

Publish Date
06/08/2024
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic Services & Solutions
The recent CrowdStrike outage was a significant disruption for many organizations, shedding light on the substantial consequences of critical system failures. Unlike cyberattacks, this incident demonstrated that even non-malicious failures could have extensive impacts. Here, we delve into the lessons that businesses should learn from this event to fortify their systems against future disruptions.
One of the primary takeaways from the CrowdStrike outage is the importance of having a resilient culture within an organization. It’s not just about having a crisis management framework but regularly testing it to identify and address any vulnerabilities. This proactive approach ensures that when a real crisis occurs, the organization can handle it effectively and minimize damage.
Regardless of its cause, downtime can have devastating effects on a business, including:
In the case of ransomware attacks, the situation can be even worse. Such attacks often leave organizations with no viable workarounds, causing severe operational disruptions, data loss, and financial repercussions.
The CrowdStrike outage highlighted the vulnerability of even the most robust systems, underscoring the need for strong cybersecurity measures to prevent attacks and ensure quick recovery from unforeseen failures.
The financial impact of IT downtime is staggering. Companies are losing billions annually due to unexpected system failures like the CrowdStrike outage. Despite this, many organizations still fail to improve their ability to address these issues promptly. The reality is that the chance of downtime is increasing, and the mantra “it’s not if, it’s when” is becoming commonplace among cybersecurity experts.
Small businesses are often prime targets for malicious emails, with one in 323 being harmful. Additionally, the average office worker receives 121 emails per day. Alarmingly, one-third of small businesses with 50 or fewer employees rely on free consumer-grade cybersecurity solutions. The Hiscox Cyber Insurance Readiness Report 2023 revealed:
These statistics emphasize the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures and quick incident response protocols.
Clear accountability within an organization for managing cybersecurity risks is essential. Typically, the IT Lead is responsible for the overarching cybersecurity strategy, but every employee has a role in maintaining security protocols and reporting suspicious activities. As Microsoft advises, regular data backups and having a well-defined disaster recovery plan are crucial.
The CrowdStrike outage serves as a wake-up call for businesses to reassess their IT strategies. To mitigate the risks associated with IT downtime, consider the following steps:
The CrowdStrike outage has provided valuable lessons on the cost of downtime. No one thinks it will happen to them—until it does. By learning from these experiences and taking proactive measures, businesses can better safeguard their operations and minimize the financial and operational impact of future disruptions.
As a Managed Service Provider (MSP), we are committed to providing and maintaining secure and resilient IT infrastructures. If you’re interested in mitigating the risk of downtime and want a no-obligation discussion around email security, backup & disaster recovery, or security awareness and testing for staff, contact us now: email: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call +971 4 455 3100.
Publish Date
09/07/2024
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic Services & Solutions
Email remains the prime gateway for cyberattacks and the bad guys are getting better at breaking through. That’s the conclusion of Mimecast, the leading email gateway defender.
Mimecast latest State of Email Security report should be a wake-up call for all businesses out there.
The report says the cybersecurity landscape is becoming more vulnerable as email usage is rising in 8 out of 10 companies with 59% reporting cyberattacks are increasingly sophisticated.
The report also shows:
Get Defensive:
Mounting a secure defence against these increasing risks means competing for expert talent and then retaining it! Inhouse experts must be skilled in prevention and remediation to ensure swift business continuity and ring fence reputation!
Cybercriminals operate round the clock, and it takes, on average, 212 days to detect a data breach, another 75 days to contain it, and globally, the average data breach cost is $4.35 mn.
A subscription-based Cobweb managed security service is the optimum defence arsenal with experts providing a 24/7 service to intervene, prevent and remediate.
Register here for a free cybersecurity solutions assessment.
Publish Date
09/07/2024
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic Services & Solutions
Cloud data security and back-up leader Acronis is warning of a new wave of cyberthreats emerging as bad actors add Generative AI to their toolboxes.
Acronis has identified rises in:
Staying Safe:
To stay secure in this increasingly complex cyberthreat landscape Acronis recommends:
To find out how Cobweb MENA & Acronis can help keep you safe, reach out to us here for a security assessment.
Publish Date
24/04/2024
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
Copilot – Microsoft’s generative AI assistant – is the talk of workplaces the world over. It is fast taking off, particularly in light of the IDC report which shows that companies that invest US $1 in AI reap an ROI of 3.5 within a year or less.
While many have an overarching understanding of what Copilot is, there are some key pointers you may have missed, so we are shining a spotlight on them.
There are various versions. key to companies just starting out on their AI journey are:
Copilot With Commercial Data Protection:
This is available for all employees in organizations with a Microsoft 365 licence. It does not have access to any of the organization’s enterprise data so anything that its users paste or chat within Copilot is protected and is not shared outside of the organization.
Copilot For Microsoft 365:
This is the superpower version which has access to your Microsoft graph – that’s all the data and signals that are in your digital workplace including emails, OneDrive, Sharepoint and Teams sites, as well as external information on the Web making it a superb research and brainstorming tool. It can summarise documents helping you make sense of all the information, summarise meetings and data for more insightful actions.
Because it works on a language model, Copilot can contextually refine texts and generate ideas to resonate with different audiences.
You can use Copilot to also generate images to enliven your presentations, newsletters, and reports.
If you use Copilot you are protected against copyright infringement. However, if you are an organization with a lot of IP, it is important not to make it available to public facing websites where it could be used to feed models to create generative AI versions.
There’s no limit on how many licences you must have for Copilot M365, but it is an annual upfront paid commitment so trial it in a pilot phase before rolling it out.
Don’t forget, to get the most out of your Copilot experience, users must be upskilled to use it, such as the art of prompting, as well as the underlying technology i.e. whiteboard and Teams. Thanks to our collaboration with Storyals, we can provide their comprehensive, modern, cost effective and sustainable training programme. This is a mix of on-demand training in your own environment with evergreen, continuously updated training on how to use M365 Copilot and the underlying technology as well as live instructor-led training.
To reach out to us, email at: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on +971 4 455 3100.
Publish Date
02/08/2023
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
As businesses increasingly rely on digital infrastructure to drive efficiency and innovation, cloud migration is now critical. Cloud computing is the game-changer for businesses seeking a competitive edge providing unparalleled scalability, cost savings, security, and agility to organizations of all sizes.
Microsoft research suggests the global cloud computing market value could reach a staggering $1,240.9 billion by 2027. Here we explore why more organizations than ever are migrating to the cloud and why you should turn to Microsoft Azure as your go-to cloud solution. By adopting Azure, organizations can unlock an array of tools and services to accelerate their digital transformation and stay ahead in today’s fiercely competitive landscape.
Scalability and Flexibility: The Azure cloud infrastructure lets organizations scale their resources on-demand, ensuring seamless growth and adaptability to ever evolving business needs.
Cost Savings: Migration to Azure eliminates the need for expensive on-premises hardware, maintenance, and upgrades. The figures speak for themselves:
Enhanced Security: Microsoft invests heavily in state-of-the-art Azure security measures, ensuring data protection and regulatory and industry standards compliance.
Business Continuity: Azure’s disaster recovery and backup solutions will keep your operations running, even in the face of unforeseen events.
Local Reach: Microsoft has data centers in the UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) providing customers with low-latency access.
Fast Implementation: Azure empowers development teams to optimize and accelerate workflows, fostering rapid digital innovation.
Future Proofing: The Azure cloud enables businesses to leverage advanced artificial intelligence, machine learning, and internet of things (IoT) technologies – the business tools of today & tomorrow!
Reach out to us to understand how Microsoft Azure can benefit your organization
Azure, Your Go-To Cloud Solution Provides:
According to Cyber magazine, UAE organizations have made great progress in cloud transition, now ranking as the world’s second-highest adopter of public cloud services (https://cybermagazine.com/company-reports/the-future-of-cloud-security-in-the-middle-east-report.) This puts businesses in the Emirates in the digital transformation fast lane, unlocking the full potential of the cloud. If you haven’t migrated yet, don’t get left behind in the competition stakes. Makethe shift to Azure, and drive innovation, enhance efficiency, and stay ahead in the UAE’s dynamic digital landscape.
For more information, reach out to our Azure experts to go beyond the limits of on-premises datacenters. Write to us at sales.uae@cobweb.com or reach out to us direct on +971 4 455 3100.
Disclaimer: The landscape of cloud computing and Microsoft Azure's offerings may evolve over time. Therefore, readers are advised to refer to the latest official sources and updates from Microsoft Azure for the most up-to-date information.
Publish Date
23/07/2023
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
According to recent data from research firm IDC, the global revenue generated by public cloud services surpassed the US$500 billion mark in 2022.
IDC’s research revealed that the actual figure reached US$545.8 billion, representing a substantial 22.9% increase compared to the previous year. The growth was even more pronounced in foundational cloud services, which include infrastructure, platform, and system infrastructure software delivered as services. These foundational services experienced a remarkable 28.8% year-on-year growth.
IDC attributes this surge in spending to organizations’ increasing reliance on data and artificial intelligence (AI) services, distributed computing, and app frameworks. Investments in infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) are expected to continue outpacing the overall public cloud market. Cloud providers are responding to this trend by deploying high-performance infrastructure.
Dave McCarthy, IDC’s research vice president, noted that these investments have two significant implications. First, they enable the migration of enterprise applications that were previously hosted on-premises. Second, they establish the foundation for the rapid deployment of scalable AI software. These investments present ample growth opportunities for the market.
IDC’s data also highlighted a consolidation within the public cloud market. Although the top five providers account for less than half of the market, their revenue grew at a faster rate than the market, experiencing a 27.3% increase last year.
IDC’s information places Microsoft as the largest public cloud provider globally, with a 16.8% market share, closely followed by AWS (Amazon Web Services) at 13.5%. Salesforce, Google, and Oracle round out the top five players.
Generative AI is expected to be a key driver of new public cloud spending. AI capabilities are becoming increasingly important for organizations, and the role of public cloud in supporting AI offerings cannot be overstated.
Lara Greden, research director at IDC, stated that most organizations consider their public cloud provider as their most strategic technology partner. As organizations plan for platform-as-a-service (PaaS) developer and data services, AI-enabled applications are gaining prioritization. Those already adopting AI find themselves well-positioned to evaluate the adoption of generative AI capabilities within their intelligent application strategies.
In terms of spending, software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications accounted for the largest portion, generating US$246.3 billion in revenue in 2022. Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) followed at US$115.5 billion.
There can be multiple questions that crop up in the head when planning to migrate. Organizations require a complete picture before moving to the cloud. To get a clear view of this picture, you can fill in your details below & one of our cloud experts will connect with you.
In case you want to harness the potential of cloud, email: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on: +971 44553100 for more details and assistance.
Publish Date
09/06/2023
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
Cobweb’s recent webinar, exclusively held in collaboration with KnowBe4, the leading and most advanced platform for security awareness training and simulated phishing, provided us with a significant wake-up call. During the webinar, Dr. Martin Kraemer, the company’s security awareness advisor, shared alarming insights, stating that within a short span of two years, the financial impact of cybercrime is expected to reach an astonishing number of trillions of dollars, specifically estimated at US $10.5 trillion. What’s even more concerning is that human behaviour will be the primary cause, accounting for over 70% of these cybercrimes.
That’s worrying for sure, but it also means we can all do something about it if we act responsibly and act now!
Dr. Kraemer identified the Top 10 threats to businesses in the Middle East this year as:
What’s even more alarming is the notion that, as if the complexity of the cybercrime landscape isn’t daunting enough, it is set to worsen with the emergence of generative AI. This development is expected to provide attackers with easier access to sophisticated code, enabling them to localize mass phishing emails in various languages, making them increasingly believable. Additionally, the quality of business email compromise and CEO fraud is likely to escalate as AI can flawlessly imitate writing styles.
Dr. Kraemer emphasizes that defending your business against industrial-scale cybercrime entails more than just investing in technology. It requires empowering employees to make better security decisions daily. This means that we all need to develop competence in cyber awareness and manage behaviours to ensure that our people become our strongest defence assets instead of our weakest links. Furthermore, he cautions that security awareness and secure behaviour are not synonymous, which is why traditional awareness programs are no longer sufficient.
According to Dr. Kraemer, establishing a successful cybersecurity culture necessitates an A, B, C approach: Awareness, Behaviour, and Culture. This approach involves the following key elements:
To explore the KnowBe4 offering and experience a demo of our joint solution, email: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on: +971 44553100 for more details and assistance. This close partnership between KnowBe4 and Cobweb underscores our shared commitment to empowering businesses with the necessary tools and knowledge to combat cyber threats effectively.
Publish Date
15/02/2023
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
Let’s Go Phishing With KnowBe4 & Identify Your Weakest Links
Inhouse cybersecurity training might have once been a nice to have – that was then, this is now. Today most business operations are increasingly dependent on technology, and on their employees’ ability to use it safely. While the new age of remote and mobile working has huge advantages, it also has opened up huge gateways for cybercriminals to reap the benefits of poor organizational security postures which are aggravated by employees’ ignorance of the pitfalls.
Yet more than ever businesses need to be cybersecure if they are to comply with data protection regulations, keep their own sensitive data secure, ensure business continuity, and avoid the risk of breach-induced production downtime and the cost of repairing reputational damage and rebuilding customer confidence.
Email and poor passwords continue to be the main vectors of cybersecurity hacks. The increasing prevalence of phishing attempts and identity fraud further complicate the landscape, and all too often staff just aren’t aware of the dangers. And remember 82% of data breaches involve a human element be it exposure to ransomware, phishing, domain identity theft, email spoofing or weak passwords.
But who are your weakest links? You need to know to plug the gaps and to ensure that all your staff are on constant alert to the dangers. Employees who know how to identify, detect, and mitigate threats such as phishing, ransomware and spoofing will be able to prevent attacks on the company and its customers.
Training though can be complex, time consuming and costly – but not any more.
We’ve teamed up with KnowBe4 – the world’s largest integrated platform for security awareness training combined with simulated phishing attacks to offer a MENA exclusive, best-in-class managed service offering available on an annual licence subscription. This means we can manage your entire cybersecurity training program and create your own human firewall.
Through our managed service, we can create a foundational training program, identify your weakest cybersecurity links through tailored phishing campaigns, assess your pain points and security awareness posture, monitor effectiveness and more. License pricing is dependent on which services you opt for and the number of users you want covered.
You’ll get:
All this combined with Cobweb’s superior 24/7 managed service capability is a match made in corporate heaven!
Remember a strong security culture and an educated workforce is your best defence against cyberattacks. You can check out our Knowbe4 offering by requesting a demo here or click here for more details.