WEI Tech Exchange

Importance of Security and Threat Prevention Assessments

By Greg LaBrie |   Feb 25, 2016

IT leaders have worked hard to keep their networks safe. With the right systems, solutions and policies in place, the concern about data security should diminish, right? Not exactly. Plenty of companies have gone above and beyond to secure their networks, although it seems that a breach is inevitable given that so many major corporations and brands have been compromised in the past few years. Hackers continue to evolve and so must a company’s security strategy.

Ransomware Hits Enterprises

By Greg LaBrie |   Feb 23, 2016

Newscasters seemed rattled by the news last week that Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid hackers $17,000 in Bitcoin to regain access to a key system.

This is no surprise for security insiders. Ransomware for enterprises is a top trending threat. In fact, the center’s ransom pales in comparison to the $123,000 in Bitcoin demanded from a New Jersey school district in 2015; the district decided instead to rebuild systems from backups.

Security analysts say that anywhere from 3 to 40 percent of ransomware victims pay up. The FBI, the agency responsible for investigating ransomware, has no way to help. Instead, the FBI recommends paying the ransom if the victim has no unaffected backup from which to restore files. Several police departments have paid ransoms.

Beefing Up Security with Anti-Malware Defenses

By Greg LaBrie |   Feb 18, 2016

If your organization is attacked by malware, can you afford it? The repercussions are huge – money, reputation, productivity and the confidence in moving forward are all compromised. There may also be legal implications, and losses that cannot be monetized. How does an organization protect itself from malware and the growing efforts of cybercriminals?

A Holistic Approach to Infrastructure and Data Security

By Greg LaBrie |   Jan 21, 2016

Protecting infrastructure and data for an organization is an unceasing job, and it can become easy to fall into the silo trap. Whether you’ve concentrated on one threat so long you can’t easily see others or you work in a certain IT division and don’t have reason to consider other areas often, silos can create weaknesses in overall security. The best strategy for network and data security takes a holistic approach – considering all of the access points, hardware, software, people, requirements, and activities in an organization.

Protect your data the right way

By Greg LaBrie |   Jan 14, 2016

Making sure you protect your data is essential in making sure your protocols are effective. With technology continuously evolving, data breaches are becoming more common, exposing confidential information to the masses. It is important to have a defense system in place that can counteract these breaches, but the challenges that face IT security personnel keep growing.

Although there are many solutions on the market that assist in defending servers and data, there are a number of elements that could potentially suffer, such as performance and user experience. This creates a barrier between security and performance, where there should be cohesion. The challenge remains in keeping data safe, reducing risk, and keeping the level of performance high.