Security

Ian Kilpatrick, chairman Wick Hill Group, specialists in secure IP infrastructure solutions, looks at the risks involved with mobile devices and how to secure them.

Mobile devices with their large data capacities, always on capabilities, and global communications access, can represent both a business applications’ dream and a business risk nightmare.

For those in the security industry, the focus is mainly on deploying “solutions” to provide protection. However, we are now at one of those key points of change which happen perhaps once in a generation, and that demand a new way of looking at things.

In a world where security threats seem to rise up every day, protecting vital business data is more important than ever before. Stories of large corporations suffering from security breaches seem to be a common sight in the headlines now. It’s something every company wishes to avoid, but finding ways to fight present and future attackers has proven challenging to say the least. For any business just starting out, in addition to providing quality products and excellent service, establishing effective network security is a must. Without it, the chances of losing customer data increases dramatically.

So you have you a shiny new virtual environment up and running.  You may have virtualized all your servers, so that your business-critical databases, CRM systems, ERP applications and email all reside in a virtual environment.  It has been a long project, but now it is complete and you are experiencing the operational, performance and cost gains.  Stop! Think! Have you covered all the bases?  Have you thought about security?

Yesterday, Joomla developers announced the immediate availability of Joomla 3.3. The newest Joomla CMS overhauls its approach to security, enables microdata for the first time and replaces MooTools-based JavaScript with jQuery equivalents. These new features make Joomla 3.3 the most secure, searchable and fastest-loading Joomla CMS yet.

One of the most common concerns businesses have when they consider adopting a cloud computing solution is that they will have less control over their IT system. Thus, they worry that their data will not be secure enough, and their concern is understandable. Data breaches are expensive, both financial-wise and reputation-wise, and with attacks becoming more and more sophisticated, security has become a top priority. Luckily, adopting cloud computing does not mean that you have to give up security, but you will want to do your research when comparing options.

In a recent survey, 69 percent of North American IT professionals expressed a belief that the risks of using a cloud based service currently outweighed the benefits. The main reason cited was a concern over data security. This concern has made many business leaders hesitant to switch over to the cloud, but the reality is the cloud is growing and is not going away, especially with the possibility of big data cloud computing.

If you have ever hosted your website on a server or virtual private server then chances are pretty high you once did or currently are using cPanel. cPanel is a graphical web-based control panel that helps site owners and administrators to quickly and easily manage their website and hosting account. It's an awesome tool that interfaces with your server to help you perform once difficult tasks such as creating databases, manage website files, as well as setting up email accounts. Unfortunately, hackers broke into a proxy server used by cPanel, Inc's technical support department and now there are concerns that a trojan may have spread onto your server.

"Disk encryption, which encrypts every bit of data on a hard drive, is a good additional level of defense. However, unless biometric or smart-card authentication is used on the device, it is simply one more password for a hacker or thief to crack."

 - Greg Crowe, "After theft, NASA orders laptops encrypted, but is that enough?", GCN.com, November 16, 2012

HiSoftware’s Latest Solution Suite to be Unveiled at the European SharePoint Conference

Nashua, NH, February 5, 2013 – HiSoftware, a leading provider of compliance and security solutions for SharePoint, today announced the release of HiSoftware Security Sheriff™ SP Version 3.0 for SharePoint, featuring new and enhanced features for content security, encryption, tracking and asset management.

• Only 45% of CIOs report that they test security systems and procedures provided by cloud vendors
• Security issues remain the biggest concern for CIOs migrating their systems to the cloud
• Vast majority (84%) of CIOs are either concerned or very concerned about cybersecurity

LONDON, 5 December, 2012 – Cybersecurity tops CIO’s concerns, with 84% of CIOs stating that they are either concerned or very concerned about the risks associated with IT security breaches. Yet while security issues remain the biggest concern that CIOs have about migrating their technology functions to the cloud, less than half (45%) test cloud vendors’ security systems and procedures.