Specifically, workers experienced the personal benefits of flexibility that remote and hybrid work models offered during shutdowns. Many employees won’t or don’t want to go back. The percentage of these workers is likely to remain at high levels, and an employer’s ability to accommodate remote or hybrid work may now largely determine whether a worker takes a job or even remains with a company.

That is obviously a game-changer for recruiting and retention. It also increases the challenges of effectively managing a host of remote devices and the many workers using them. Potential impacts include infrastructure reliability, network availability, data accessibility, and, above all, IT security, but investments in robust technology to manage and support flexible work practices will ensure companies can remain responsive and secure.

A Remote Environment = Increased Threats to Security

As critical as it has been, remote work has significantly exposed companies to cybersecurity threats; these are the top risks to all organizations today. Yearly data breach totals remain high and show evidence of escalation: 1,175 in 2018; 1,108 in 2019; 1,872 in 2020; and 1,862 in 2021.

The risk is compounded not only by vulnerabilities in technology but also by human error. As evidence, Deloitte reports that 47 percent of remote individuals fell victim to phishing attacks while working at home. The average cost of a data breach enabled by a remote worker was $137,000 in 2022. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence are further increasing the number and severity of security threats, and this is why it is critical to get all aspects of IT support right.

By their very nature, hybrid work environments demand that organizations have a better awareness of risk and an even tighter grip on their data, devices, and processes to remain operational and secure. Historically, employees are the weakest link in the security chain. When employees work off-site, and often with personal devices, they lower the vulnerability threshold so much more.

Related: Choosing the Best Video and Audio Devices for WFH Setups

Because of the increased threat environment, many organizations are stepping up security investments and employee training, alongside establishing strict practices around sensitive data encryption for every device and ensuring backups are completed at different locations. Remembering that data not requiring daily access should also be removed from the regular data pool and stored where it can be retrieved when needed is also a good tactic.

Fortunately, organizations were not blind to increased security risks during the pandemic, and many put new measures in place and increased employee training. Still, many organizations have yet to modify their infrastructure to meet the new security and support challenges. Flexibility and agility are urgently needed, and many systems can’t provide either.

The solution is having a secure remote control platform that can handle a widely dispersed workforce while scaling and delivering support as required, regardless of location. Ideally, it should be easy to use, cloud-based, and have security at its heart.

 Security Features That Make a Difference

For a COO of an international company, ensuring the IT security for a hybrid working environment is a high priority, helping to safeguard network and data security, ensure uninterrupted operations and constant productivity and create a positive employee experience.

Our company has provided remote device management software for education and corporate settings for over 30 years and, with that, we’ve seen and adapted to the changes in risks and cybersecurity threats.

Some of the key remote control features that companies should consider include:

1. Secure Web Gateways

Secure web gateways are ideal for managing remote employee connections and provide extra security, regardless of location. The gateway logs all activity and can provide additional insights into which computers were attempting to connect, allowing IT teams to see whether unauthorized attempts are occurring.

2. Security Keys

As the name suggests, security keys enable remote users to connect only if they have the same security key as the client. These are encrypted passcodes and must match for connections between machines to be permitted.

3. User Acknowledgement

Implementing user acknowledgment is an effective way to guard against connection attempts from unauthorized devices. This simply means that when delivering remote support, an employee must explicitly accept the IT team member’s connection request before they can connect to the device.

With these things and more in place, maintaining a secure and productive hybrid working environment should be stress-free and, dare I say it, easy.

Matt Jones is the chief operating officer of NetSupport. He has spent his entire career helping corporate IT departments manage their networks and devices.

The post Keeping Your Hybrid Workplace Secure appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Addressing a Seamless, Flexible and Native Integration with Webex Calling

The companies announced plans that will help ensure a seamless and reliable mobile-first collaboration experience, allowing users the flexibility to take calls across multiple devices while traveling for work, running errands and more.

Cisco and AT&T says with the dramatic increase in the use of mobile phones as the primary business device, enterprises need connectivity solutions that are easy to manage, secure and provide the flexibility and reliability desired for work from anywhere. The Cisco and AT&T integration addresses this need with key features including:

• Single number mobile identity: Combining the capabilities of an AT&T wireless smartphone with the native integration of Webex Calling will provide greater functionality and flexibility for on-the-go communication.
• Reduce costs: This integration helps enterprise customers lower costs by reducing or eliminating the need for traditional fixed business lines.
• Crystal clear voice: AT&T Cloud Voice with Webex Go allows users to securely make and receive business calls using AT&T’s fast, reliable nationwide mobile network and seamlessly elevate calls to a Webex collaboration experience across the Webex App and devices, with capabilities like closed captioning, noise removal, and whiteboarding.
• Fast, efficient, and secure collaboration: AT&T and Cisco’s joint solution will increase the ability to effectively and securely collaborate no matter the location, resulting in improved knowledge sharing and faster decision making.

AT&T Cloud Voice with Webex Go will be available for all Webex Calling users from Cisco partners in the United States later this year.

SD-WAN Connectivity for SMBs, Enterprise Businesses

Demand for unified experiences over secure connectivity to the cloud and site-to-site continues to surge. Cisco and AT&T are working together to bring secure on-demand connectivity for SD-WAN with add-on services that may include mobile 5G and fiber broadband to businesses of every size.

For small and medium businesses, AT&T is launching a new self-service option to simplify and accelerate SD-WAN deployment. Businesses can now connect, protect, manage, and scale their networks using AT&T Business Wi-Fi with Cisco Meraki.

For larger enterprises, AT&T SD-WAN with Cisco is a fully managed connectivity solution with embedded security and analytics. Enterprises can now connect a user or device to any application in their multicloud using a secure access service edge (SASE)-enabled architecture. This delivers integrated security and application optimization for end-to-end visibility.

Cisco will also provide the ability to embed AT&T wireless connectivity into Cisco devices enabling zero touch provisioning for Cisco and AT&T customers, through AT&T Control Center powered by Cisco.

“The network is at the core of the modern workforce. The ability to get things done is no longer reliant on where you are, but how you are connected,” said Jonathan Davidson, EVP and general manager of Cisco Networking. “Hybrid work only works when there is a seamless, consistent, and secure experience for workers, regardless of location. Together with AT&T, we are giving businesses what they need to securely connect everything and everyone—wherever they are. Because when everything is connected, then anything is possible.”

Mike Troiano, SVP, business products, AT&T“Mobility, said, in a statement, “Mobility is key to enabling hybrid work. Businesses want a seamless and reliable communication experience. At the heart of our collaboration with Cisco is a shared vision to empower organizations with secure connectivity, unmatched reliability, and deep network expertise. By deeply integrating our technology, businesses can be assured their communications are built on a solid foundation. Together we are unlocking new levels of productivity, agility, and connectivity— enabling teams to thrive in the modern work landscape.”

The post Cisco and AT&T Join Forces to Expand Connectivity for Mobile-First Workforce appeared first on My TechDecisions.

To effectively navigate the digital transformation journey, there are several key topics that manufacturing companies should consider. Enterprise Resource Planning software and manufacturing solutions offer a broad spectrum of manufacturing planning, execution, and integration, making them great models to consider for digital transformation.

1. Change management enables teams to thrive in change

Efficient change management is necessary to ensure a smooth transition to new ways of working, manage supply chain disruptions and implement new business models, and support employees to thrive with change and navigate ongoing uncertainty.

Change management has become more critical since COVID-19 because the pandemic has significantly transformed how businesses operate, and companies have had to adapt quickly. All operations are in the hands of humans, and no matter how good technology is, execution will fail if individuals do not work as a team to support the company’s mission.

Manufacturing companies can best manage organizational change by setting up and managing a change management program and a change management organization. Specific methodologies to develop, deploy, and build a change management program are integral components in the digital transformation project for the respective project, and system integrators are helping with best practices and deploying them.

2. Business process management is key to digital transformation

Effective process management and a business process management organization as an endpoint for digital transformation are crucial because it enables organizations to optimize their business processes, improve efficiency, and achieve better outcomes.

Process management involves mapping and analyzing business processes, identifying areas of inefficiency or waste, and implementing process improvements. Organizations can reduce costs, improve quality, and increase productivity by optimizing business processes.

Related: Sustainability is the Key 2023 IT Trend

3. Sustainability – A new perspective for manufacturing

Sustainability is the third area of focus, driving digital transformation from both ends. It has emerged as a new initiative, pushing digital transformation forward. As a beneficiary of digital transformation, it gives manufacturing companies an entirely new world of data to measure sustainability goals such as carbon footprints or product lifecycle analysis to assess the impacts of products and what can be done.

Digital transformation to support sustainability for manufacturing is fundamental, considering the potential environmental effects of manufacturing processes, potential cost savings, reputation and branding, compliance, and innovation by adopting sustainable manufacturing practices.

Sustainability is still relatively new for most players in the general ERP space. However, the demand has never been higher than today. Managing sustainability goals can be challenging, requiring data availability, data quality, standards, frameworks, resources, investments to implement, and agreement on stakeholder expectations.

However, as with other areas in digital transformation, specific methods, and best practices are applicable.

4. The cloud is here to stay

The manufacturing industry may have been hesitant to adopt cloud computing due to concerns about data security, privacy and potential disruption to existing systems. However, as the benefits of cloud computing are more apparent, more and more manufacturers are beginning to adopt cloud-based solutions.

Security and privacy are a big concern for many; however, unless the manufacturing applications are entirely sealed off, the industry consensus is that security and privacy are a matter of managing policies rather than actual physical access issues. If done right, the cloud gives customers more control over privacy and security than traditional on-premises solutions.

Manufacturers today face a critical challenge – ensuring round-the-clock manufacturing operations with zero interruptions. Any potential disruption can have significant consequences with ramp-up and ramp-down processes requiring uninterrupted functions. However, manufacturers already offer cloud solutions with substantial development in this regard.

5. Cybersecurity challenges in manufacturing companies

In the age of digital transformation, cybersecurity is a critical concern for manufacturing companies. With increased reliance on interconnected systems, IoT devices, and cloud computing, the risk of cyber threats and data breaches is higher than ever.

Manufacturers must prioritize robust network security protocols, regular vulnerability assessment, and secure access controls to protect valuable assets. Implementing advanced intrusion detection and prevention systems, real-time monitoring, and incident response capabilities is essential for prompt threat identification and mitigation. Employee awareness and training programs also play a crucial role in preventing cyber-attacks.

By addressing these challenges, manufacturing companies can maintain operational integrity, protect sensitive information, and build customer trust. Cybersecurity must be fundamental to their digital transformation strategy for a secure future.

How to drive digital transformation

The points above highlighted the various aspects of digital transformation. However, the question that arises is how to tailor it to support the organization’s progress. The digital transformation process can be complex as it integrates new technologies, processes and data throughout the organization.

Adopting a strategic approach that aligns technology with business goals is necessary to prioritize digital transformation in the manufacturing industry. This can be achieved by following these key steps:

• Define business objectives: Identify the critical business objectives that digital transformation can help achieve.
• Evaluate current capabilities: Assess the current state of technology, processes, and data across the organization to identify areas of improvement and potential opportunities.
• Develop a roadmap: Chart a digital transformation roadmap, detailing the steps to achieve the identified business objectives
• Prioritize investments: Prioritize technology investments based on their potential impact on the business objectives identified in step one.
• Foster a culture of innovation: Encourage employees to experiment with new technologies and processes, thereby cultivating a culture of innovation.

Alexander Paulus is a Senior SAP Professional and SAP Project Manager with 15+ years of experience in various project roles, mainly in global ERP Implementation projects and Solution Architecture and Delivery & Operations Management. He is Managing Director at CNT Management Consulting Inc. and one of the key digitalization subject matter experts.

The post Five Key Topics for Digital Transformation in Manufacturing Companies appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The property is owned by the City of Memphis and is managed by global sports and entertainment company Oak View Group (OVG), which announced a strategic partnership with Xtract One in October 2022.

Fan Safety Ahead of USFL Season

“As we began preparations for the start of the USFL season, we wanted to optimize our security screening technology,” Thomas Carrier, Oak View Group’s General Manager at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, said in a statement.  “At the stadium and across Oak View Group, we prioritize fan safety, while simultaneously leveraging innovation to enhance the fan experience. The kickoff of the new USFL season was a logical starting point to introduce Xtract One’s SmartGateway screening solutions. It is one of many prevention strategies coming to the venue for the safety and security of fans, teams, talent and staff, which we will continue using throughout the year, including during Memphis Tigers games and for the Southern Heritage Classic and AutoZone Liberty Bowl.”

Xtract One SmartGateway System

The SmartGateway system was designed for large, ticketed venues to enable high throughput, but with customizability based on the customer’s individual needs and security requirements. SmartGateway delivers fast, reliable, and accurate patron screening, replacing intimidating metal detectors. This solution unobtrusively scans patrons for guns, knives and other prohibited items as they enter the facility, using AI-powered sensors to detect threats without invading patrons’ sense of privacy and comfort.

“It is important for community and commercial enterprises to work on collaborative solutions that allow guests to focus on fun and togetherness and cheering on their teams,” said Mayor Jim Strickland, in a statement. “The City of Memphis, Oak View Group and Xtract One are together enhancing the safety of the fans and our community.”

Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium will deploy SmartGateways in two phases. Phase one, beginning April 15, will leverage SmartGateways for games of the Memphis Showboats (USFL).

“We are thrilled to have been chosen by Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Oak View Group, and the City of Memphis to implement our SmartGateway technology for the safety and security of their patrons. This partnership showcases our commitment to revolutionizing the security landscape, enhancing fan experiences, and streamlining entry processes for large-scale venues,” said Peter Evans, CEO of Xtract One, in a statement. “We look forward to continuing our work with Oak View Group, and providing advanced, unobtrusive security solutions for their growing portfolio of world-class venues.”

The post Xtract One Elevates Fan Experience with SmartGateway, AI Security Screening Technology appeared first on My TechDecisions.

How Cycode ASOC Works

Acting as a management layer between application development and security testing, Cycode ASOC automatically discovers tooling across the software development life cycle (SDLC) and analyzes and correlates the tools’ data, identifying vulnerabilities across different modules. When a vulnerability appears more than once, Cycode ASOC automatically deduplicates it while also aggregating the remaining unique results into one centralized location.

Listen:  My TechDecisions Podcast Episode 193: April 2023 Patch Tuesday

In the centralized location, the vulnerabilities are prioritized by level of risk to help with remediation. By reducing the noise, this automated process allows security teams to focus on fewer issues that are of the highest priority. This in turn, increases the effectiveness of security teams and reduces alert fatigue, says the company.

Benefits for Security Teams

Cycode ASOC provides:

• Automated tool discovery – automatically discover tooling starting with the SCM, the foundation of DevOps infrastructure
• Pipeline security posture – gain visibility into pipeline and tool configurations, including which security tools are used in each phase of the development process
• Comprehensive prioritization – ingest data and prioritize vulnerabilities from third-party solutions

“Security teams are struggling to protect their development infrastructure because they lack visibility into the many tools used in modern software delivery pipelines such as cloud platforms, serverless, SaaS and other ephemeral services,” said Ronen Slavin, co-founder and CTO of Cycode, in a statement. “Even software teams that build and use pipelines may not be aware of all the tools in use and how they are configured. This limited visibility creates huge blind spots in the security program, forcing security teams to waste resources trying to understand and secure pipelines, and prevents consistent management of security risks.”

Cycode will be at the RSA Conference 2023 and will be demonstrating its ASOC feature at booth #6471 from Monday, April 24 through Thursday, April 27, 2023, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif.

The post Cycode Launches Application Security Orchestration and Correlation appeared first on My TechDecisions.

According to Richard Addiscott, senior director analyst at Gartner, a human-centered approach to cybersecurity is essential, and must focus on people in control design. One in which, “focus[es] on people in control design and implementation, as well as through business communications and cybersecurity talent management.” Thus, he said, “[it] will help to improve business-risk decisions and cybersecurity staff retention.

Three Key Areas for an Effective Cybersecurity Program

According to Gartner, SRM leaders need to focus on three key areas to ensure an effective cybersecurity program and address related risks:

1. The role of people for security program success and sustainability
2. Technical security capabilities that provide greater visibility and responsiveness across the organization’s digital ecosystem
3. Restructuring the way the security function operates to enable agility without compromising security

Gartner also outlines the following nine trends that will have a broad impact for SRM leaders across the three key areas above:

Gartner’s Cybersecurity Trends for 2023

Trend 1: Human-Centric Security Design

Human-centric security design prioritizes the role of employee experience across the controls management life cycle. By 2027, 50% of large enterprise chief information security officers (CISOs) will have adopted human-centric security design practices to minimize cybersecurity-induced friction and maximize control adoption.

“Traditional security awareness programs have failed to reduce unsecure employee behavior,” said Addiscott. “CISOs must review past cybersecurity incidents to identify major sources of cybersecurity induced-friction and determine where they can ease the burden for employees through more human-centric controls or retire controls that add friction without meaningfully reducing risk.”

Trend 2: Enhancing People Management for Security Program

Traditionally, cybersecurity leaders have focused on improving technology and processes that support their programs, with little focus on the people that create these changes. CISOs who take a human-centric talent management approach to attract and retain talent have seen improvements in their functional and technical maturity. By 2026, Gartner predicts that 60% of organizations will shift from external hiring to “quiet hiring” from internal talent markets to address systemic cybersecurity and recruitment challenges.

Trend 3: Transforming the Cybersecurity Operating Model to Support Value Creation

Technology is moving from central IT functions to lines of business, corporate functions, fusion teams and individual employees. A Gartner survey found that 41% of employees perform some kind of technology work, a trend that is expected to continue growing over the next five years.

“Business leaders now widely accept that cybersecurity risk is a top business risk to manage – not a technology problem to solve,” said Addiscott. “Supporting and accelerating business outcomes is a core cybersecurity priority, yet remains a top challenge.”

CISOs must modify their cybersecurity’s operating model to integrate how work gets done. Employees must know how to balance a number of risks including cybersecurity, financial, reputational, competitive and legal risks. Cybersecurity must also connect to business value by measuring and reporting success against business outcomes and priorities.

Trend 4: Threat Exposure Management

The attack surface of modern enterprises is complex and creates fatigue. CISOs must evolve their assessment practices to understand their exposure to threats by implementing continuous threat exposure management (CTEM) programs. Gartner predicts that by 2026, organizations prioritizing their security investments based on a CTEM program will suffer two-thirds fewer breaches.

Trend 5: New Identity Threat & Detection Response (ITDR)

Incomplete, misconfigured or vulnerable elements in an organization can lead to a fragile identity infrastructure. By 2027, Gartner predicts filling the gaps in identity infrastructure will prevent 85% of new attacks and thereby reduce the financial impact of breaches by 80%.

“Identity fabric immunity not only protects the existing and new IAM components in the fabric with identity threat and detection response (ITDR), but it also fortifies it by completing and properly configuring it,” said Addiscott.

Trend 6: Cybersecurity Validation 

Cybersecurity validation is the process of testing how attackers can exploit any security gaps. The tools used for this are being updated to automate assessments, making them more reliable for regular testing of attack techniques, security controls and processes. Through 2026, more than 40% of organizations, including two-thirds of midsize enterprises, will rely on consolidated platforms to run cybersecurity validation assessments.

Trend 7: Cybersecurity Platform Consolidation

As organizations look to simplify operations, vendors are consolidating platforms around one or more major cybersecurity domains. For example, identity security services may be offered through a common platform that combines governance, privileged access and access management features. SRM leaders need to continuously inventory security controls to understand where overlaps exist and reduce the redundancy through consolidated platforms.

Trend 8: Composable Businesses Need Composable Security

Organizations must transition from relying on monolithic systems to building modular capabilities in their applications to respond to the accelerating pace of business change. Composable security is an approach where cybersecurity controls are integrated into architectural patterns and then applied at a modular level in composable technology implementations. By 2027, more than 50% of core business applications will be built using composable architecture, requiring a new approach to securing those applications.

“Composable security is designed to protect composable business,” said Addiscott. “The creation of applications with composable components introduces undiscovered dependencies. For CISOs, this is a significant opportunity to embed privacy and security by design by creating component-based, reusable security control objects.”

Trend 9: Boards Expand Their Competency in Cybersecurity Oversight

The board’s increased focus on cybersecurity is being driven by the trend toward explicit-level accountability for cybersecurity to include enhanced responsibilities for board members in their governance activities. Cybersecurity leaders must provide boards with reporting that demonstrates the impact of cybersecurity programs on the organization’s goals and objectives.

“SRMs leaders must encourage active board participation and engagement in cybersecurity decision making,” said Addiscott. “Act as a strategic advisor, providing recommendations for actions to be taken by the board, including allocation of budgets and resources for security.”

The post Gartner’s Top Cybersecurity Trends for 2023 appeared first on My TechDecisions.

SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) technology is becoming increasingly necessary for the security and reliability of networks, taking into account the data-driven infrastructure running on cloud-based and private enterprise networks. EnGenius SD-WAN Gateways are designed to provide enterprises with a highly scalable and resilient network solution. The SD-WAN Gateway series offers features like EnGenius Auto-VPN and NAT Traversal, making it an ideal choice for organizations seeking a secure and efficient network solution.

Related: Aryaka Invests in Bringing Managed SD-WAN & SASE to More Markets

EnGenius SD-WAN Gateway Benefits

• Seamless scalability with unparalleled flexibility in wireless and wired networks: EnGenius SD-WAN Gateways enable businesses to quickly and easily deploy multiple branch offices, including all necessary firewall rules and network policies. This makes it an ideal solution for companies with a growing remote workforce and increased reliance on cloud-based services, allowing them to maintain secure and efficient network connections.
• Automated and simplified configuration for faster deployment and increased uptime: Building a VPN network with EnGenius SD-WAN is effortless, requiring just a few clicks, even with NAT networks. With its auto-healing capabilities, the system automatically adjusts VPN settings when WAN IP changes, ensuring seamless connectivity.
• Ability to monitor connections in real time for improved security and visibility: EnGenius SD-WAN provides network administrators with complete visibility into the health status of all VPN links, WAN performance, and network trends. This comprehensive visibility makes necessary adjustments or troubleshooting issues easier with real-time performance monitoring and tunnel status tracking.
• Zero-Trust framework for enhanced security at scale: Get peace of mind knowing your connection between branch offices and headquarters is further secured using multiple authentication levels, including device verifications with Zero Trust Framework, which all come with EnGenius SD-WAN Gateways.
• Ability to leverage the power of EnGenius Cloud for unified management of devices and networks: EnGenius SD-WAN Gateways provide an integrated solution for your entire network needs via the EnGenius Cloud. Businesses can easily manage and monitor all network devices in one centralized location, including Access Points and Network Switches.

“We are very excited to be launching this new line of SD-WAN products that provide greater stability and security for enterprises and the branches,” Antony Lai, vice president at EnGenius, declares. “We have worked hard to provide a high-level solution that is easy to deploy and manage while providing seamless integration with EnGenius Cloud-managed products with a secure, reliable, and effective system that is scalable to their needs for managing their networks.”

EnGenius Cloud-managed SD-WAN Gateway lineups:

• ESG320(new)- 4-Port Gigabit PoE+ Cloud SD-WAN Gateway
• ESG510 – 4-Port Multi-Gigabit PoE+ Cloud SD-WAN Gateway
• ESG610(new) – 4-Port Multi-Gigabit PoE+ Cloud SD-WAN Gateway
• ESG620(new) – 8-Port Multi-Gigabit PoE+ Cloud SD-WAN Gateway with 2 SFP+ Slots

EnGenius Cloud-managed SD-WAN Gateway Features:

• Auto-VPN and NAT traversal
• Network topology and VPN status
• Stateful firewall and firewall policy applies to all
• Dual-WAN load balance and failover
• Unified with EnGenius Cloud management and devices
• Touchless system maintenance and automatic updates
• Management on the go with Cloud To-Go·
• Multi-mode passthrough and routing options.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on March 9, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post EnGenius Launches SD-WAN Gateway Series Products for Cloud-Based Networks appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Domotz says it provides unparalleled visibility of digital assets and data flows. Thus, it empowers users with mission critical knowledge and actionable insights.

The company also works closely with partners to ensure integration of its Domotz Agent software is seamless and easy to use. For NETGEAR switches, it provides features such as port mapping, PoE control and configuration backup.

For NETGEAR wireless access points, and Orbi Pro routers and mesh systems, Domotz-enabled features include end-point mapping, WAP reboot, signal strength indications and more.

The integration allows Domotz users to add and manage a wide range of NETGEAR devices to their existing networks quickly and easily.

Providing Feature-Rich Solutions

“At NETGEAR we are always looking to make the lives of our business customers easier by providing them more control with less complication,” says Laurent Masia, director of product line management for managed switches at NETGEAR.

Masia continues, “The addition of Domotz to our growing network of partners allows us to provide a feature-rich, elegant solution for monitoring and managing their valuable business infrastructure.”

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with NETGEAR, the world-renowned leader in networking products,” adds Silvio Di Crosta, CEO of Domotz. “Both Domotz and NETGEAR users will really benefit from this new partnership. These new features available for NETGEAR products will dramatically improve, visibility, control, and efficiency in managing their systems — and there’s more to come.”

New NETGEAR Features

According to a statement, a host of impressive new features are now available for NETGEAR products on the Domotz App. These include:

• For network switches: Domotz now includes automated switch port mapping, power management via PoE, bandwidth graphs, and information on errors and packet discards. Additionally, network configuration management features are now available. This includes backup and restoration of configuration files, alerts on configuration changes that help with network security, and the ability to compare and quickly roll back to previous configuration versions.
• For Insight-based wireless access points and Orbi Pro routers and mesh systems: More detailed information and analytics are now available. This new information includes device, system, and network information as well as radio properties, controller and reboot details, client connections and wireless LAN properties.

This article originally appeared on MyTechDecisions’ sister-site CommercialIntegrator.com.

The post Domotz & NETGEAR Partner for Better Monitoring and Managing of Infrastructure appeared first on My TechDecisions.

According to Microsoft, tamper protection brings an added layer of protection in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint that enhances the endpoint security posture of organizations.

The feature will be released with audit mode enabled by default, and admins can decide whether to enforce or turn off the capability, Microsoft says in a Tech Community blog.

In audit mode, admins will see these events logged:

• Actions to uninstall Defender for Endpoint agent
• Deletion/renaming/modification of Defender for Endpoint files
• The creation of new files under Defender for Endpoint installation locations

While in Audit mode, TP signals can be viewed via Advanced Hunting and in local on-device logs, the company says. No tampering alerts are raised in the Security Center while in Audit model, and alerts are raised in the portal only in block mode.

Here’s more from Microsoft’s blog about how to observe tampering events in the portal:

To observe tampering events in the portal, you can use the following query in Advanced Hunting:

DeviceInfo
| where OSPlatform == ‘macOS’
| join kind=rightsemi (
DeviceEvents
| where ActionType contains “TamperingAttempt”
) on DeviceId

If you want to check the status of the feature on a single device, you can run the command “mdatp health”. Look for the tamper_protection field, it will display “audit”, “block” or “disabled” according to your configuration.

The logs can also be found locally on the device. Tampering events are logged in: “Library/Logs/Microsoft/mdatp/microsoft_defender_core*.log”

Admins can leverage the audit mode to get familiar with how the feature detections possible tampering actions.

Microsoft says it will offer a gradual rollout mechanism that will automatically switch endpoints to block mode if organizations have not specifically made a choice to enable or disable the capability.

Block mode will both log the suspected tampering action and block it, along with a corresponding alert in the security center portal, the company says.

Learn more from this documentation.

The post Microsoft Rolls Out Defender for Endpoint Tamper Protection for macOS appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Boosting network security and safeguarding data access, ATEN’s new line of switches enable operators to control multiple systems using the same set of peripherals (keyboard, mouse, monitor, speaker set, Common Access Card reader, etc.) without compromising real-time data visualization between connected computers of various security classifications.

Read: Foundational Tips for Fighting Healthcare’s Top Cyberthreats

In addition to the protections inherited from the previous version, such as data path isolation and unidirectional data flow, restricted peripheral connectivity and filtering, user data protection, configurable device filtering and management and always-on tamper-proof design, new features on the PP v4.0 compliant series include:

• Video quality up to 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz
• Strict audio filtration to protect against audio leakage
• Administrative configuration of keyboard/mouse port filtering to reject specific USB HID devices
• Secure port switching via pushbutton and Remote Port Selector (RPS) to enhance security – 2XRT-0019G
• LED indication to alert of unauthorized connection to USB HID devices
• Non-CAC (common access card reader) models available for selection

A total of 32 models are scheduled to be released in succession, with options including 2-port, 4-port and 8-port models, different video interfaces including DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI and single/dual displays availabilities for various customer demands.

“The new ATEN PP v4.0 secure KVM switches are specifically designed to enforce stringent desktop security by keeping sensitive assets isolated while providing advanced user data protection and flexible administrative security management features,” says Aaron Johnson, senior product manager, ATEN Technology, Inc. “They are suitable for deployment in any industry that needs to handle sensitive, confidential or proprietary information, or implement multi-level security on separate networks, such as government and military agencies like the Department of Defense, healthcare providers, banking and finance institutions and more.”

Check out ATEN Technologies’ products on AV-IQ, here.

This article originally appeared on MyTechDecisions’ sister-site CommercialIntegrator.com.

The post ATEN Technology, Inc. Introduces New Suite of Secure KVM Switches appeared first on My TechDecisions.