Category: IT Risk Management
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Enterprise IT Security in the News: What You Need to Know
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools require a PhD and a huge budget! If that’s what you’re thinking, pay attention. In the past few years, AI tools have dropped tremendously in price. These tools are also more user-friendly than ever. Instead of dedicating years of R&D effort to AI, you can buy AI services off the shelf.…
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The Way To Fast Growth Without Constant Server Downtime
Have you heard of the Reddit Hug of Death? It’s a paradox of life on the modern Internet. You work hard to attract attention and links, and hope to pull in a flood of traffic. Then, your website has its big moment: you’re featured on Reddit! Hundreds and even thousands or more visitors start visiting…
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Enterprise IT Security in the News: What You Need to Know
You’ve worked hard on your identity management program. Now, it’s time to raise your head above water and see how you measure up to other organizations. Use this news roundup as a guide to inform and refresh your identity management strategy. 1. Identity Management Solves a Major Blockchain Problem For years, there’s been one problem…
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The Top Signs Your IT Security Maintenance Is Falling Behind
What is the most thankless task in technology today? If you answered “the help desk,” you’d be wrong. The help desk responds to users in need and fixes their problems. It provides visible help that the business can understand. Likewise, application development builds new features for business users. These departments get praise for delivering immediate…
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What Software Solutions Make Security Easy to Maintain?
Choosing the right cybersecurity software solution is difficult. If you buy the wrong package, you’ll look bad in front of your executives. You might even be blamed for your company’s next security incident. On the other hand, refusing to leverage external software isn’t a workable solution. There are just too many threats to consider, and…
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Are You Cloud First or Cloud-by-Accident?
Deciding whether to use cloud services is no longer the central IT question. Every enterprise, even security-conscious government departments, use the cloud. The key question is this: are you operating on a cloud-first strategy? Your answer to this question will shape the rest of your IT strategy. Let’s zoom out for a moment to put…
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How Successful Companies Avoid Burning Out Their Cybersecurity Staff
There’s a growing vulnerability weakening your cybersecurity department. It has nothing to do with vendors, and it doesn’t involve patches or penetration testing. Yet, neglecting this hidden problem has the power to cause your entire cyber strategy to fail. The problem of cybersecurity staff burnout is a growing problem that you need to detect and…
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How to Scale Faster Without Suffering Hacks
Scaling is the goal of most technology organizations. You want the high growth rates that the hottest tech companies brag about. However, the fanatical pursuit of scale tends to miss a huge blind spot. The Blind Spot That Stalks Scaling Companies Let’s say you come up with your next software release through a one-week hackathon.…
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7 Ways IT Security Managers Enable Scaling
You need to face a painful reality: IT security departments have a mixed reputation. At best, security is respected for keeping companies safe during attacks. The rest of the time, IT security is seen as “the department of NO” for opposing technical innovation. That perception makes it harder to do your job effectively. If you…
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Do You Have the Foundation for Successful Scaling?
If you’re posting 100% annual growth rates, you’ve reached the dream of scaling up your growth. You can achieve eye-popping revenue growth through sales and marketing success. Alternatively, you might take the option of acquiring a company. This dream of scaling up fast has a dark side though. If you don’t think it through and…
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7 Ways to Get More from Your Containers
You’ve implemented container technology; that’s great! Yet, nothing much seems to be happening. You aren’t seeing a more efficient IT organization. None of your key performance indicators (KPIs) are moving. How’s that possible? There are several possible explanations, both technical and non-technical. First, realize something. Failing to get immediate benefits from container technology doesn’t make…
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Will You Pass The 2019 IT Security Sustainability Test?
Cybersecurity is a unique IT challenge unlike anything else in the enterprise. Unlike other issues, you’re facing threats that grow each day. Even worse, you can’t negotiate or persuade attackers to stop their attacks. You can only build sustainable defenses and work to improve. The Hero Myth: Why IT Security Sustainability Matters As managers, it’s…
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OpenID Doesn’t Manage Itself?
Will OpenID eliminate all your identity management problems right away? That’s what some experts would have you believe. After all, the OpenID website says, “OpenID allows you to use an existing account to sign in to multiple websites, without needing to create new passwords.” That sounds like a seamless solution. Certainly, it’s far better than…
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The Shortcut to Successful FERPA compliance
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) compliance mistakes are expensive. What does that look like in practice? Assuming FERPA compliance is commonplace knowledge: Don’t assume that FERPA issues are covered in teacher education programs or that all administrative staff members know their obligations. Weak access controls over FERPA records: Poor access controls might have…
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Which Docker Container Training Should You Use?
You’ve added Docker container technology to your organization. Congratulations! Now, how do you make the most of that investment? If you don’t develop a program to maximize containers, the technology won’t do much. That’s not going make a difference. You need to equip your staff to leverage Docker containers effectively. The Challenge for Technology Managers…
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Want to Avoid SEC Cybersecurity Fines Without Going Crazy?
When you run a publicly traded company, cybersecurity becomes significantly more important. A major hacking event can hurt your share price. It can also call your financial statements into question. That’s why you need to understand how and why the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is raising the bar. Hoping and praying you avoid hacking…
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How to Bust the Security Risk Inside Your Sales Tech Stack
Keeping your sales staff engaged and productive is a constant struggle. You kick the day off with prospecting, email, and then it’s time for appointments. To help sales professionals get through this work, dozens of sales automation software tools have come to the market. There’s no harm in helping people become more productive. Unfortunately, that…
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Are You Using the Best CAPTCHA for Online Security?
CAPTCHA is the name for online tools that distinguish between humans and bots. You’ve likely used a CAPTCHA when filling out a web form, or the CAPTCHA may have authenticated you behind the scenes without you realizing it. Here’s what you need to know about how CAPTCHA helps online security. What Is CAPTCHA? CAPTCHA is…
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Use the 4 Laws of Behavior Change to Make Cybersecurity Convenient
Ask almost any cybersecurity expert in a big company about frustrations and you’ll hear one message: he or she is upset by employees. One day, the expert is dealing with people forgetting their passwords after vacation. Another day, he or she is encouraging HR to add more mandatory security training for new hires. Suppose all…
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How to Maintain Your M&A Growth Without Sacrificing Cybersecurity
Acquiring and merging with other companies is a high-octane growth strategy. In the tech industry, it’s often one of the best ways to acquire new products and highly skilled staff. Unlike organic growth, M&A growth practically happens overnight. There’s a dark side to high growth: stretching your cybersecurity protection too thinly across too many systems…
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The Cybersecurity Risk Lurking in Your Partnerships
Where does cybersecurity risk come from? If you answered, “everywhere,” then you’re on the right track. However, that perspective isn’t enough. You need to be more specific in identifying problems and threats. You need to be skeptical and curious to find all the threats. That includes looking closely at your third-party risk. What Is Third-party…
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Scale Up Your Platform’s APIs and External Users Securely with These 6 Tips
Build a platform and your business will grow faster. Even better, you don’t have to rely upon your resources for growth. External users, such as consultants, open source developers, and others, will help. Take Slack for example. The company’s growth to $200 million in annual recurring revenue depended upon several strategies, including integrations with 1,000…
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Stopping Inactive User Account Risk Fast
Say you go to the doctor for an annual exam. It’s a simple process to detect problems and take care of yourself proactively. He suggests a blood test to check for a wide variety of problems. What does this have to do with inactive accounts? Follow along for a moment. By taking the time to…
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Why Banks Need SSO to Prevent Cyber Crime
What’s the most important factor in a bank’s success? It’s not a large customer base. It’s not high-frequency trading algorithms. It’s something much more simple and human: trust. After all, banks don’t sell a product. You can’t touch a deposit account or a loan. Everything is based upon your banker and the quality of the…
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5 Ways to Improve Mobile App Security in the Enterprise
You’ve equipped your workforce with mobile apps, but you might have created a new problem. It’s not what you think; we’re not talking about your staff becoming hooked on social media or games. It’s a far more severe threat to your company: mobile app security. How Mobile Devices Became Critical to Modern Business The rise…
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6 Ways to Make the Most of Homeland Security Week 2018
National security threats are continually evolving. In the past, there were simply armies, missiles, and tanks, which are bad enough. Today, adversaries can use hacking tools to pursue their goals. These hacking tools and methods are becoming cheaper and more powerful each year. To stay ahead of the latest threats, you need to attend Homeland…
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Student Security in the Cloud: A 5-Step Plan for Educators
Students cannot learn and focus on their studies effectively when they’re afraid. Creating a safe environment is essential; good teachers have known that for centuries. As students, educators, and administrators all come to rely upon technology, you must face new threats as well, the kind of threats that can cause a student to lose all…
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7 Fatal Cloud Computing Security Mistakes Bankers Need To Know About
Bank vaults full of cash and valuables are no longer the most valuable asset banks own. Instead, digital assets – account numbers, logins, and more – matter much more. That’s why bankers are much more worried about cyber attacks than guns today. How bad is the situation? Look at a few recent incidents. Bank Cybersecurity…
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The 7 Habits of Highly Secure Defense Industry Cloud Computing
Landing a contract with the Pentagon is a major win worth celebrating. The procurement process can take months or years depending on what you’re selling. If you play your cards right, you can keep the government as a customer for years to come. It’s a great way to build a business. There’s just one factor…
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A Day in the Life of User Access Management
Of all the ways to improve your cybersecurity program, does user access management matter? How does it contribute to your other cybersecurity goals? Those questions and more receive answers today. What If You Had No Access Management at All? When it’s functioning well, access management is sometimes invisible. That means you may forget the benefits…
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Hospital Managers: Are These Password Mistakes Happening On Your Watch?
Hospital administrators have more responsibilities added to their plate every month. You have meetings about managing insurance requirements. Then, you get a phone call from a regulator demanding information. Later, doctors ask you to provide better equipment. It just feels like a constant whirl of action without much in the way of progress. Now, you…
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Start Your SSO Vendor Selection Process in Two Hours or Less
You’ve decided to search for a new single sign-on (SSO) vendor. How do you know which is right for you? More importantly, how can you avoid making a mistake? After all, choosing a poorly designed SSO product will harm your cybersecurity program. On the other hand, you have limited time to make this decision. To…
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What’s the Number One Threat to the Power Industry?
Climate change is one of the most significant long-term challenges for the power industry. Will the industry be able to make a transition to low carbon? How can efficiency be improved to reduce or eliminate damage? Those are important questions, but they aren’t the only challenge. In fact, there’s a threat facing the power industry…
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The Two-Part Strategy To Implement Containers If You Have Legacy Systems
You’ve heard about container technology; however, will it work with your infrastructure? Find out the answer today. For most situations, you’ll be able to run all your applications and other systems through containers. In fact, you run Microsoft and Linux operating systems in containers. With any technology situation, the devil is in the details. To…
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Before You Implement Containers, Read These 5 Questions
The reign of virtual machines is ending. As IT research firm Gartner put it in 2016, the virtualization market is mature. That’s a polite way to say that innovation is slowing down. You probably aren’t going to see significant improvements. Instead of maintaining the status quo, go ahead and move on to the next opportunity.…
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One-hour Hacks To Boost IT Compliance
Improving IT compliance in an hour is impossible! There’s some truth to that, but let’s stretch ourselves to find faster solutions. You’ll find a few different ways to improve your compliance program in less than an hour. It’s a choose-your-adventure approach to improving compliance. Whether you’re a manager or front line compliance professional, we have…
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3 Roadblocks That Kill Docker Adoption
You want to bring Docker to your organization, but it’s not as easy as you thought to achieve Docker productivity. The first step is to understand the barriers to adoption. Skip this step and you’ll not only fail to get Docker adopted, but you’ll also make enemies at the office. Once you understand those barriers,…
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8 Docker Implementation Mistakes You Need To Avoid
You want to put Docker technology to use at your company. You might have heard about the productivity benefits of using Dockers. Alternatively, you appreciate the fact that you can use Docker technology to engage and retain your technical talent. However, there’s just one difficulty to keep in mind: Docker technology needs the right support…
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CHECKLIST: Reduce User Access Security Risk in 7 Steps
Most employees will leave your organization, eventually. The only question is when and how they depart. In some situations, a departing employee is a positive event, such as a long-awaited retirement. However, what about other situations, such as joining a competitor or being laid off when your organization has financial struggles? Those situations present heightened…
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Your Quick Start Guide To Risk-Based Identity Management
How do you choose which programs and solutions make sense in your cybersecurity program? Should you pursue penetration testing, increase employee training, or upgrade the firewall? All those solutions play a role in cybersecurity. However, if you merely choose the “flavor of the month” in security, you’ll miss the benefit of a security strategy. First,…
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Why Simple Password Management Tools Give You A False Sense of Security
Password management tools promise a simple way to remember passwords for you. You might already use a password manager at home. In fact, some web browsers offer a basic “save your password” feature to help consumers with their online life. Are those password manager tools good enough to keep sensitive data at your office? If…
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Access Governance For Financial Companies: How To Stay Current
Achieving lasting success in the banking industry is tough. You have to compete against new players such as PayPal and Apple Pay while keeping regulators happy. Lingering public anger from the financial crisis means that voters, elected officials, and others eye your operations with an unfriendly eye. In this environment, you’re just one problem away…
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Your Cheat Sheet To The Top Compliance Certifications
In the social media age, reputation is everything. What’s the fastest way to take a hit to your status and send your customers into the arms of competitors? Suffer a compliance failure. This might take the form of an expensive and public lawsuit. Your company might suffer fines and negative publicity from a government authority.…
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Cut Your Cybersecurity Risk Exposure By Managing Privileged Users
In protecting your organization, you always need to look for weak points. One month, you might focus on single sign-on implementation to make life easier for your users. Another month, you might hire an outside firm to do penetration testing. Through all of these efforts, you might have a risk exposure that you’re not managing,…
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When Is It Time To Level Up Your Password Management?
Should you bother with a password management policy right now? Or, should you focus on other ways to improve your cybersecurity? The answer to the first question is yes, you need password management. However, you need to scale that policy to match the size and complexity of your business. Before we dive into the fine…
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How to Deliver Password Management Training to Your Employees This Week
You’re one employee mistake away from a major data breach. That’s the frustrating reality that managers face in our cybersecurity environment. There are several ways to address the issue. You can enforce more complex passwords. You can implement multi-factor authentication. In our view, the missing ingredient is employee training. Find out why password management employee…
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7 Ways To Improve Cloud Security Management Without Changing Vendors
When you add more cloud services to your organization, you are adding more flexibility and more risk. At first, the security risk may seem small. Changing from the on-premise version of Microsoft Office to the cloud version is not a significant change. Once you have a dozen or a hundred cloud services in use, it…
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The Unexpected Way To Protect Yourself from SQL Injection Attacks
Your website is there to serve your customers and prospects. It is your virtual storefront to the world, and it is open 24/7/365. All of those web forms, database powered features and interactive capabilities carry a risk. Your website may be vulnerable to SQL attacks — a particularly powerful hacking technique. The first step is…
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Losing the War for IT Uptime? Get This Secret Weapon
Even years later, we remember the day when Gmail went down for a part of the day. That rare service failure stood out because Google has an outstanding reputation for service quality and IT uptime. Your company may not offer online services. However, IT uptime is critically important. Why Does IT Uptime Matter for Your…
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4 Steps To Better Cloud Management Decisions
Save money by switching to the cloud! Change and watch the cost savings roll in, right? Not so fast. The business case for adopting cloud services used to be easy. As the cloud market has matured, cost savings are no longer the most critical variable to consider. Security, monitoring, and other management issues are coming…
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The 4 Keys To Unlocking Improved Security Without Driving Your Employees Crazy
Password problems are a significant cause of cybersecurity problems. On the dark web, you can buy logins, email lists, and other materials to carry out hacking attacks. If passwords are rarely changed, hacking your company will be all too easy. You know that passwords are essential. How can you enforce strong passwords without driving your…
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4 Ways State Governments Improve Security with SSO
State governments are responsible for delivering social services, infrastructure and more to their residents. To provide these programs, they must manage considerable resources and hold sensitive information. Unfortunately, state governments face a challenge. The federal government has a long history of programs, technologies, and staff with deep expertise in security through the intelligence and military…
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How To Find Out if SSO Software Is Worth It for Your Company
Is SSO software the best choice for your company’s limited funds? It all depends on your goals and the quality of your IT processes. SSO (single sign-on) software has the potential to make life easier for your employees. It also improves security because you can enforce stronger security requirements. How to Use This Article Read…
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Which Companies Use Multi-Factor Authentication With Their Customers?
Introducing a new idea like multi-factor authentication in your organization may be difficult. Your executives may ask “who else in our industry is using this practice?” To help you answer that question, we have put together a list of companies that use MFA. According to the Pew Research Center, 39% of American Internet users use…
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How To Implement Multi-Factor Authentication Without Working Weekends
The best way to implement multi-factor authentication lies in applying classic project management. There’s just one twist to keep in mind. You need to pay attention to change management issues because user adoption matters for success. 1) Create Your Multi-Factor Authentication Business Case Without funding and management support, you will not be able to succeed…
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Get Your SSO Software Project Funded With a Business Case
You have done your homework and decided that implementing SSO software is right for your company. Then you check your budget and find that you do not have the resources to make it happen. What’s the solution? Create a business case to persuade management to provide additional resources. Let’s take a look at the four…
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The Business Case for Moving to Managed Cloud: Research Before You Pitch
Cloud computing is promoted as an easy way to cut costs and improve efficiency. You no longer need to worry about building a massive data center for your business. There’s just one problem with the hype… Cloud services do not manage themselves. In fact, the providers of cloud services have no incentive to help you…
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6 Questions To Answer Before You Start an Access Governance Project
You want to improve your cybersecurity defenses. There’s just one problem. There are many different security products and projects you could start. Is access governance the right project? To guide you through the decision-making process, use the questions in this article. Know Your Organization’s Priorities and Context: Going Outside the IT Department Your IT project…
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5 Ways To Save Time With SSO Software
Every technology professional we know has a long project wish list. If only you had more time, you could make your company’s technology more efficient. Of course, those big wins would also be great for your career. Why exactly is IT under such time pressure? Why Are IT Departments Under Such Time Pressure? IT departments…
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Why User Provisioning Makes Life Better for the Help Desk and Users
Compared to other IT budgets, IT help desks rarely receive substantial budget increases. Investing in cybersecurity protection, new apps, or maintaining an ERP or CRM often feel more important. However, the help desk provides a critical function in helping people to solve technical problems and get back to work. Let’s go inside the help desk…
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How to Prepare for an Access Governance Audit
You come into work and see the dreaded email: Internal Audit Is Focusing On IT. As you dig into the email, you find out that the auditors are focusing on access governance. If you have a few weeks or months before the auditors arrive, there is plenty of time to get ready. Use our guide…
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Win HR Support for Your User Provisioning Project in 5 Steps
You have decided to implement user provisioning into your company. After you start the planning process, a roadblock emerges. You do not have the support you need from other departments. If they resist or ignore the project, you will find it tough to succeed. At a company level, user provisioning’s productivity benefits will be inconsistently…
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Access Governance for Non-IT Managers: The Tips You Need
IT tells you that you must take responsibility for access governance. So what exactly are you supposed to do with this new task? How can you get it done as quickly as possible? For business managers outside of IT, access governance sounds like an IT issue. To be fair, that is partly true. Let’s explore…
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Which of these 4 SSO Software Implementation Mistake Should You Worry About?
You have had it up to HERE with user complaints about remembering multiple logins and passwords. SSO software is one excellent tool to simplify life for your business users. However, you shouldn’t jump straight into implementation. Spending some time up front on research and planning will save you hours of frustration later. Start With Why…
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When Access Governance Fails: Lost Time, Lost Money and More Hacking Incidents
Imagine a castle fortified with locked doors. Sounds secure, right? What if you left the keys in the locks? Alternatively, imagine that you could not remember who has the keys. That is one outcome that results from inadequate access governance. Before we go any further, let’s make sure we are on the same page with…
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8 Questions to Answer Before You Buy SSO Software
Sitting through a software demo can be exciting or a complete waste of time. What makes the difference? The quality of the software and the enthusiasm of the presenter make an impact. Even more important is you — the potential customer. Do you have an idea of how single sign on software can help you?…
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Single Sign On Software: 5 Reasons to Get Started
What technology projects should you include in your plan this year? Some projects are intuitively attractive, like developing new smartphone apps or helping your sales force with a new CRM. What about protecting your company’s downside and risk exposures? It is a critical responsibility if your company is going to succeed in the long term.…
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Maximize Your IPO With Robust Internal Controls
Read This Before You Start the Initial Public Offering (IPO) Process Going public is the dream of many business owners. Access to stock investors gives you the resources to grow faster. A public company also has much better liquidity than a privately-owned company. If you have venture investors or angel investors, they will welcome the…
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Do They Get It? Assessing a Vendor’s Industry Experience
The right software makes all the difference between a robust organization and one that falls victim to embarrassing and expensive attacks. As you develop key selection criteria for identity management, you are likely to build a long list of factors. Price, technical capabilities, and implementation support may be high on your list. In all likelihood,…
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Selecting a Bank Identity Management Solution Using People, Process, and Technology
Are Your Bank’s Leaders Fighting the Last War? In the past, financial crises were caused by a small number of factors. When depositors lose faith in a bank, they pull their money out. High inflation causes people to lose trust in currency itself. In other cases, irrational hope drives prices higher and higher, such as…
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Secure Your Digital Systems With Assisted Updates And Migrations
Windows Server Migration Database Migration Assisted Upgrade Did you know that using outdated technology exposes your company to significant security risks? Because legacy software can no longer be patched or updated, systems that use older technology will not be secure against today’s current threats. In fact, 44% of data breaches are caused by known system…
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How To Work With Procurement Without Tearing Your Hair Out
What Happens When You Don’t Understand Procurement You’re excited to purchase a new software solution for your company. You have a few identity vendors in mind. Before you pull out your corporate credit card to buy, a colleague asks if you have consulted procurement. Suddenly, you have a barrage of procurement questions and emails to…
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Read This Before You Attend Another Identity Management Software Demo
Read This Before You Accept Another Software Demo Invitation… The software demo has a long-established place in software sales. It’s difficult to make sense of software without seeing it in action. But committing to a software demo is a significant time commitment in our busy world. Before you accept another identity management software demo invitation,…
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How Much Time Should You Spend On Your Password Management Business Case?
The Pain of Password Failure It’s one of the worst case scenarios that worries security professionals: suffering a hacking incident and struggling to respond to the crisis. Alas, that’s only one way that password failure hurts organizations. Outside attacks grab the media’s attention, but they are not only security risk. Internal fraud by current and…
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Get the Right People on the Bus Before You Buy Identity Management
We have all heard examples of business deals closed on the golf course or a bar. When it comes to security software, that informal approach to selecting an identity management vendor is high risk. The better approach is to set up a small group of stakeholders — including technical staff — so you can evaluate…
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How to Tell if Your Vendor is a Thought Leader
Why We Love to Buy From Thought Leaders There’s a critical distinction between experts and thought leaders when we decide to buy. An expert may know their subject well. If they do not publish and share their expertise publicly, there is no way for us to get to know their expertise. When you buy from…
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The 8 Factors Successful Identity Management RFPs Always Have
What is an RFP? RFPs (request for proposals) are a widely used procurement process in large companies and government. Generally, RFPs in technology purchases also give the vendors latitude to propose creative solutions as well. RFPs are widely used in government procurement where regulation and fairness concerns are top of mind. If this document is…
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Most Common Mistakes When Hiring an Identity Management Vendor
Some purchases are simple and low risk. If you buy blue pens instead of black pens, you may have some annoyed staff. On the other hand, buying security software is more complex. Compared to commodities and office supplies, identity management software is special because it plays a central role in protecting your company from attackers…
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How to Save Time on Your Next IT Audit
Nobody wakes up in the morning and looks forward to participating in an audit. That is why you need to find ways to make the whole process less painful for your employees. Streamline the record keeping and user certification aspect of your next IT audit. Saving time on audits is one way to establish your…
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Why Price Shopping for Security Software is a Mistake
The Perils of Fixating on Price: Lessons From Gasoline When we set out to buy a product, price is a key factor. Think of your drive home from work. You might pass by four gas stations — price will likely be at the top of your mind. In fact, there are smartphone apps like Gas…
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Will Your Vendor Selection Process Stand Up To Audit?
Protecting employee and customer information is a top priority for many firms as hacking incidents continue to rise. As a result, internal and external auditors are asking questions about the quality of the security tools and software that management chooses. Failing to document your vendor selection process, especially for security software, leaves you open to…
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Why The World Would End Without Password Management
Armed guards and locked doors no longer protect the world’s most valuable assets. Instead, we rely on passwords to protect our money, our trade secrets and vital infrastructure like airports and utilities. If your company has weak password management, public embarrassment in the media is the least of your problems. Disgruntled employees might disable key…
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Can Artificial Intelligence Be the Answer to Password Security?
As we’re still dealing with the Equifax breach that resulted in the leaking of the personal information of 143 million people, it’s also been revealed that all 3 billion users were affected by the infamous Yahoo! security breach of 2013. As a result, a Senate committee is demanding that representatives from Yahoo! and Equifax testify…
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Keep It to Yourself: The Best Ways to Streamline and Secure Business Communication
Keep prying ears and hacking threats out of your business dealings with these tips on effective ways to streamline and secure your business communications. Your business is, well, your business. And to be frank, it’s no one else’s unless you release a public statement. After all, the last thing you want is to have internal…
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Never Forget Your Password Again: How to Securely Manage All Your Passwords
Current estimates suggest that the average person has 27 discreet online logins. That’s a lot of passwords to remember. But in order to keep your passwords secure, they should be 16 characters long and contain upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Unless you’re a prodigy, I doubt anyone can keep track of these different…
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The Biggest Security Breaches of 2017
Despite all the technology and awareness dedicated to cybersecurity, data breaches won’t be slowing down anytime soon. If fact, they’re poised to break last year’s record pace. According to 24/7 Wall Street, the 758 breaches reported as of June 2017 mark an almost 30% increase from 2016. If cybercriminals keep it up, the total number…
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5 Ways to Make Sure Your Password Is Secure
Even though you’ve followed the rules of creating a secure password, the fight for digital security doesn’t end there. Account security must be maintained. With the multitude of existing threats, it’s more important than ever to be vigilant with your password security. After all, you don’t want to have advanced door locks installed on your…
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Emailing Behaviors: Do Business and Personal Email Accounts Overlap?
Here at Avatier, we wanted to know what percent of people keep their personal email account separate from their work email. Rather than making assumptions about what the current email behaviors were, we ran an independent and anonymous survey. The infographic below reveals the insights on current email behaviors, including data breakdowns by gender, age,…
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How to Fast-Track GDPR Compliance
What if an auditor walked up to your company next week and demanded evidence that you are compliant with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules? How would you respond? That scenario may well occur at companies in Europe and beyond starting in 2018. Computer Weekly, a U.K. technology publication, estimates that U.K. companies may face…
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Five Ways to Improve Military Identity Management
As the military is called on to face a variety of unconventional threats, identity management and security are becoming more important. To keep threats at bay, we recommend reviewing the fundamentals. Leaders and officers set the tone for security practices, so we will begin there. 1. The Need to Verify the Commander’s Identity and Authority…
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5 Ways to Evaluate Utility Security
Reliable, secure energy is essential to the smooth functioning of modern society. However, the complexity and age of modern power systems leaves much to be desired. In 2015, the Ukraine power grid was attacked. That incident knocked more than 30 substations offline and put more than 230,000 users in the dark. Later analysis found that…
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Stay Ahead of Your Audits: 5 Steps to Better Manufacturing Security
Robots, assembly lines, 3D printers, and other technologies have changed the manufacturing industry forever. For many firms, cybersecurity has become a greater problem than labor relations. Even if you are never attacked, large customers like Walmart have high cybersecurity expectations. If your security processes are weak or ineffective, you may lose some of your most…
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How to Reduce Hotel Administration Without Sacrificing Security
Introduction The rapid growth of Airbnb showed the hotel industry that competition is not only alive and well but also liable to appear from new areas. To achieve success in the hotel industry, you need more time to focus on customer service and marketing. Unfortunately, old-fashioned IT processes are standing in your way, even as…
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Cut Your College Security Workload in 4 Steps
Today’s colleges and universities are called on to provide an increasing variety of services beyond research and teaching. Students and families expect tutors, residences, athletic facilities and other supports. At the same time, college leaders are competing for the best students and grants. A lean, highly efficient administration is critical to attracting students, faculty, and…
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Why IT Training Courses Are Beneficial For Any Organization
No matter how efficient an organization is, there is always some room for improvement. In order to stay competitive, there is a continuous need to enhance the capabilities and skill set of your resources. The IT sector is one area that constantly needs attention when it comes to improving your performance or even sustaining your…
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Revolutionize the Way your Enterprise Conducts Access Certification Audits
Make your security and compliance management fast and easy. Revolutionize the way you conduct access certification audits by enabling business users to participate in reviews. Conduct access certifications IT audit instantly. Have the luxury to be able to perform access certification IT audits from any device with Avatier’s Compliance Auditor. It is the only access…
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How to Survive from Online Predators using IAM Solutions for Stronger Cybersecurity Measures
Cyber security should be a company’s top priority. Protecting important company information and assets from hackers should start from having a strong foundation. This will require a solutions system that will not only improve risk management and security practices but also detect and prevent any incoming cyber attacks. Avatier Identity and Access Management (IAM) offers…
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Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report and Recommended Security Controls
Best practices for security controls Verizon’s 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report analyzes exploitation data collected last year. Not surprising, the distribution of incidences are similar to the previous year. The top 10 vulnerabilities still account for 85% of successful exploits. With automated attacks yielding incredible success, new vulnerabilities come out daily. With 95% of attackers…
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FBI Charges State Sponsored Hackers Target Organizations with Weak Password Policies
Strong password policies deter state sponsored phishing. Perhaps you saw the news last week. Three members of a Syrian hacker collective were charged in federal court. The criminal complaints cite multiple computer related conspiracies committed by Amad Umar Agha, Firas Dardar, and Peter Romar. They are charged with targeting Internet sites on behalf of the…