June 2018 - DNA IT Solutions

Monthly Archives: June 2018

News

Technology is Changing Rapidly

Posted on by Sean Lucas
Technology is changing rapidly DNA IT Solutions
25
Jun

A fine wine will improve with age, however, the same cannot be said about technology.  As your technology gets a bit older it will start to cause issues and that in turn will impact your business.

Open to attack

Old technology will be more prone to compromises.  Hackers have seen the old stuff before, so it is easy to cause some problems.  Your business then becomes an easy target and that is not what you want.

Would you drive a car without an NCT?  Would you trust one that has high mileage and had not been serviced regularly?  I didn’t think so.  So why would you trust old software and ancient hardware that may be ready to collapse.

Obviously if your IT infrastructure implodes you will have many issues such as downtime, loss of information and the costs associated with that.  One thing you may not have considered is that your risk becomes an issue to others, letting hackers in so they can distribute on your network.   Spreading viruses, malware and causing all sorts of issues directly from you to your customers.  Leaving you wide open for problems that could last the lifetime of your business.

IT Security  

Hackers and cyber-attacks have been around for a long time.  Security needs to evolve as threats become more sophisticated.   What was once the trusted way of protecting the business has become obsolete.  There is no one ‘out of the box’ solution but the combination of the right layers of security could be your saviour.

This whole area of IT is confusing and scary for many business owners so it is only right that you get to see the whole picture.  A good MSP (managed service provider) will have all the tools available to for your situation.  Taking a look at your needs, assessing your risks and discussing your future plans will all be relevant to getting the correct systems in place for you.

Future proof your business and rest easy at night knowing that your systems are being monitored and protected.  The first step is an audit of your hardware and software and then a frank discussion about your businesses future.

News

What is Blockchain?

Posted on by Sean Lucas
What is Blockchain DNA IT Solutions
18
Jun

Blockchain is another one of those terms that seems to be popping up in all sorts of conversations lately.  But do you understand what Blockchain is and how it works?   More importantly, could it be a solution for your business?

What is Blockchain?

Blockchain is a digital ledger in which transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency are recorded chronologically and publicly.  It records the history of transactions and cannot be altered.

Why do we need it?

Transactions take place every second in the world today.  All over the global there are orders, payments and account tracking every hour of every day. Often, each participant has his own ledger which is his version of the truth.   Having multiple ledgers is a recipe for error, fraud and inefficiencies. The goal is to see a transaction end-to-end and reduce those vulnerabilities for businesses and individuals.

How does Blockchain work?

So how does all this work?  The transactions are complex because each participant has his own, separate ledger.  There is always the possibility of human error or even fraud so the reliance on intermediaries for validation creates inefficiencies often.  The whole situation can result in a paper-laden process, with frequent delays and potential losses for all stakeholders.

Can Blockchain makes it better?

With Blockchain there will be one single shared ledger that is tamper evident. The transactions are all recorded in it and once that happens then transactions cannot be altered.  For further validation, all parties involved must give consensus before a new transaction is added to the network.   This will reduce paper processes, speed up transaction times and therefore increase efficiency.

How to Build a Blockchain.

When each transaction happens it is put into a block, this occurs with all transactions.  Then each block is connected to the one before and after it.  The transactions are blocked together and each block is added to the next in an irreversible chain.

The benefits of Blockchain are critical to enterprise:

Distributed: This is a record system that is accessible among all that participate on the business network.

Permissioned: As a participant each member of the network can access the information but it is not shared with others.

Secured:  Once the transaction is recorded there is a permanent record.  Nobody can delete or alter it later meaning that the information is secure.

Opportunity: Blockchain is creating extraordinary opportunities for businesses to come together in new ways.  It creates a new business model that reduces inefficiency and gives value.  It streamlines business processes and reduces risk and uncertainty.

IBM Blockchain empowers businesses to transform workflows through a highly secured, shared and replicated ledger.  A new concept available from a trusted brand that can enable organisations to engage securely.   It comes with many advantages including freeing up capital flow, lower transaction cost and speedy processes.   IBM Blockchain may be what your business is looking for.

DNA IT Solutions are one of only a handful of IBM Cloud partners in Ireland today.

News

Should we fear the cloud?

Posted on by Sean Lucas
Should we fear the cloud DNA IT Solutions
11
Jun

Cloud can be seen as a risk or an opportunity by an organisation depending on their experience and knowledge.

While cloud has been around for some time and used by many large global companies it was often not accessible to the masses.  However, it is only in recent years that it has become more accessible to small and medium enterprises.

Risk or opportunity?

When weighing up the pros and cons of anything you have to take all the information that is available and decide what is relevant.   Once you have the knowledge only then can you make an informed decision.

Security Threats – old threats in a new environment

Let’s take an example to help us evaluate if the cloud gives us opportunities.  When we look at the risk of a data breach we will immediately start to imagine real business costs emerging.  The loss of information will cause downtime which in turn is a business cost.  However, the real cost could be loss in reputation which results in loss of clients and even bigger financial losses.   This risk was always in existence, even before the cloud came on your agenda.

Attacks on cloud are less likely than on traditional data centres or internal systems.  With cloud you have ways to help you increase security with innovative approaches designed to detect threats long before they threaten your enterprise.

Hackers are still operating in the same space as before but now they are coming up against more sophisticated cloud based security systems.  With data that is encrypted throughout its cloud journey this threat is lessened when the cloud is the solution.

Data Loss

Data Loss is where a company mislays or accidentally deletes information that is still critical to the business.  In this case it is usually human error or it can happen when a file gets corrupted.  In the past when a laptop was stolen the data contained within was lost forever, however, now with data stored in the cloud all is not lost to the business.  Plus, the files on the laptop will be encrypted so are useless to any would be criminal.

File corruption can be prevented by improving endpoint security options and email that is filtered protects users.  There are so many more security options available when the cloud is part of your IT infrastructure.

IBM Cloud is enterprise grade dedicated private cloud available to businesses in Ireland today.  DNA IT Solutions are one of a handful of partners in the market today that can offer your business this valuable solution.  If you are looking for added protection in the cloud market, don’t fear it, talk to us instead.

News

Layers rather than a single solution for IT Security

Posted on by Sean Lucas
Layers for IT Security DNA IT
05
Jun

A virus is a piece of code which is able to copy itself and infect a system and in turn destroy data.  This corruption can have an extremely detrimental effect on any business.

With each virus getting more sophisticated as they are created, it takes global leading technology to stay ahead of the game.   As the hackers get more access to resources it makes it easier to create an attack.  With users more dependent on IT to run their businesses, the hackers can take advantage of any small vulnerability.

Insider Threat

Your biggest asset could also be the biggest threat to the security of your data.  Your staff might end up doing you huge damage, without any intention and much remorse later.  Many attacks will happen as a result of an email to an internal end user.

An email can be the start of a phishing attack.  Many of the successful ones look very real with less of the wrong spelling, bad grammar and more of the good graphic design.  It’s big business so there is more thought being put into them by the cyber criminals.  They know they can generate big money so attacks are more sophisticated and new ones coming on stream all the time, spreading faster and wider than ever.

Single Solution

There is no single solution for the threat of ransomware.  However, you can work to prevent the attack and having processes in place to recover from an attack.   The solution is a combination of layers of security.

Antivirus – Having antivirus software that is up to date and fit for the task of checking all files against known threats is vital.  Network monitoring will ensure emails are filtered so most malicious ones will never even get to the user.

Patches – As vulnerabilities in software are identified the manufacturer will issue notification for a patch that is required for protection.  Your systems should be updated regularly with the latest ones, sealing the gap where a security leak could happen.

Back up – Regular backups that are stored securely and a full systems backup will form a solid back up plan.  Should an attack occur you need to have a plan in place to have a copy of your data ready to be uploaded so you can keep in business. For critical industries, this could include back up of devices in a real-time situation.  This is part of disaster recovery processes that guarantee business continuity should the worst happen.

Secure systems – Another must have is file encryption.  Use systems that are safe for sharing information, such as Autotask file sync and share.  This allows the team to collaborate securely from multiple locations with familiar programmes such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  But without the worry of data being breached.

User training – Staff should be aware of the risks and management should have procedures in place to update skills.  Knowing what to look out for, how to spot something and also what to do if in doubt could divert a catastrophe.

For more information on Autotask as part of your security solution contact the team at DNA IT Solution.   We work with businesses just like you to provide you with the IT infrastructure that allows you to operate effectively in today’s world.