Modernizing the foundation is key to unlocking digital value with every industry. We have customers across various verticals looking to elevate their IT strategy by modernizing their infrastructure within the next few years. A few common themes arose from these conversations that we expect to see in 2022 and beyond.
State and local governments will be receiving dedicated cyber grants for the first time in 2022, now that the new bipartisan legislation has passed. While previous federal programs offered the potential for grants for cybersecurity projects in state and local governments through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), these grants were not previously dedicated (required) to improving cybersecurity.
Unlike legacy security solutions that alerted after nearly every log event, today’s MDR services can detect—and resolve—many security issues with minimal disruption. A few years ago, identity theft protection company LifeLock aired a commercial that humorously contrasted its competitors’ security monitoring services with its proactive services.
On Dec. 9, 2021, a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in the popular Java-based logging package Log4j was disclosed. Submitting a specially crafted request to a vulnerable system allows an attacker to download and execute a malicious payload to perform additional functions such as data exfiltration, diverting funds, performing surveillance, or disrupting service. What many experts fear now is that the bug could be used to encrypt data and due to the discovery of this exploit being so recent, there are still many servers, both on-premises and within cloud environments, that have yet to be patched. Scanning activity for CVE-2021-44228 has actively begun on the internet with the intent of seeking out and exploiting unpatched systems. Apache Log4j versions <= 2.15.0 rc1 are vulnerable.
Innovation and top-line growth are consistently two of the top three key priorities for business executives. Security is always sandwiched right in between these goals, as the threat landscape and perimeter constantly evolves – and never for the better. The digital paradox holds that the same technologies that allow us to innovate and grow give sophisticated intruders the same tools to innovate their method of attack. Just like a chain is only as good as its weakest link, the same goes for our approach to security. It doesn’t matter where in your IT environment a breach occurs; in the end, everything gets affected.
It’s a common occurrence in many data centers: systems are running at peak capacity, workload demands are increasing, and it’s time to plan for the next server refresh cycle. But all too often, organizations take the path of least resistance and simply augment existing server resources with more of the same – a “go with what you know” approach.
Presidio celebrates Cybersecurity Awareness 24x7x365, but we especially love Cybersecurity in October. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) just closed out its 18th year deeming October as the month to bring awareness to the importance of cybersecurity. 18 years ago, the internet was in its infancy. Now, it is a part of everyday life.
The worst kept secret in the business world is the rapid disruption of traditional workplace and workforce norms, accelerated of course by the ongoing pandemic. There is no shortage of blog posts and think pieces written that compel organizations to digitally transform their business and operations to keep pace. Yes, technology is emerging as a true business partner, as executives across sales, finance, marketing, and other departments lean on their IT counterparts to innovate. Most organizations are even embracing a software engineering mindset, as containers and low-code options are democratizing the development space.
It has been about 5 years since WannaCry and NotPetya hit companies worldwide in full force, launching a new era of cybercrime. Now, there’s a new report of a ransomware attack weekly. Although this may seem scary, we know more now than we ever have. With each attack, we can see and ultimately learn from which vulnerabilities were exploited. We cannot prevent the inevitable, but we can prepare and minimize the effects. There is a famous quote by author Zig Zigler “Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.” While a ransomware attack is not an opportunity to look forward to, it is important to be prepared.
Accuracy in business processes has always been important, but it used to require tedious, error-prone manual processes to achieve. Today, accuracy and automation go hand-in-hand. For an easily recognizable example, just look at how modern retail stores manage their inventory. If stock runs low on certain items, the store will automatically kick off a stock replenishment process requesting that it be replaced.
