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4 Pillars for Integrated Security

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All of us have data and services in the cloud and on-site. Whether we have local servers or just our laptops, securing your business means applying an integrated security solutions strategy.

What is Integrated Security?

An integrated security system is a centralized platform that typically combines or “integrates” two or more electronic security systems such as access control devices, video surveillance, or wireless alarm systems. This integration makes it easier to manage all of these seemingly disparate components and adds a layer of security to the organization.

An integrated system enables all of the company’s apps and tools to work in unison. It can improve sales while improving customer service and increasing efficiencies.

The following 4 pillars for integrated security solutions create a foundation that can be applied and adapted for your business.

4 Pillars of Integrated Security Solutions

1. Identity and Access Management (IAM)

IAM protects users’ identities and controls access to valuable resources based on user roles and responsibilities, risk levels, and regulatory (or policy) requirements. IAM solutions are often a collection of logins, each with their own requirements and processes, such as multi-factor authentication.  Integrated IAM solutions simplify the user experience, improve security, and lower hard and soft costs.

2. Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)

ATP protects against advanced threats and, if done well, helps you recovery quickly when attacked.  ATP is more than “next gen” email protection.  ATP applies to threats from infected websites and human behavior exploits. Integrating ATP into your security architecture helps prevent increasingly sophisticated attacks from succeeding.

3. Information Protection (IP)

Information Protection shares the same acronym, IP, as intellectual property.  This fits well as Information Protection ensures your documents, emails, and other communications are seen only by those authorized to do so. IP uses encryption, advanced access controls, recipient validation, and other services to manage data visibility. Integrated Information Protection is key to security hybrid cloud/on-site environments effectively.

4. Security Management

Security Management gives you visibility and control over your security tools, processes, and activities. As part of an integrated security architecture, Security Management empowers you to assess risk and compliance, manage services, and respond effectively.

How to Include Integrated Security Services

How do you know if your integrated security solutions architecture is up to stuff?  Do you have opportunities to simplify security for your team?  To save money?  Here is a roadmap.

ASSESS

Assess your current security architecture against your regulatory, industry, and business requirements. Ensure you have the necessary components, policies, and procedures. Assess the “user experience” and look for ways to simplify. If security is a burden, users will finds ways to sidestep the data protections.

PLAN

Plan you updated security integration. Understand the impact on your systems, and your people, and how you will make the changes. Communicate your needs and plans, as communications is key to success.

EXECUTE

Make the changes.  Too often, needed solutions get delayed or dropped as other issues arise.

Next Steps for Integration Security Solutions

Security, Privacy, and Compliance is a cornerstone of what we do. Contact us to speak with a Cloud Advisor; we are here to help.

Customer Notice Update: Email Advanced Threat Protection

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Data ProtectionGiven the demand and need to improve your protection from the devastating impact of ransomware, crypto attacks, and other forms of cyber attacks we are extending the Advanced Threat Protection Priority Opt-in discount period through March, 2020. We understand that adding a service, even a critical service, impacts your budget and costs. Our Priority Opt-In discounts, and other measures (see below), intend to minimize the impact.

Email Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) and Multi-factor authentication (MFA) are necessary, baseline services for protecting your business. 

Beginning April 1, 2020, we require Advanced Threat Protection for all of our customers’ email service, unless you specifically opt out. Opting out is appropriate if you already have an advanced threat protection service in place.

If you opt out, the cost of our data recovery efforts will not be covered under our unlimited support plans (See our Support Services SLA). When we add ATP to your service, we will discuss with you when we can add MFA.

We will mitigate the cost.

We are sensitive to your budget.

  • ATP requires a technical setup and typically incurs a setup fee along with the monthly or annual subscription.
  • We are discounting both the setup and subscription fees for all customers. For customers requesting Priority Opt-In, we will waive the ATP related setup fees completely.
  • MFA implementation is covered by our support plans as an administrative change.  If you do not have on of our support plans, we will provide an affordable, discounted quote for the project.
  • For customers without an unlimited support plan and/or those that choose to Opt-Out, we will discount our hourly fees for recovery work.

For more information on specific discounts and pricing, and to let us know if you want to Opt-In, to have Priority Opt-In, or to Opt-Out, please visit this web page and complete the form.

We realize that this is a significant change for most of our customers.  We also understand the importance of these protections.  Please contact us with questions or concerns

Thank you for being part of our community,
Allen Falcon
CEO & Pragmatic Evangelist

Customer Notice: Email Advanced Threat Protection

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Data Protection

(Updated January 20, 2020)

We continue to witness the devastating impact of ransomware, crypto attacks, and other forms of cyber attacks on our customers.  The recovery cost and frequency of attacks are increasing at alarming rates. The average cost for a small or midsize business (SMB) to fully recovery from a cyber attack has increased to between $145,000 and $180,000. This includes loss of direct business, remediation costs, damage to reputation, and employee downtime.  At the same time, the number of ransomware attacks so far in 2019 has doubled when compared with the same period in 2018.

As a managed cloud service provider, you have heard from us that you “should” have more protections in place. Our position is changing: these protections are a “must”.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and email Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) are necessary, baseline services for protecting your business. 

Beginning April 1, 2020, we will require and will begin adding Advanced Threat Protection to all of our customers’ email service unless you specifically opt out. If you opt out, the cost of our data recovery efforts will not be covered under our unlimited support plans (See our Support Services SLA). When we add ATP to your service, we will discuss with you when we can add MFA.

We will mitigate the cost.

We are sensitive to your budget.

  • ATP requires a technical setup and typically incurs a setup fee along with the monthly or annual subscription.  We are discounting both the setup and subscription fees for all customers. For customers requesting Priority Opt-In, we will waive the ATP related setup fees completely.
  • MFA implementation is covered by our support plans as an administrative change.  If you do not have on of our support plans, we will provide an affordable, discounted quote for the project.
  • For customers without an unlimited support plan and/or those that choose to Opt-Out, we will discount our hourly fees for recovery work.

For more information on specific discounts and pricing, and to let us know if you want to Opt-In, to have Priority Opt-In, or to Opt-Out, please visit this web page and complete the form.

We realize that this is a significant change for most of our customers.  We also understand the importance of these protections.  Please contact us with questions or concerns

Thank you for being part of our community,
Allen Falcon
CEO & Pragmatic Evangelist

The Best Unknown Add-on for Office 365

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MS Office 365Microsoft Office 365, from the entry level Exchange Online plans through the Business and Enterprise plans, includes a robust infrastructure for spam/virus protection. As we have blogged about on numerous occasions, cyber attacks continue to get more sophisticated and are using social engineering to trick and trap more people than ever.

Advanced Threat Protection

Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), a little know add-on for Exchange Online and Office 365, offers additional protection against cyber attacks. Using a secure “sandbox”, ATP tests and validates links within email messages and tests attachments for malware and other threats before the message makes it to your inbox. With minimal latency, ATP can block messages or strip them of the offending item(s).

With the increasing threats of ransomware and identity theft, ATP is well worth the nominal per user fee.

If you want to add ATP to your ecosystem, please contact us.