“There is no silver bullet solution with cyber security. A layered defence is the only viable defence.” James Scott

2020 brought unprecedented global changes and cyber security was no exception. From the widescale shift to remote working triggered by the pandemic, to the record-high cryptocurrency prices, to one of the worst cyber attacks of all time. The tools and tactics we started with in 2020 are no match for the threat landscape of 2021.

“If you put a key under the mat for the cops, a burglar can find it, too. Criminals are using every technology tool at their disposal to hack into people’s accounts. If they know there’s a key hidden somewhere, they won’t stop until they find it.” Tim Cook

In the game of cat and mouse between data security and bad actors, extended detection and response (XDR) is the latest weapon that organizations can utilize to strengthen their security posture.

XDR is a new approach to threat detection and response, a key element in defending an organization’s infrastructure and data from damage or unauthorized access and misuse. 

As businesses continue to evolve with the rapid advances in technology, the role of the Cloud continues to play a pivotal role in the delivery of flexible, agile IT services. Hybrid IT, also known as the hybrid cloud, is essentially a combination of a private cloud foundation with the strategic use of public cloud services to fulfil the requirements of an organization's entire IT enviroment. 

Among the many priorities businesses are positioning themselves for in 2021, network and data security remain at the top of the list as 'anywhere operations' becomes more rampant in an era of rapid digital transformation. With the current state of times, external attacks have become more sophisticated with the pandemic being a channel to lure unsuspecting users in. Organizations must make every effort to start the year off right and ensure their networks are protected from modern hacking practices. 

As we look ahead to 2021 (and continue to navigate through a global pandemic), organizations of any size are faced with two major challenges: data protection and cyber security. Modern data and analytics have steadily become the ‘gold’ in the era of continuous technological innovation.

According to a recent report from the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), approximately 68% of organizations use data stored on a secondary server for more than just recovery. A recent survey conducted by the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) asked C-level IT professionals what their top data protection concerns were. 

With December upon us, businessess are continuing to plan for next year amid an unfamiliar reality that 2020 has brought on. in our prevous post we talked about the importance and financial benefit that managed services providers (MSP) can bring to organizations large and small. So if you're at the point where you've taken the leap and decided to partner with an MSP - where do you start? 
 

2020 has undoubtedly been a year we won’t soon forget. From an IT perspective, it has been a year of significant digital transformation. The very core of how many businesses function has taken a dramatic shift. Many organizations have had to scale back on their resources and are struggling to efficiently operate while on a tight budget with stretched and over-worked staff.

Disaster Recovery for critical applications is an important part of any Business Continuity Plan. Most, if not all, IBM Power servers, host mission-critical applications and the need for a standby server at a secondary location is essential for an effective disaster recovery plan. With the introduction of cloud-based POWER servers it has become much easier and more cost effective to have a standby server at a remote location. The customer does not need to purchase a server with idle capacity and host it in a remote datacenter to achieve their DR goals.

As we inch closer to the end of 2020, we must take a moment to step back and reflect on the roller coaster of a year we have had. Disruption has been at the forefront of 2020 forcing businesses to quickly pivot and adapt to new and unfamiliar forms of normalcy. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic will not miraculous disappear once the clock strikes midnight on January 1st 2021. This new reality - this digital transformation - is for the long haul.

Well before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, cloud computing played an instrumental part in remote work procedures being carried out seamlessly. We are seeing more businesses turning to cloud-based infrastructure to remain operational and scalable within cost-effective boundaries. Businesses today largely depend on collaborative tools for group videoconferencing, eLearning and more, so the ability for the Cloud to sustain the traffic surge, prevent downtime and frustration among users makes it a highly-attractive platform to leverage.

Making the shift and moving your business to the cloud requires careful planning and expert assistance to ensure a smooth transition. With the continuous innovation in cloud technologies there are very few reasons why your business shouldn’t make the transition. However, if you’re still undecided about the benefits, here are 8 more reasons why it is a great idea.