Hybrid cloud is becoming increasingly popular as a solution for organisations looking to leverage the benefits of both public and private cloud. With the growth of data comes the challenge of managing it effectively and ensuring its security. In a hybrid cloud environment, the combination of on-premises data and multiple cloud services requires a cohesive approach to data governance and security.

These were the three main themes discussed during a very well attended half-day conference organised by BMIT and EY Malta: ‘Moving to the Cloud – Why trust and security matter’.

Gordon Bezzina, CTO of BMIT, was the first keynote speaker. He offered a comprehensive overview of cloud technology advancements and highlighted the three primary reasons for organizations to adopt cloud technology: cost-effectiveness, agility, and enhanced customer experience. Bezzina emphasized that there is no universal approach, and each organization can achieve its unique needs by embracing various elements of cloud technology to maximize benefits.

The following speaker, Daniel Cuschieri, a Senior Manager of Technology Consulting at EY Malta, took the stage and presented on the topic of cloud computing. He started by explaining the basics of cloud in the IT industry, including various types of cloud computing services and how they have transformed traditional IT. Daniel then delved into the three phases of an organization's cloud migration journey, which includes strategy, adoption, and optimization and economics. For each phase, he highlighted the importance of a cloud governance framework, which offers comprehensive guidance for organizations throughout their cloud journey and spans across the entire cloud lifecycle.

In the final presentation, Dr. Dimitrios Patsos, a security expert from Microsoft, delved into the crucial connection between trust, innovation, and security in the multi-cloud and hybrid environments. He highlighted the reality of cybercrime being a thriving industry and emphasized that cybersecurity was slowly becoming a top priority for many boards. The threat landscape, he noted, was shifting as hackers were increasingly targeting users' identities rather than traditional perimeters. Dr. Patsos then went on to stress the significance of innovation in security as a means of building trust. He provided an overview of the various security architectures employed by Microsoft to ensure maximum protection. He emphasized the need for organizations to stay ahead of the curve and embrace innovation in security to safeguard their businesses.

Panel Discussion

Businesses should see compliance as an enabler, rather than a hindrance, because it can help them improve their operations, increase efficiency, and reduce risks. And more importantly, protect their clients and their data.

This was one of many interesting points raised during a panel discussion with three expert panellists – BMIT’s Sean Cohen, EY’s Michael Azzopardi and Microsoft’s Christos Giannakis-Bompolis.

With the cloud becoming more complex, regulatory frameworks guarantee consistency and managed expectations. They also protect customers.

That said, the panellists agreed there was always room for improvement.

Giannakis-Bompolis pointed out that security is a shared responsibility and both vendor and customers had a role to play. A change in mindset was required and customers should not rely on the vendor for their security needs. Azzopardi focused on the data and how companies view data. He said there was a need for structured data governance with clear classification and ownership of the data as well as the integration of controls as needed to protect the data. According to Cohen, awareness on compliance and regulations had to improve and, in turn, gain a better understanding of the data.

Asked to define the next 24 months, one of the biggest developments would be the impact data had on business and cloud adoption, particularly in the context of Internet of Things (IoT) and the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in business and industry. Data is key and will be an accelerator for cloud option. “Data is going to drive organisations to the cloud and use the capabilities of AI,” Azzopardi said. From a security perspective, AI will be the next big thing in security solutions. “AI is here and is a huge opportunity. AI will be a driver as organisations use intelligence as a defence,” Giannakis-Bompolis added. Cohen said the Cloud will become a big player as the IoT and data processing become critical. “I believe we will see IoT handling critical data at source, for example in relation to hospital equipment, but analysis of the data will be processed later in cloud.”

Moving to the cloud is not suitable for all, but those who do require a trustworthy provider who meets three requirements: reliability, scalability, and compliance. The provider must be committed to offering the best service while also having the ability to scale and assist customers in achieving compliance. It is crucial for businesses to align their cloud strategy with their business objectives, technology stack, and data architecture. To do this effectively, seeking guidance from experts is essential.

The choice of provider should be guided by a vendor’s local partners. According to Microsoft, a local partner, like BMIT Technologies, can provide skilled professionals with knowledge of the local market, and assist customers in comprehending the range of available products to meet their cloud and security needs.

The cost of cybercrime is predicted to hit $8 trillion, that’s correct, trillion, in 2023, growing to $10.5 trillion by 2025, according to the 2022 Official Cybercrime Report from Cybersecurity Ventures.

To put that into perspective, it is the combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Japan and the United Kingdom combined. If cybercrime were a country, it would be third in terms of GDP after the US and China.

It is a lucrative business, and the currency is one: data. The total volume of data in the world tops 150 zettabytes (150 followed by 21 zeroes) and that data needs to be protected.

Cybercriminals do not discriminate their victims. Every individual and every organisation is fair game. The human element is the most common threat vector.

Why? Humans are the least prepared, least knowledgeable and the weakest link. According to Verizon’s 2022 data breach report, 82% of breaches were caused by users.

Cybersecurity measures alone are not enough to counter cybercriminals’ sophisticated methods. Today, more and more organisations are including security training for employees. It’s effective and shuts the door on most attacks that require some form of human intervention.

Let’s take a look at 10 most common and prevalent cyber attacks that business and their staff should be aware of:

Phishing attacks: This is one of the most common types of cyberattacks, where hackers use social engineering to trick people into revealing sensitive information. For example, an email claiming to be from your bank, requesting your login credentials. In the third quarter of 2022, 3 million phishing attacks were reported (Anti-Phishing Working Group).

Supply Chain Attacks: Supply chain attacks involve targeting a company’s suppliers or partners to gain access to a company’s network or systems. Attackers may use a variety of techniques, such as malware or phishing, to gain access to a supplier’s network and then use that access to gain access to a company’s network.

Ransomware: This type of attack involves hackers gaining control of your system or data and demanding payment for its release. A recent example of this is the ransomware attack on the Costa Rican government to the tune of $30 million. No payment was made and 50% of the encrypted data was leaked to the public.

DDoS attacks: Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks involve overwhelming a website or server with traffic, making it inaccessible to users. Cloudflare reported that there was a 67% rise in ransom DDoS attacks in 2022.

Insider threats: These are threats posed by employees, contractors, or other insiders who have access to sensitive information. For example, an employee who steals customer data or changes master passwords, effectively shutting access to a network and its systems.

Code Injection Attacks: Code injection attacks involve adding malicious code to a legitimate program or website. Attackers may use code injection to steal data, cause damage to systems, or gain access to networks. An example of a code injection attack is a hacker adding malicious code to a website’s database.

Man-in-the-middle attacks: These attacks involve intercepting communication between two parties to steal information or alter messages. For example, a hacker could intercept a user’s login credentials while they’re logging into a website.

Social engineering attacks: These attacks involve using psychological manipulation to trick people into revealing sensitive information. For example, a hacker could pose as a technical support representative and convince a user to give them access to their computer.

IoT attacks: Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as smart home devices, are vulnerable to attacks if they are not properly secured. An example of this is the Mirai botnet, which hijacked thousands of IoT devices to launch DDoS attacks.

Malware: Malware is malicious software that can infect your computer, smartphone, or other devices. It can steal information, delete files, or even take control of your device. Mydoom arguably had the most serious impact in history causing $38 billion worth of damages in 2004.

This is the reality we are living in. Organisations that adopt a ‘it won’t happen to us’ attitude are simply postponing the inevitable. Security is a cost but it is also an investment that is far less costly than dealing with a breach, loss of data and money.

How can you protect your business?

  1. Educate your employees: Train your employees on how to identify and respond to potential cyberattacks, such as phishing emails.
  2. Keep software up to date: Make sure all software and hardware are up to date with the latest security patches.
  3. Use strong passwords: Require employees to use strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication where possible.
  4. Backup your data: Regularly back up your data to a secure, offsite location.
  5. Implement access controls: Restrict access to sensitive information to only those who need it.
  6. Monitor your systems: Regularly monitor your systems for unusual activity or potential security breaches.

Creating a strong security posture in your business is an investment that requires time and guidance. At BMIT, we can help your business take that important first step: assessing your cybersecurity readiness and the providing advice and a complete strategy on how to address any weaknesses and vulnerabilities in your enterprise IT setup.

Cyberthreats are constantly evolving. Assess, secure, and fortify your business today with BMIT.

SmartCity Malta: 2 March 2023 – BMIT Technologies, a leading Hybrid infrastructure and Cloud managed services provider, is proud to announce that it has become an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner. This new partnership will allow BMIT to offer expertise and services on top of the AWS cloud offering  to its clients, while also expanding its multi-cloud infrastructure offerings.

As an AWS Partner, BMIT can now provide clients with another Tier-1 cloud provider option and expertise when moving to the Cloud. Customers will now have access to the full suite of AWS services, including Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), and Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS), among others. With the power of AWS, clients can enjoy a fast, secure, and reliable cloud computing solutions.

In addition to offering AWS products and services, BMIT will also be expanding its multi-cloud infrastructure offerings. With expertise in AWS and Microsoft Azure, and other cloud technologies, BMIT can now help clients choose the best cloud solutions for their unique business needs. Whether it’s a single cloud provider or a hybrid/multi-cloud approach, BMIT can deliver and optimise a customised solution that maximises business operational resiliency and efficiency and optimise costs.

“Becoming an AWS Partner is an important milestone for our company,” said Christian Sammut, CEO of BMIT Technologies. “This partnership allows us to provide our clients with another advanced cloud technology in the market, while also expanding our multi-cloud offerings. We’re excited to help our clients achieve their business goals by leveraging the power of AWS and other cloud technologies as well as our years of expertise and experience in this field.”

With its new partnership with AWS, the company is now better positioned than ever to help clients accelerate and achieve their business goals by leveraging another advanced cloud technology in the market, a dedicated tech advisory service and excellent support and guidance.

Businesses face increasing challenges in keeping up with changing market demands as technology evolves at an unprecedented rate. To remain competitive and relevant, businesses must embrace innovation, adaptability, and scalability, all of which the hybrid IT model provides.

To provide a flexible and efficient computing environment, hybrid IT combines the strengths of on-premises infrastructure, public cloud services, and private cloud environments. It enables businesses to take the benefits of both cloud and on-premises resources while avoiding the disadvantages of each.

Here are some of the key benefits of hybrid IT

Increased Flexibility and Agility

Hybrid IT provides businesses with unparalleled flexibility and agility, allowing them to quickly adapt to changing market conditions. Businesses can use a hybrid IT model to dynamically allocate resources based on demand, ensuring that they have enough computing power to meet customer demands.

Improved Security and Compliance

Hybrid IT improves security and compliance by allowing businesses to deploy sensitive data and applications on-premises while leveraging the cloud's scalability and cost-effectiveness. This means that businesses can ensure the security of their critical data while also reaping the benefits of the cloud.

Better Cost Optimization

Hybrid IT enables businesses to reduce costs by using on-premises infrastructure for legacy applications and non-critical workloads and cloud services for more resource-intensive applications. Businesses can avoid the high costs of maintaining and upgrading their own infrastructure while still meeting their computing requirements.

Greater Control and Customization

Hybrid IT gives businesses more control over their computing environment and allows them to tailor it to their specific requirements. This means that businesses can tailor their computing resources to their specific needs, ensuring that they have the resources they need to meet their business objectives.

High-Availability

Hybrid IT enables organisations to ensure that their applications and IT systems are always available to users, even in the event of infrastructure failures, by leveraging the strengths of both public and private clouds. For example, an organisation can use the public cloud for backup and disaster recovery and the private cloud or on-premises infrastructure for mission-critical applications. Organisations can also use hybrid IT to distribute workloads across different infrastructures to ensure even higher availability to users.

At BMIT, we offer hybrid cloud solutions that can help businesses achieve their computing goals with ease. Our hybrid cloud services offer a wide range of benefits, including:

To summarise, hybrid IT provides several advantages for businesses seeking to remain competitive in today's fast-paced market. Businesses can achieve unparalleled flexibility, agility, and cost-effectiveness by combining the strengths of on-premises infrastructure and cloud services. BMIT provides hybrid cloud solutions to help you easily achieve your computing goals. To learn more, contact us today.

BMIT Technologies is a Microsoft Solutions Designated Partner in Infrastructure (Azure) and Modern Workplace. One of only two Maltese companies to have both designations.

SmartCity, Malta: 27 February 2023 – BMIT Technologies, a leading provider of infrastructure, Cloud, and managed services, is pleased to announce that it has achieved two important Microsoft Solutions Designations - Infrastructure (Azure) and Modern Workplace.

BMIT is one of only two Maltese companies that hold both designations, demonstrating our deep technical expertise and ability to provide innovative solutions that meet our clients' needs in today's fast-paced and rapidly changing business environment.

Achieving these designations is a testament to our team's dedication and hard work in delivering high-quality services to our clients and our long-standing commitment to providing our clients with expertise on the latest technology solutions and services.

For BMIT to attain these designations, the company had to validate its skills, capabilities, and experience driving customer success in specific Microsoft solution areas through technical certification, customer deployments and successful usage of services.

The Infrastructure (Azure) designation recognizes and continues to show our expertise in delivering Hybrid IT and Multi-Cloud solutions utilising Microsoft Azure services. Our team of certified professionals has extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing Azure-based solutions that help our clients to optimise costs, improve operational efficiency and resiliency, and enhance security.

The Modern Workplace designation acknowledges our ability to provide cutting-edge workplace solutions that improve collaboration, productivity, and security. Our team has a deep understanding and experience of Microsoft 365, including Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, as well as identity and access management services that can help our clients optimise their workplace solutions to achieve their business objectives in a secure manner.

These designations allow us to identify BMIT as a Microsoft partner that has both the commitment to training and accreditation and has delivered solutions that lead to customer success.

“Our team is thrilled to have achieved these important designations from Microsoft,” said Nick Tonna, Chief Customer Officer at BMIT Technologies. “These designations validate our expertise in delivering innovative technology solutions that help our clients achieve their goals. We look forward to continuing to provide high-quality services and solutions to our clients, backed by our deep knowledge and experience in Microsoft technologies.”

For more information about our Infrastructure (Azure) and Modern Workplace solutions, visit our website.

Data storage and management are vital considerations in your business. Statistics show that by 2025, the total global data creation will be about 180 zettabytes. This figure increased significantly due to Covid-19 when the demand increased as more people worked and learned from home. Fortunately, cloud storage has become a life-saver regarding data storage and access in many businesses. At BMIT, we have solutions to challenges that come with high data volume. In this article, we shall look at four reasons you should consider these services in your company.

The Two Possible Solutions

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage is storing files and data, such as videos, photos, documents, and other media, on third-party digital or cloud servers.

Pros

Cons

Types of Cloud Storage Services

Data Center

You can create your centre to store data instead of relying on a cloud storage service provider. Nonetheless, this method can cost you substantial money and time.

Pros

Cons

Types of Data Centres

How Can BMIT Help Your Business?

Many business people don't understand where to begin when looking for virtual data storage service providers. BMIT leverages Microsoft Azure and VMware combined with top-notch expertise and professionalism to offer the best cloud file storage environment. You can then enjoy the best on-premise and cloud-based data storage from BMIT. Feel free to contact us today for the best cloud storage assistance.

The speed of regulatory change in the financial services sector is accelerating. These changes have had a huge impact on the financial services industry with several EU and local regulatory requirements for example from the MFSA coming into effect. In our discussions with our varied customer base compliance with regulations is becoming an ever-increasing area of concern. The MFSA for example have this year published that they will focus on more enforcement as a priority. There are also new regulations on the horizon in the form of the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) which will enforce sweeping changes to the way that financial institutions in Malta will need to approach the way they look at cyber security.

Recent regulatory developments relating to technology risk impose various requirements for IT and cybersecurity risk management. These requirements raised relate to various areas of IT including:

As the use of IT in the financial industry accelerates alongside the increased regulation of IT use, it becomes increasingly difficult to apply outdated compliance methods to these systems. A great example of this is the adoption of cloud environments like Microsoft 365, Azure and AWS. How do you keep your data safe in the cloud? How do you stop data loss? How do you control the use of Shadow IT? These are all questions that the regulatory frameworks set out by the MFSA and other bodies aim to secure. Remember, whilst complying with regulations is a benefit in itself the effect of data loss can have a huge impact on your organisations reputation and reputation loss can be incredibly difficult to recover from.

What are the challenges with complex regulations, standards and guidelines? Looking at compliance requirements individually can make it difficult to implement solutions to cover all your regulatory requirements and quite often will result in conflicts of interest between relevant stakeholders. This can result in increased cost and complexity across the organisation. Compliance requirements need to be looked at holistically. Implementing too much change too aggressively will disrupt business activities.

We actively work with our customers to provide a timeline focused on Business Analysis leading on to the gradual adoption of your organisations IT compliance requirements. A plan for adoption also shows governing bodies that you are taking your cybersecurity and risk management seriously. IT security is an ever-evolving sphere of threats and new technologies. It is important to remember that your organisations security stance needs to reflect this; driving continuous improvement and yearly reviews is critical to keep on top of this ever-evolving landscape.

How can BMIT help?

Every client we work with requires different solutions. So, we tackle each need with our expertise in technology, business strategy and innovation.

We propose and develop intelligent, secure infrastructure solutions, help build your internal capabilities and identify opportunities to enhance your business potential through the application of innovative technologies. This ensures a greater level of business management and progression.

Want to learn more about the finance landscape regulatory tech requirements in Malta? Contact us and one of our experts will reach out and guide you accordingly.

For yet another year, BMIT Technologies has been a proud partner and sponsor of the Otters ASC’s Swimming and Waterpolo School. Every year, the school introduces and trains children in the swimming and Waterpolo disciplines and is the only one of its kind in Gozo.

The 2022 programme was attended by over 150 students, ranging from 4 to 15 years. Head Coach John Borg, and a team of 18 coaches and assistant coaches, covered the basics of both swimming and Waterpolo to newcomers, with other students tackling a more advanced curriculum.

At the end of the programme the children were presented with a certificate highlighting their achievements and progress in swimming and waterpolo.  The children were also treated to an end of season fun activity which included storytelling, STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) activities and fun games.

Over the years, a good number of students of the BMIT Swimming & Waterpolo School progressed to become Waterpolo players, and this season it was no exception. In fact, both the Otters Under 13 and Under 15 teams, mainly consisting of school graduates, registered very good results, with the Under 15 team led by Malta Under 16 international Luigi Dimech and by up-and-coming goalkeeper Mattia Grech winning all their games in Section B. They were presented with the trophy by ASA Vice President Karl Galea after the home game against Exiles. 

The SMB market in Europe and more specifically in Malta has always been the dominating market with very large numbers of businesses. Governments continue to support this market through various incentives, specifically to digitise and adopt cloud strategies.  We saw such incentives pushed during the COVID-19 pandemic for SMBs to enable hybrid/remote work and increase contactless business. These incentives help businesses enhance their operations, grow and even enter the market more easily. BUT! there is darkness glooming on this market… The DARK SIDE of technology has spread, evolved, and widened its threat landscape. The number of attacks on SMBs doubled in a 12-month period.

So, what makes SMBs a target?

The cost of DIY security is HIGH, high enough to eat a big chunk out of any SMBs budget. While vendors are creating more affordable security products and services targeting SMBs there is still the element of skilled resources to govern such security products. Security cost has a cascading effect and is one of the biggest factors why SMBs score very low on their security posture and why they lack the general security awareness.

The risk attitude for faster growth. SMBs have one objective in mind, to grow, grow fast! It is due to the size of the market, to stand out from its competition. And more often than not they are blinded by this goal that shrug security completely. Therefore, SMBs are more likely to risk a security incident to save costs or invest in other parts of the business.

Low security awareness. Not all businesses are IT focused and while the demand for general security awareness is a must in today’s digital age, we continue to see statistics grow in the wrong direction. Microsoft security signal registered 50 million password attacks daily. Microsoft digital defence report indicated that most of the users on their cloud services are using weak authentication methods as only 20% of Microsoft users and 30% of global admins are using strong authentications such as MFA. US giant Verizon reported that 93% of breaches come through compromised credentials for small medium businesses.

No or low IT-security staff. But what can lead to such low security awareness? Unlike bigger enterprises, SMBs do not have the luxury to build security teams to guide and govern the security for the enterprise as already established security costs are high. Some may not even have an IT skilled person but a designate with IT knowledge.

SMBs target larger enterprises as customers and partners for growth. And vice-versa, larger enterprises target SMB providers for a more cost effective and focused services. This allows attackers to target SMBs to try gain access to larger enterprise. Hence why we have been seeing an upward trend of larger enterprises enforcing tougher due diligence or cybersecurity assessments on their suppliers. Market regulators could be another reason why larger enterprises are enforcing tougher security requirements from their suppliers.

With such enforcement we are now seeing the real picture that SMBs barely have any cybersecurity foundation nor recovery plans in the eventuality of a security breach. A security breach is NOT a matter of IF, it’s a matter of WHEN. And surveys show that 55% of SMBs are willing to pay the ransom, this can only mean that they do not have adequate security to prevent or recover from a breach.

An 82% increase in ransomware attacks registered in 2021, nearly doubled the quantity since 2020. Most ransomware attacks are purely for non-other than financial motive. In a local survey across multiple industries conducted by BMIT with IDC we have observed that 59% of the SMBs have suffered at least 1 ransomware attack.

The ransomware debate whether to pay or not to pay the ransom? is forever hanging on the head of the victims. A lot of businesses put themselves in the situation by not having adequate security or recovery plans.

Ransomware attacks/groups, encrypt or double encrypt the business data. Research has shown that on average businesses that paid the ransomware only got back 65% of their data. This due to a widely known fact that decryptors are buggy and regularly fail to decrypt the largest, most critical data files.

Why SMBs should seek MSSPs for their Cybersecurity journey

Cost-effective

Certified security engineers are very hard to come by and thus why a single resource can put a big dent in your security budget or budget in general. MSSPs are equipped with skilled certified resources that can service and focus on multiple organisations. The cost of MSSP support is a fraction of the pay requested by a single resource. MSSP will also eliminate the hassle of searching, skilling and maintaining that resource. MSSPs can also provide advisory services and cost-management to tailor a cost-effective security solution to ensure you are not overpaying.

Dedicated & Efficient

Businesses should focus and dedicate their time on their product and services. Most businesses try to rely on existing resources such as an office IT administrator to be an expert in security. The security expertise requires dedication hence why MSSPs can be more efficient to deliver a strategic security roadmap tailored to your business needs.  

Monitoring

To monitor your infrastructure and security round the clock “24/7” comes at a hefty price as you are required to build an operations centre or outsource it. Monitoring and Alerting is essential in security to react, prevent and recover from security incidents in a timely manner. MSSPs offer 24x7 Monitoring and support with proactive alerting and services to avoid security incidents before they happen. An MSSP can even act on your behalf to stop or recover from a breach.

Technology

Many times, businesses attempt DIY security utilising in-house hardware and resources to avoid MSSP services and costs. This is until the business realises the resources and expertise required to procure, implement, and support the relevant technologies and how vast security is within various technologies. Security goes beyond endpoint it is required on all enterprise network and infrastructure. Hardware or perpetual software has a lifetime of roughly 4 to 5 years before it becomes inefficient and most likely unsupported, therefore, deemed a security risk. MSSPs evolve with technology and always keep their infrastructure, software, resources relevant to the current market needs.

Compliance

Most markets are regulated or quasi-regulated, as well as GDPR which cuts across all European businesses. Compliance needs are ever changing and requires that your business is compliant to evade fines or lawsuits. Even if not regulated you will come across a partner or customers that requires you to have specific standards. Most MSSPs comply with the majority of the required standards or compliance needs. Or can guide your business to implement the necessary processes, security policies and solutions. Taking on an MSSP can simply mean ticking a box when it comes to compliance.

Take-away

SMBs are the most targeted businesses and there is no silver bullet when it comes to security incidents, a business will experience a breach, it’s only a matter of when, how prepared and how efficient it is to recover from the event. Cybersecurity has become a necessity in today’s business and an MSSP such as BMIT Technologies is more than an IT partner, it is also a technology advisor that can provide a strategic roadmap to enhance your business security posture. In conclusion, BMIT is a cost-effective choice for any small, medium business (SMB) to start their security journey. Reach out to start your journey.

Most Common Threats

Various reports indicate that social engineering is growing as almost 70% of data breaches are through phishing attacks while malware-related attacks are decreasing as one of the global leading vendors in endpoint security detected 62% of attacks in Q4 2021 being malware-free attacks.

How can BMIT Technologies help?

Every client we work with requires different solutions. So, we tackle each need with our expertise in technology, business strategy and innovation.

We propose and develop intelligent, secure infrastructure solutions, help build your internal capabilities and identify opportunities to enhance your business potential through the application of innovative technologies. This ensures a greater level of business management and progression.

Want to learn more about Why MSSPs are fuelling SMBs to reach their destination? Contact us and one of our experts will reach out and guide you accordingly.

As the threat landscape continues to expand, cyberattack numbers reach new heights and attack trends continue to change, as the good vs evil battle rages on. Cybersecurity should be top priority for businesses of all sizes as we depend on data information in this technology era to drive and grow. In this article we shall focus on the SMB market, the dominant market. Starting with a reality check! Most SMBs are still reactive when it comes to securing their business from cyberattacks and would rather risk their data, their business, than invest or budget for security.

Defend your business
Defend your business

Various reports indicate that social engineering is growing as almost 70% of data breaches are through phishing attacks while malware-related attacks are decreasing as one of the global leading vendors in endpoint security detected 62% of attacks in Q4 2021 being malware-free attacks.

Microsoft digital defence report indicated that they registered through Microsoft security signal 50 million password attacks daily. However, the most shocking statistic is that only yet only 20% of Microsoft users and 30% of global admins are using strong authentications such as MFA. US giant Verizon reported that 93% of breaches come through compromised credentials for small medium business

An 82% increase in ransomware attacks registered in 2021, nearly doubled the quantity since 2020. Most ransomware attacks are purely for non-other but financial motive. In a local survey across multiple industries conducted by BMIT with IDC we have observed that 59% of the SMBs have suffered at least 1 ransomware attack.

The ransomware debate - whether to pay or not to pay the ransom? is forever hanging on the head of the victims. A lot of businesses put themselves in the situation by not having adequate security or recovery plans to avoid paying a ransom to unlock their own data.

Ransomware attacks/groups, encrypt or double encrypt the business data. Research has shown that on average businesses that paid the ransomware only got back 65% of their data. This due to a widely known fact that decryptors are buggy and regularly fail to decrypt the largest, most critical data files.

Defender for Business a secure solution for SMBs

Microsoft has recently announced and introduced Defender for Business their latest addition to their endpoint protection security products. The product itself is aimed to help and protect SMBs for up to 300 employees. The new product plan is cost effective similarly priced to the Defender for Endpoint P1 with more features for businesses to reap from. BUT the biggest gainers are those businesses who purchased and use Microsoft 365 for Business Premium as Defender for business was included in this offering following the recent price increase.

Benefits of Defender for Business:

  1. Simplified Client Configuration.
  2. Threat and vulnerability management
  3. Attack surface reduction
  4. Next-generation protection
  5. Endpoint detection and response
  6. Auto-investigation and remediation

Make the switch from Standard to Premium

If you are using Microsoft 365 Business Standard then you might want to continue reading and most importantly understand how the additional license cost can provide a secure foundation for your business and how to benefit from such features.

First let’s understand what your users will get with Business Standard. The Standard plan will get the attach user the productivity tool set in both the application and web versions, which includes exchange online services with malware detection. And that is as far as security goes with this plan which does not really protect the user or the business data. Obviously, there are add-ons which you can purchase but you’ll double the price if not more to come close to what the Business Premium plan offers.

Benefits with Business Premium:

  1. Defender for Office365 P1 helps protect you against threats such as Phishing and spoofing with advanced threat protection capabilities. These capabilities include Safe Attachments which provides an additional layer of protection for email attachments, this uses a virtual environment to check attachments in email messages before they're delivered to recipients. And Safe Links which provides URL scanning and rewriting of inbound email messages in mail flow, and time-of-click verification of URLs and links in email messages and other locations.
  2. Defender for Business Enterprise-grade security. Defender for Business brings powerful endpoint security capabilities from our industry-leading Microsoft Defender for Endpoint solution and optimizes those capabilities for IT administrators to support small and medium-sized businesses.
  3. Microsoft Endpoint Manager is a cloud-based service that focuses on mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM). You control how your organization’s devices are used, including mobile phones, tablets, and laptops.
  4. Information Protection The information protection capabilities of Microsoft 365 Business Premium helps safeguard confidential data against breaches or accidental loss by encrypting email and protecting against unauthorized access.
  5. Azure Active Directory P1 enables Single-Sign-On (SSO) for Windows 10/11 and Conditional Access policies to help ensure only authorized people have access to company data. It also allows hybrid identity users access to Self-Service Password Reset with password protection to eliminate the use of bad and weak passwords.

How can BMIT help SMBs

Microsoft 365 Business Premium is one of those well packaged plans for any SMB, rich with productivity and security features but they are only advantageous to the business if they are exposed and properly configured. A service provider such as BMIT Technologies can truly identify and implement solutions that best fit your business to improve your IT posture. Reach out to us so we can help support and grow your business effectively and securely.