In the not-too-distant past, technology was considered a luxury, often reserved for a select few business functions and senior executives. Today, technology has become critical to business operations. In fact, many organizations can’t function if technology fails. Beyond day-to-day business functions, the services provided and capabilities enabled by technology create competitive advantages and revenue streams. [...]
Regulatory compliance requirements are increasing across a broad range of industries. Between new regulations and changes to existing rules, many organizations are struggling just to keep up with the scope and depth of compliance. What was once a yearly review and assessment has become a daily effort to ensure that all processes and systems meet [...]
In the mainframe era, computer systems were housed in a specialized room and closely tended by IT professionals — a tightly controlled setting known as a “glass house.” Today, IT equipment is often housed in any available space and managed as time permits or issues as arise. Few organizations have the IT operational rigor of [...]
Many organizations invested in wireless networking several years ago, when the wireless LAN (WLAN) was a “nice to have” technology for a handful of users. To say that times have changed is an understatement. Today, the WLAN is the network, providing access to applications, data and a host of other services to an ever-growing array [...]
Just how frequently are cyberattacks happening? According to a new Osterman Research study, U.S.-based organizations experienced an average of 1.8 very serious security events in 2017, more than twice the global average (0.8 percent). These are events that disrupted normal operations or completely shut down an organization’s IT infrastructure for at least one day. Just [...]
According to a new study from Vanson Bourne, 89 percent of IT decision makers in the U.K. continue to use legacy applications because they want to make sure data in these applications is accessible. Odds are, the numbers are similar in the U.S. Perhaps the most shocking revelation in this study is the fact that [...]
The role of the IT department is shifting dramatically. While today’s IT professionals must still maintain and support mission-critical technology assets, they are also being asked to enable business transformation through increased agility, productivity and profitability. Although IT pros generally relish the opportunity to become more involved in the business, they are struggling with how [...]
Although Wi-Fi is now integral to the operations of many businesses, it is inherently less secure than wired networks. The WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) security protocol helps protect Wi-Fi communications by encrypting data traveling over the network. However, a vulnerability discovered in October 2017 has spurred the development of a new protocol that provides [...]
It’s no secret that today’s hackers take a more sophisticated approach to cybercrime than the stereotypical 20-year-old living in his parents’ basement. Hackers do a lot of research to learn about their targets and find vulnerabilities. They develop advanced solutions and look for help on the dark web. They’re master impersonators and manipulators. Most importantly, [...]
Email is a great business communication tool because it is fast, easy and inexpensive. Privacy has never been among its better features, however, and recently discovered vulnerabilities in common email encryption technologies cast even more doubt on the confidentiality of the messaging platform. Emails have always been prone to data theft and data leakage because [...]
