IT Trends & Technology

Designed from the outside in, 20th-century hierarchical networks have traditionally relied on classifying users as “trusted” and “untrusted.” Unfortunately, this methodology has proven to be insecure. With increased attack sophistication and insider threats, operating on the assumption that everything inside an organization’s network can be trusted is no longer viable. This legacy model assumes that a user’s identity has not been compromised and that all users act responsibly. If a user is “trusted,” that user has access to applications and data by default. History has shown us that trust is a vulnerability that can be exploited.

According to a recent report by Forrester Research, the strength of organizational enterprise technology will play a critical role in providing a smooth transition back to work as organizations that employ millions of Americans consider reopening their doors. Many businesses were thrust into a remote work environment without warning, and FNTS tech leaders said the next challenge will be migrating employees into a new hybrid work environment in which some on-site employees return while others remain in newly remote roles.

Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system and Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 are among the products that will reach the end of support on January 14, 2020. Microsoft Office 2010 will meet the same fate later in 2020, along with several other products. These end of support deadlines highlight the need for organizations to migrate to Windows 10, Office 365 and Windows Server 2019 to avoid technical and security disruptions.

According to Juniper Research, 146 billion records are expected to be exposed in data breaches between 2018 and 2023. IBM and the Ponemon Institute estimate the global average cost of a data breach is $3.6 million. In addition to high risk and the costly damages faced by all organizations, financial institutions face stringent regulatory and compliance standards.

Many leaders across the finance industry find themselves needing increased information security but having to fulfill that need within budget constraints. Additionally, cloud computing and digital transformation add layers to the need for a more sophisticated and integrated information security strategy.

Although cloud adoption is on the rise, there are still many myths about how secure the technology really is. In fact, according to a study of 250 global CIOs, 30 percent marked cloud security risk as the thing that they are most worried about.

There are certainly some considerations to explore in any cloud infrastructure—whether it is a single, private cloud or a hybrid, multi-cloud environment—but it is important to debunk the myths, properly weigh the risks, and flesh out the benefits to make sure you have all the right information to make the best decision for your organization.

FNTS has a long history of building strong relationships and partnerships with our clients. Our people pride themselves on delivering excellent customer service, and as we move into 2019, this continued focus on our customer will stay a primary focus. As part of the customer experience and our service delivery focus, we intend to:

Moving your enterprise data to the cloud can bring with it a number of benefits to your operational costs and the management of your information technology footprint. In fact, 83 percent of enterprise workloads will be facilitated via the cloud in 2020, according to a LogicMonitor study. However, with this growth in cloud services can come substantial risk.

Fortunately, by following some key best practices, such as those laid out in this article, you can help your organization take the necessary steps to strengthen your data security and mitigate the potential vulnerabilities of operating in the cloud.

Today’s Chief Information Security Officer, or CISO, is having a stronger and more strategic role in organizations due to more cyber threats, compliance standards, connected devices and stored data than ever before. However, according to a study done earlier this year by PricewaterhouseCoopers, almost half of average companies today don’t have a C-level security executive in place. Now is the time for organizations to evaluate their risk posture and invest in an information security team that can adopt a strong cybersecurity culture that aligns with their strategic business goals.

Merriam-Webster has several definitions for the word myth. One of them is “a person or thing having only imaginary or unverifiable existence.”

Not surprisingly, there are many misconceptions and outright myths circulating about the cloud and cloud management that are just that—myths. In order to debunk these myths, one must come prepared with cold, hard facts that speak truth to fable.

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The use of public and private clouds is now a cornerstone of an enterprise’s ability to innovate and operate with agility in an evolving business landscape. The challenge has been maximizing that ability while minimizing costs, vendor lock-in, and security issues that are inherent to the public cloud at scale.

The days of storing personal, health and business records on paper, tucked away in a locked filing cabinet are gone. More organizations are making the digital transformation as a more efficient way to access and share information online, in servers and in the cloud.

Designing a hybrid cloud model for your unique organizational needs is crucial for your company’s overall success.

In fact, it’s one of the most important to-dos in your day-to-day business. A recent study by IDG Research found that 88 percent of respondents believe hybrid cloud capabilities are critical to enabling the digital transformation of businesses, while 73 percent agree these models forge a path for digital business in their own organization.

First National Technology Solutions (FNTS), a leading provider in remote managed IT services, announced it will begin offering new cloud security technologies to companies, which will allow them to extend security policies outside of their own infrastructure.

Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) solutions enable transaction level security for cloud managed services, including Software as a Service (SaaS) and (Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), by combining data science, machine learning, real-time traffic processing, insightful visualization and intuitive controls.

The cloud is growing in popularity in the digital world, and more businesses are taking advantage of cloud-computing strategies to stay relevant and competitive. The cloud is a network of servers that allows companies to provide services in an efficient and cost-effective way. At First Technology Solutions (FNTS), we are seeing an increasing number of companies leveraging server consolidations by moving to the cloud. Not embracing the cloud is becoming a competitive disadvantage for companies, and if they aren’t already using the cloud as part of their strategy, they are already behind one of the fastest growing IT trends.