastefulness tends to creep in. But when the budget is just right, the program’s capabilities fit the mission perfectly and operations run at maximum efficiency.”

Are you looking for a cost-effective security solution?

As a leader in enterprise security, and with products ranging from to , Cisco can help any enterprise ensure continued cybersecurity. WEI’s team of security experts know Cisco solutions in and out. Contact us to start a conversation. We can help you take a closer look at the Cisco security suite, help you understand how these solutions will fit in your environment, and we can architect a solution that is flexible and adaptive to the evolving world of cyber threats.

NEXT STEPS: Leveraging network security data across your enterprise can uncover valuable insights abut security vulnerabilities, as well as network performance, overall health, and opportunities for increased efficiencies. And Cisco is leading the way with intent-based networking solutions. Find out how Cisco’s DNA Center solution can help your business in our white paper below, Make Your Network Work For You With Cisco DNA Center.

The post How To Manage A Cost-Effective Security Program appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

So we’re nearing the end of 2020, and luckily the shock and awe of the pandemic has largely worn off as employees have adjusted to the work from home life. On the enterprise side, patchwork, short-term solutions that were thrown together when shelter-in-place mandates were first instituted are being switched out for long-term options that will better accommodate the remote workforce, many of whom may choose to continue to work remotely even after the pandemic is over.

One of the most important pieces of the puzzle is ensuring these remote employees are not compromising the enterprise’s cybersecurity. Unfortunately, in the hurry to get employees up and running from home, many IT security teams had to make concessions. However, these short-term solutions, which many enterprises only anticipated being in place for a few weeks, have gone on for months.

As we head into 2021, now is the time to take a hard look at your existing security and determine if it’s a feasible long-term solution for remote employees.

How to determine if a new cybersecurity solution is right for you

Once the need for a new security solution or platform is determined, it’s time to start the search. In a time when flexibility is critical to business continuity, finding a solution that can adapt to your needs as they change is key.

In addition to comparing the performance metrics of each solution, there are several questions IT security teams should ask during the search.

1. How will IT know the platform/solution is improving security?

The right solution won’t just improve cybersecurity, it will offer IT security teams an easy-to-use central hub for analytics and insights into how well it is mitigating risks.

2. Will the platform/solution improve efficiency?

IT security teams swamped with manual, repetitive tasks are more likely to let things slip through the cracks and make simple mistakes. The right solution will offer built-in automation to assist IT with these sorts of tasks. This includes everything from policy and device management to detecting unknown threats.

3. Will the new platform/solution integrate with your other security tools?

Making use of multiple cybersecurity solutions (or an entire portfolio) from one vendor often has benefits, but most enterprises will also need third-party solutions to ensure security across the entire business. For this reason, asking whether the new solution(s) will integrate with your existing tools is a must.

4. If considering a platform, will it reach all needed control points?

As mentioned above, a majority of enterprises will make use of multiple solutions to ensure comprehensive security across the entire business. As a result, a new platform should natively connect controls across the network, offering IT a unified view and allowing them to see the full lifecycle of alerts.

Ensure cybersecurity with Cisco

Enterprises in need of a new solution can find it through solution, part of the platform.

To make securing remote workforces easy, the Secure Remote Worker solution unifies user and device protection at scale. Through a combination of Cisco , , , and , this integrated solution provides IT security with the visibility and control to ensure security regardless of where employees are located.

Are you interested in Cisco’s remote workforce security solutions?

Cisco’s remote workforce security solutions are built to create a simplified experience, which reduces complexity and strengthens operations. With products ranging from to , you can feel condiment your workforce is secure with Cisco solutions from wherever they work.

NEXT STEPS: It’s pretty common in large enterprises to see a disconnect on security objectives and budgets between the companies top executives, and the IT directors who are running the day-to-day activities. To help create a better well-rounded security posture, we’ve created this checklist to help you align your C-suite and executive team to the security objectives you’ve set for you organization. DOWNLOAD a copy of the checklist for yourself and your colleagues by clicking below.

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Ransomware is a profitable criminal endeavor (a 2016 survey estimated $1 billion each year, but current numbers are surely much higher) by individuals who don’t hesitate to damage public institutions and private enterprises, and they’re not going anywhere.

What’s needed to fend off this Ransomware epidemic?

Best practices and tools to:

• Prevent or mitigate attacks
• Protect data and backup data
• Recover reliably

In this blog article we’ll take a look at how you can find and implement those practices with Veeam’s platform.

What is the business impact of a ransomware attack?

Data and systems unavailability triggers a domino effect of other technical and business consequences. Research by ESG found that 71 percent of surveyed organizations could not tolerate more than one hour of downtime for their high-priority applications, which are frequently the ones targeted by ransomware.

In addition, from a recovery point objective (RPO) perspective, 51 percent of organizations surveyed report that losing just 15 minutes of data from their high-priority applications is the maximum they can tolerate without significant business impact. This downtime and data loss can take months or years to recover from, and that’s before considering the loss of customer confidence and direct revenue.

Best practices and technologies for ransomware attacks

To fend off , there are recommended cybersecurity and backup and recovery best practices.

End-User Education, Intrusion Testing, and Mock Phishing

Conducted by a third-party cybersecurity partner, these steps are invaluable, especially with less experienced staff.

Email and Web Controls

Given the likelihood of infiltration coming from these areas, controls are crucial. To establish a first line of defense, use tools that can identify and block illegitimate phishing email, scan for known ransomware or malware in emails, and isolate attachments for analysis. This effort should encompass native cloud applications such as Office 365. Web controls can be used to analyze a website’s reputation and block known bad URLs, and they can scan for malicious downloads and browser exploits.

Endpoints

Endpoints are often the attack vector for introducing ransomware, representing a need for a set of robust countermeasures. controls that employ multiple detection technologies to prevent file-based and file-less ransomware, as well as other types of malware, are critical.

Network-based Controls

The effort begins with establishing protection across all ports and protocols, and monitoring all traffic on the physical or virtual network. It can be complemented by detection methods such as sandbox analysis for new and unknown ransomware.

Servers

Servers, especially database servers, have also become targets for ransomware attacks. They require the use of technologies to scan for ransomware and other forms of malware and controls to maintain system integrity. Being diligent about maintaining a patching discipline is a clear best practice, but it comes with an operational impact for many organizations and does not prevent zero-day attacks.

Backup and Recovery

Beyond employing cybersecurity best practices, backup and recovery is an important component to ensuring uptime. Best practices include:

• Training IT staff, especially the backup team, with regular training on security, networking, and best storage practices.
• Following the 3-2-1 rule, which requires three copies of company data be saved on two different media formats, one of which is kept offsite.
• Managing access controls and using different credentials for backup roles and permissions to access the backup application, data store/repository, and network.
• Looking for a solution with behavioral alerting capabilities that can notify an admin about a possible ransomware activity flag.

Veeam’s Hyper-Availability Platform To The Rescue

Veeam’s Hyper-Availability Platform offers data availability to enterprises no matter where the data lives – on-premises, in the core data center, in remote offices, or anywhere in the . It is perfectly suited for ransomware protection with a keen focus on both data centers and endpoints.

On the data center side, Veeam allows organizations to restore data infected by ransomware to a known-good state. End-users can also leverage the Veeam to perform quick and granular restore operations for databases, applications, files, and operating systems.

The suite provides one-click file-restore capabilities for storage snapshots, which can be useful for fast recoveries of critical files. Veeam has also integrated with many storage vendors to accelerate performance and recovery capabilities.

Ransomware is here to stay, be prepared!

Unfortunately, ransomware isn’t going anywhere. As hackers evolve their methods, ransomware will only continue to pose a growing threat to enterprises around the world. The business risk is potentially devastating and needs to be managed with a combination of best practices and the right tools. Contact WEI to begin strengthening your response and protecting your organization today.

NEXT STEPS: Protect your enterprise with network security tips in our tech brief, ‘Using network segmentation to manage malware and ransomware risks’ below!

The post Build Your Ransomware Strategy Before You Need It appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

WEI is aware of the new vulnerabilities related to Intel and other CPUs which could potentially allow an attacker to gather privileged information from CPU cache and system memory, putting enterprise security at risk. The vulnerabilities are code named “Meltdown” and “Spectre.” The “Meltdown” issue is reported to only affect Intel CPUs while “Spectre” is reported to affect Intel, AMD, and ARM. The impact of these vulnerabilities could extend back to CPUs from as early as 1995 (in the case of Intel).

The fix for Meltdown (so far) are patches (OS and potentially, firmware) which will prevent or limit Speculative Execution. At a very high level, Speculative Execution is the CPU’s function of guessing what code it will need next and running it in anticipation of a request. In some cases, when the CPU guesses wrong, it doesn’t always put back the code it thought it would need, in other words, it doesn’t clean up after itself. That code, which could be passwords, can then be requested by another process because it’s kind of just sitting there, waiting to be picked up.

Helpful Links

For more information on the exploits, WEI recommends visiting the following links:

• https://newsroom.intel.com/news-releases/intel-issues-updates-protect-systems-security-exploits/

Fixes & Patches

Most fixes will come in the form of OS patches. Microsoft has already released patches for Windows, IE, Edge, and SQL. The Linux kernel was updated to eliminate the Meltdown vulnerability in November. (Linux Distros are responsible for releasing their own patches.) Apple released a MacOS update in December to address the conditions presented in Meltdown.

That said, it’s very likely hardware manufacturers will release firmware updates as well. As many appliances, controllers, switches, SANs, and other devices run Linux variants and/or Intel and AMD processors, customers should be aware that OEMs may soon be releasing updates for these devices as they assess their product vulnerabilities. WEI has been notified of some firmware updates related to these vulnerabilities (see the HPE link below), and will pass along information to our customers as we receive new notifications. However, we advise all of our customers to work with their OEMs as well, for the latest information on their products.

For more info on recent patches, see some of the links below. Please note this list is not exhaustive and new updates are being released constantly.

• CERT (contains evolving list of known patches & updates):
• Microsoft:
  • https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/ADV180002

*Other updates including application specific updates could be available

• RedHat:
• Suse:
• CentOS:
• Ubuntu: https://insights.ubuntu.com/2018/01/04/ubuntu-updates-for-the-meltdown-spectre-vulnerabilities/
• VMware: https://www.vmware.com/us/security/advisories/VMSA-2018-0002.html
• Firefox:
• Google:
• Apple:
• HPE:

Performance issues related to patches

At this time performance issues related to patches have been estimated to potentially cause between 5% to 30% performance impact. As the nature of some patches will be to prevent or eliminate speculative execution (which had increased performance over native execution processes), it’s not unreasonable to expect some performance issues. If a particular compute environment is currently running at very high utilization rates for the platform, or if a heavily consolidated or virtualized environment with sharp peak loads experiences a burst, it is possible performance degradation could be noticed.

Unfortunately, the level of performance degradation will be heavily dependent on the OS type, patch solution / strategy, and other updates such as firmware or application specific patches. At this time, WEI can’t speculate on the specific impact to any particular environment.

Important to Note…

WEI is not aware of any clients who have been exploited by these vulnerabilities. It should be noted too that OEMs have stated that to exploit these vulnerabilities, access to the OS kernel would be required, or malware run via java script in a browser. There may be other ways to exploit these vulnerabilities. Therefore, it is recommended that all available patches for OS and web browsers are tested and implemented as soon as possible. For example, a on Intel’s website regarding Speculative Execution and “” cache access, asks:

Q: Can these new exploits be enabled remotely?

A: No. Any malware using this side channel analysis method must be running locally on the machine. Following good security practices that protect against malware in general will also help to protect against possible exploitation until updates can be applied.

It should also be noted that most patches appear to be addressing “Meltdown” and some of “Spectre” (Spectre has two specific vulnerabilities identified). The prevailing thought about Spectre is that to resolve some of this particular vulnerability may require new hardware development and changes.

Even if no patches are available for a particular environment at this time, WEI recommends maintaining good security policies and programs to protect against attacks, intrusions, and exploits, including these potential vulnerabilities.

CONTACT WEI

As a trusted IT provider, WEI will stay engaged on this topic and help ensure optimal enterprise security for each of our clients.

Please reach out to WEI with any questions or concerns about these exploits, patches, and any fixes or other concerns you may have. The WEI team stands ready and committed to help in any way we can.

The post WEI Customer Advisory: The Meltdown and Spectre Vulnerabilities appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.