Forbes recently outlined how an organisation’s IT department should work more effectively within an organisation. While the article focused on the internal IT department, it applies equally to IT support partners such as MTG. Read more
Microsoft readies its Cloud GDPR Dashborad
In a recent blog post Microsoft set out some of its initiatives that will accelerate an organisation’s compliance with GDPR. Julie White, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Azure & Security outlined the different solutions and she reiterated how Microsoft’s Cloud services will be fully compliant come May 2018.
This is timely, Gartner estimate less than 50% of organisations will fully comply with GDPR come May 2018. Microsoft has already set out its commitment to compliance; Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility will all be compliant by that date. This statement is also backed by Microsoft’s own contractual commitment to its customers.
In a previous post, we discussed some of the mechanisms an organisation can leverage to become compliant. One of the more recent announcements from Microsoft is the Risk and Compliance dashboard. The dashboard will help you identify your current level of compliance in a quantitative manner and recommend suggested actions.
Julia White of Microsoft commented:
We continue to innovate in order to make GDPR compliance easier for you to achieve. For example, later this year we plan to release a new dashboard that provides a quantitative assessment to help identify where you are in your journey to GDPR compliance. This upcoming release builds on the foundation of Office 365 Secure Score, launched earlier this year, to provide you greater clarity on your path toward GDPR compliance.
Given the growth in Office 365 for e-mail and collaboration, Azure for IaaS, and the advent of Windows 10 – the Microsoft suite of products remains an optimal solution for the enterprise. Apart from the obvious productivity, cost and a collaboration gains – the solutions will aide a company with its own compliance challenges, particularly those presented by GDPR. Manx Technology work with a number of customers transitioning to Office 365, but with a firm eye on GDPR compliance and Cybersecurity.
8 x Office 365 Features that ease GDPR compliance
With GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) looming, many organisations are busy trying to assess the impact on their business, the path to compliance and in many cases, the investment required – particularly in the context of IT and data. Given the complexities of GDPR and to some extent, the uncertainties in the context of IT, many businesses are weighing up the path to compliance and the cost. Whilst many see Cloud as having a bad rep, paradoxically – the use of Cloud services can actually aide compliance and reduce the burden on your business.
Microsoft’s Office 365 solution is a perfect fit for many businesses and may actually help your organisation meet your GDPR requirements. Read more
How to deploy an Internal Segmentation Firewall (ISFW)
In previous articles, we have explained the benefits of internal network firewalls, also known as internal segmentation firewalls. The primary purpose is to secure internal network traffic, particularly between sites, functional areas or departments. Another common use is to provide an additional level of protection for sensitive areas of your network (i.e. databases, R&D) or high-risk areas (i.e. development environments, staging areas).
These developed in popularity so we offered an internal network firewall service to our customers. You can read why below.
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Outsourced IT Helpdesk – Integration
When an organisation is considering outsourcing or augmenting its IT support function, the management will need to consider how any arrangement could effect the business. Common considerations include the impact on business processes, response times, the user experience, privacy, security and familiarity, when it comes to the nuances of the company or industry. Outsourcing needn’t mean a loss of control or a reduction in service, in many cases – there is a considerable upturn in user satisfaction, response times and service. Read more
GDPR Compliance – Cloud App Discovery
GDPR poses many challenges – not least because the penalties are high! In amongst all the discussion and the rush for compliance, many businesses are not really focusing on the use of Cloud Applications. Cloud apps undoubtedly deliver real benefit to business, whether that is Office 365, Dropbox, Quickbooks etc. In many cases, using trusted cloud apps can actually aide compliance.
A key challenge for many organisations is the unknown unknowns. What Cloud Apps are being used by their staff and business – that they do not know about. This type of unapproved cloud usage is often described as Shadow IT. Apps that bypass IT, bypass procurement and often bypass the business. A CRM used by a key sales guy. Someone throwing files into Box to work from home. Someone else installing an app that accesses their contacts. The challenges are endless (which is a common theme with GDPR). Read more
Cisco Umbrella – Protected, in as little as 15 minutes
We have seen a significant uptake of Cisco Umbrella, primarily because businesses are recognising the risks and prevalence of malware, viruses and ransomware – the recent press is evidence to that. We wrote a brief article about how to defend against Wanna Cry – Umbrella is part of our advice. For small businesses, Cisco Umbrella is a fantastic and relatively inexpensive service that provides a great level of protection. For larger enterprises with antivirus and existing firewalls, Umbrella significantly enhances the existing defence systems. In all cases, the service is straight forward to configure and use. Read more
Pros and Cons of Help Desk Outsourcing
Outsourcing your IT and technical support services to an external IT provider is one of the most common forms of outsourcing. Any company who is looking to outsource their IT helpdesk or IT support needs to understand the pros and cons of outsourcing. Read more
Why you need a secure internet gateway (SIG) solution
Let’s say you’re shopping for a new TV online and you want to browse to amazon.co.uk to see what’s on offer. Although you likely visit amazon.co.uk regularly, if you were asked to recall the IP address of amazon.co.uk, chances are that you wouldn’t know it. The IP address would have no meaning to you.
Domain names make browsing the internet easy for us to get to where we want to go, but because of the fundamental role they play on how we interact with all online services, the system and our trust in domain names can leave a business susceptible to attacks from malicious actors.
The global data discussion, MTG and the TRAI
Last year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) launched a wide ranging consultation into cloud computing (the consultation and the responses are available on the TRAI website). The TRAI consultation looked to discuss issues such as regulation, privacy, cross-border data flows and jurisdictional oversight.
Manx Technology Group (MTG) is an active contributor and follower of developments in cloud computing, particularly in relation to cross border data flows, data protection, data sovereignty and how these issues impact global value chains. Consultations such as those undertaken by the TRAI, whilst focused on India – are globally relevant.
MTG responded to the consultation. Our consultation response can be viewed here. Read more
