Monthly Archives: December 2018

From 5G to IOT: 2019 Technology Trends to Consider for Your Business

According to a recent report on Technology, Media and Telecommunication Predictions 2019 by professional services firm Deloitte, expect a range of new technologies to drive technology and business innovation next year. As the velocity of change accelerates at an unimaginable pace, here are a short list of considerations.

5G Addresses the Need for Speed

There are more than 70 operators testing 5G technologies according to the report by Deloitte. Deloitte expects 25 or more to bring this faster smartphone connection to market. Beyond smartphones, other connectivity, including WiFi and fixed wireless access, will rely on this “faster than 4G” technology when it hits the market. Consider upgrading Smartphones, WiFi and fixed wireless access during 2019 if this service becomes available in your market.

IoT Adoption and the Need for Enhanced CyberSecurity

Cyberthreat will continue to nag business owners in 2019, with Phishing, Spearfishing, Cryptolockers and Ransomware continuing to penetrate the workplace. With your employees as the weakest link, consider training them to identify these threats to reduce your risk. What’s more, the Internet of Things (IoT) will continue to connect billions of devices to the Internet. Everything from parking meters to smart controllers for lighting, water, temperature and more, will increase security risks if not properly monitored and managed.

Microsoft End of Support (EoS)

Microsoft recently announced End of Support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. This means Operating System (O/S) patches and updates will not be available upon EoS. These are critical to your cybersecurity protection plan. Consider reviewing your infrastructure to identify resources relying on these operating systems. You may need to upgrade or replace these devices. Some workloads may also be moved to the Cloud.

With so many new technologies coming to market in 2019 it is important for you to review your technology infrastructure and plan for updates as needed. Not only will you gain productivity by adopting new technologies, but you will also be able to do this in a secure manner. Contact your technology advisor today to find out how you can take advantage of emerging technologies for your business.

Tackling Security in the Cloud

Over the last ten to fifteen years, the cloud has gone from new technology to accepted–and by many, embraced–fact. According to a recent CompTIA study, cloud computing is now a critical part of today’s IT operations, powering everything from Cloud Backup to handling email and other commonly used applications. With this growth, as well as the growth of cybercrime, cybersecurity is an ever-present concern. Read on to find out about cybersecurity considerations in cloud computing.

Keeping Data and Applications Safe in the Cloud

Many businesses are storing their data and applications in cloud data centers, or in a hybrid (part cloud, part on-premise) cloud environment. How can these resources be kept safe from cyberattacks? On-premise security measures can include keeping anti-virus and anti-malware definitions up to date along with operating system patches to keep cyber criminals from getting through. The considerations for cloud cybersecurity are a bit different.

One consideration for a business is whether they want to have their data and applications in a public or private cloud environment. The public environment may do well enough for some businesses, but for certain highly-regulated fields such as healthcare, the private cloud environment is important to maintaing compliance. Or certain businesses can have some applications in a private cloud environment, but their email is hosted in the public environment.

Whichever environment the resources reside in, data encryption is important as well. If a cyberattack occurs, encryption ensures that the information cannot be read and misused. Data must be safe both while in transit to the cloud and once it resides there.

The Role of Network Monitoring

Finally, network monitoring is vital to cybersecurity, and can be done remotely twenty-four hours a day. Thanks to the cloud, employees can work from wherever they are, at any time of day. That can put the business’ systems at risk from unsecured mobile access in public spaces or even from a worker’s unsecured laptop or desktop when they work from home. Network monitoring by your service provider can help you proactively identify intrusion attempts and avoid an expensive data breach by alerting your business to potential problems.

To learn more about cybersecurity measures to keep your company’s data and applications safe in the cloud, contact your technology advisor today.