Cloud Security Best Practices for 2022

How Do I Know If My Business Was Hacked? 10 Warning Signs to Watch For

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 04:04:44 GMT

How Do I Know If My Business Was Hacked? 10 Warning Signs to Watch For

How to organize your security team: The evolution of cybersecurity roles and responsibilities

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 13:57:12 GMT

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Digital transformation, cloud computing, and a sophisticated threat landscape are forcing everyone to rethink the functions of each role on their security teams, from Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) to practitioners.

With billions of people around the globe working from home, changes to the daily practice of cybersecurity are accelerating. Organizations are shifting from defending a traditional network perimeter (keeping business assets in a safe place) to more effective zero trust strategies (protect users, data, and business assets where they are). This transformation brings technology changes and also opens up questions of what people’s roles and responsibilities will look like in this new world.

At the same time, continuous delivery models are requiring security teams to engage more closely during business planning and application development to effectively manage cyber risks (vs. the traditional ‘arms-length’ security approaches). This requires security professionals to better understand the business context and to collaborate more closely with stakeholders outside of security.

In this new world, traditional job descriptions and security tools won’t set your team up for success. Leaders must create role clarity in this transformation to help their teams navigate uncertainty. This will reduce distractions and stress, as well as help people focus on the important tasks that make the whole team shine.

While each organization and each person will have a unique journey, we have seen common patterns for successfully transforming roles and responsibilities. To help security leaders and practitioners plan for this transformation, Microsoft has defined common security functions, how they are evolving, and key relationships. In this blog, we’ll provide a summary of our recommendations to help you get started.

Security roles must evolve to confront today’s challenges

Security functions represent the human portion of a cybersecurity system. They are the tasks and duties that members of your team perform to help secure the organization. Depending on your company size and culture, individuals may be responsible for a single function or multiple functions; in some cases, multiple people might be assigned to a single function as a team.

High performing security teams understand their individual roles, but also see themselves as a larger team working together to defend against adversaries(see Figure1). The following functions represent a fully populated enterprise security team, which may be aspirational for some organizations. Organizations often need to prioritize where to invest first based on their risk profile, available resources, and needs.

Policy and standards

This team develops, approves, and publishes security policy and standards to guide security decisions within the organization and inspire change. This team must take into account cloud platforms, DevOps processes and tools, and relevant regulations, among other factors. Read more about security policy and standards function .

Security operations center (SOC)

A security operations center (SOC) detects, responds to, and remediates active attacks on enterprise assets. SOCs are currently undergoing significant change, including an elevation of the function to business risk management, changes in the types of metrics tracked, new technologies, and a greater emphasis on threat hunting. Read more about the SOC function.

Security architecture

Security architecture translates the organization’s business and assurance goals into a security vision, providing documentation and diagrams to guide technical security decisions. A modern architecture function needs to consider continuous delivery, identity-centric security solutions for cloud assets, cloud-based security solutions, and more. Read more about the security architecture function .

Security compliance management

The objective of cloud security compliance management is to ensure that the organization is compliant with regulatory requirements and internal policies. As you modernize this function, consider the role that cloud providers play in compliance status, how you link compliance to risk management, and cloud-based compliance tools. Read more about the security compliance management function .

People security

People security protects the organization from inadvertent human mistakes and malicious insider actions. The cloud and changing threat landscape require this function to consider how to effectively engage employees in security, organizational culture change, and identification of insider threats. Read more about the people security function .

Application security and DevSecOps

The objective of application security and DevSecOps is to integrate security assurances into development processes and custom line of business applications.

Cloud services and APIs have enabled a faster delivery cadence and influenced the creation of the DevOps team model, driving a number of changes. The biggest change we see is the integration of security into the development process, which requires culture and process adjustments as each specialty adopt the best of each other’s culture. This function must also adopt an agile mindset and stay up to date on new tools and technologies. Read more about the application security and DevSecOps function .

Data security

The main objective for a data security team is to provide security protections and monitoring for sensitive enterprise data in any format or location. New regulations and data loss prevention models are influencing the evolution of this function, and the sheer volume of data being stored on numerous devices and cloud services has also had a significant impact. Read more about the data security function .

Infrastructure and endpoint security

The infrastructure and endpoint security function is responsible for security protection to the data center infrastructure, network components, and user endpoint devices. Software-defined datacenters and other cloud technologies are helping solve longstanding data center security challenges, and cloud services are transforming the security of user endpoint devices. Read more about the infrastructure and endpoint security function.

Identity and keys

The main objective of a security team working on identity management, is to provide authentication and authorization of humans, services, devices, and applications. Key and certification management provides secure distribution and access to key material for cryptographic operations (which often support similar outcomes as identity management).

One of the big changes is that identity and key/certification management disciplines are coming closer together as they both provide assurances on the identity of entities and enable secure communications. This function also plays a significant role in modernizing security by establishing an identity-based perimeter that is a keystone of a zero-trust access control strategy. Read more about the identity and keys function .

Threat intelligence

Security threat intelligence provides context and actionable insights on active attacks and potential threats to empower organizational leaders and security teams to make better (data-driven) decisions. Threat intelligence usually grows from a technical scope into servicing the larger organization with strategic, tactical, and operational (technical) threat intelligence. Read more about the threat intelligence function .

Posture management

Posture management builds on existing functions like vulnerability management and focuses on continuously monitoring and improving the security posture of the organization. Posture management is typically one of the largest changes because it supports decisions in many other functions using information that only recently became available because of the heavy instrumentation of cloud technology. This function includes zero-trust based access controls, real-time risk scoring, threat and vulnerability management, and threat modeling, among others. Read more about the posture management function .

Incident preparation

The primary objective for the incident preparation function is to build process maturity and muscle memory for responding to major incidents throughout the organization, including security teams, executive leadership, and many others outside of security. These practice exercises have become powerful tools to ensure stakeholders are informed and familiar with their role in a major security incident. Read more about the incident preparation function .

Looking forward

In the beginning of the journey, clarity is critical to shine a light on the path forward and the journey ahead. As you walk the path, healthy doses of empathy and continuous learning are key to maintaining forward momentum. Organizations should invest in both formal training and supporting self-directed exploration to ensure people get the knowledge they need and have the confidence to take the risks required to transform.

Finding the right IT service and support provider can go a long way to protect your digital assets and boost your bottom line. BITS provides centralized IT management for small and medium sized businesses, with access to over 100 technicians to help solve your day-to-day IT requests. Get in touch to learn more about our IT Support solutions

10 Practical Tips for Keeping Your Business’ Data Secure

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 13:31:51 GMT

10 Practical Tips for Keeping Your Business’ Data Secure

As damaging as threats to a business’ data security can be, they’re also easily avoidable when you have the appropriate safeguards in place. If you’re wanting to ensure business continuity, then investing in the right methods is essential. To get you moving in the right direction, here are ten practical tips your business can use in order to keep its data safe and secure.

1. Write up a strategy

Rather than having a vague idea of policy and procedures, businesses of all sizes should have a formal IT security strategy that’s as detailed and exhaustive as possible. It’s imperative that it not only lays out how to protect data and resources, but what to do should things go wrong. An incident-response strategy ensures you’ll be a step ahead, rather than making any rash heat-of-the-moment reactions that might make things worse.

Keep it updated and close to hand too; there’s no point putting in all that effort writing it up only for the document to collect dust in a drawer somewhere.

2. Protect against malware

Ward off data threats by securing your PCs and network against malware. Malicious software that can cause massive amounts of data damage, malware can swarm on unprotected machines without you even knowing about it.

It’s essential that you protect yourself from malware through the following:

Apply the firewall : While not enough on its own, your router’s on-board firewall provides the first line of defence, so turn it on.
PC protection : Sophisticated security software protects without compromising on the performance of your computer or network. Look for protection that can deal with identity theft, suspect websites and hacking in one fell swoop.
Keep emails clean : Antispam software protects against unwanted emails, which can create risks and distractions for employees. Stop them in their tracks with the necessary precautions.

3. Keep your wireless network secure

If you have a wireless network, then beware: hackers are waiting to pounce on it without warning. An encryption key may flummox those who aren’t especially tech savvy, but to hackers, it’s be a breeze to bypass.

Strengthen your router by using the strongest encryption setting you can to protect your business, and turn off the broadcasting function to make your network invisible. As far as hackers are concerned, they can’t hack what they can’t actually see.

4. Safeguard passwords

Even something as simple as a password can be optimised to fortify your data. They might be a nuisance to remember, but the more complex your passwords, the more protection you can provide.

Make your passwords at least eight characters long, and embed numbers and other non-standard characters within them, so they can’t be easily guessed. Changing them frequently can also help – as can employing credentials which aren’t words, but combinations of seemingly random letters, numbers and special characters.

Here’s where passwords managers really come into their own, meaning your employees don’t have to worry about remembering them and won’t risk writing them down.

5. Create a plan for personal devices

More common in small-to-medium sized businesses, make sure you’re staying abreast of the security risks associated with employees bringing in and using their own devices.

Create a plan for the practice in order to provide some protection against legal repercussions and mobile system costs. A clear, comprehensive policy covering pertinent data deletion, location tracking, and Internet monitoring issues can be very valuable.

Additionally, businesses should look to make proper provision for employees who work remotely or use their own devices as part of their roles. While these practices can increase productivity and reduce overheads, they can also introduce new security concerns if not properly managed.

6. Set up automatic software updates

Hackers love to scan a network or site to see which version of software it’s running on to make it easier for them to exploit the vulnerabilities of older versions. Updating device security settings, operating systems and other software to their latest versions can prevent this from happening. Set any patches and improvements to automatically update in the background to further safeguard against potential threats.

7. Conduct background checks

Be extra vigilant with regards to hiring new employees; safeguarding against internal threats plays a key role in effective cyber security. Look into their background and give yourself an idea of what kind of person they are.

Additionally, be mindful of changes in the character of existing employees, as this could be indicative of other issues.

8. Dispose of data properly

Having the appropriate measures in place to dispose of data which is no longer required is a critical factor in reducing the risk of a security breach.

Ensuring that retired and reused devices and storage media have had their contents properly removed will ensure that confidential company data can’t be retrieved further down the line – and won’t fall into the wrong hands.

Remember; Reinstalling your operating system, formatting your hard drive or deleting specific files and folders doesn’t ensure your data is gone. In fact, in most cases your data is still completely accessible with freely-available tools. Ensure your IT disposal partner is using a tool that overwrites your data multiple times ensuring your data is unrecoverable.

Businesses should look to implement a sound data destruction policy which outlines the protocol for each use case (computers, phones, external hard drives and flash memory) – whether these devices are being redistributed within the business or discarded at the end of their lifecycles.

9. Use the cloud

If your business doesn’t have the time or expertise to stay on top of all the security issues updates requiring attention, then it might be worth looking at a cloud service provider instead.

A reputable cloud provider will be able to store data , maintain software patches and implement security. While not likely to be suitable for enterprise-level organisations, this can be a good approach for small businesses looking to provide themselves with a degree of protection.

10. Educate your employees

Making sure everyone in your business understands company security policy is important. Whether you opt to do it during onboarding or conduct bi-annual refresher courses, it’s worth carrying out – just make sure everyone is heeding the practices, throughout the entire compa

What is IT support

site-1fJuLQ — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 14:20:22 GMT

What Is IT Support ?

What is IT Support?

In its simplest form, IT support is about offering assistance to employees and the wider organization for technology-related issues. Its purpose is to provide users with answers to problems they may be experiencing. In a business environment, IT support can also encompass the setup, installation, and configuration of equipment, plus much more.

What Does IT Support Do?

Business IT support is more than fixing problems and answering questions. IT support services include optimizing network performance and securing against cyberattacks. With IT support and services, an organization can realize the full potential of its network and follow best practices for securing its digital assets.

IT service providers can be responsible for the setup, installation, configuration, and maintenance of network equipment, whether that is a computer in the office or at the kitchen table. They can proactively monitor equipment performance to avoid downtime from equipment failure. They are prepared to help with disaster recovery and backup plans. Business IT support can be whatever a business needs to ensure continuous operations.

Some of the most common IT support responsibilities can include:

Troubleshooting and resolving IT issues
Providing technical assistance to employees
Updating and maintaining company systems and networks
Installing and configuring software
Managing user access permissions and credentials
Rolling out patches and updates
Procuring and provisioning devices
Assisting with data backup and recovery

What Do IT Support Technicians Do?

Supporting company networks requires multiple specialties . For example, technical support specialists may analyze, evaluate, and troubleshoot network problems. These technicians play a crucial role in maintaining the network and backing up digital assets.

Support personnel are responsible for providing technical help to non-IT computer users, often by responding to phone, email, and chat-based requests for help. You may also require dedicated cybersecurity support specialists, who use their expertise to ensure your network, applications, and data are secure, and can even help with meeting compliance security standards.

Here are a few of the tasks an IT support technician may do.

Ask questions to diagnose a problem
Recommend problem-solving steps
Train users on how new technology works
Install and configure network components
Monitor and maintain computer systems and networks
Troubleshoot system and network problems
Support applications as required
Add users to a system and provide credentials
Mange open customer requests
Establish working relationships with end-users

The types of technical support depend on the organization. Some companies may want involvement in round-the-clock operations. Others may be looking for help-desk support during business hours. No matter the need, IT support personnel can adapt to serve your business requirements.

Technical support follows a tiered system, where the levels of support are tied to the expertise required to address the problem. The higher the level, the more expertise is needed.

What is Level 1 Technical Support?

Level or tier 1 support is the person on the other end of a phone call, online chat, or an email string. They are tasked with identifying the problem and providing the most common resolution methods. Tier 1 staff play an essential role in problem resolution. They are the people who define the problem and acquire as much information as possible to resolve it. If they are unable to resolve the issue, it is transferred to a Level 2 support specialist.

What is Level 2 Technical Support?

Level or tier 2 support requires someone with more technical knowledge. If a level 1 technician cannot resolve the issue, they transfer the issue to level 2 personnel. They, in turn, work to resolve the issue. In most cases, end-user problems can be fixed at a level 2. If an issue cannot be resolved at level 2, it is escalated to a higher tier.

Rarely does a problem go beyond a level 2. Issues beyond a level 2 are relegated to the creators of the application or hardware. These are glitches that require software updates or patches to fix. Hardware-level problems may require new components.

Why IT Support is Essential in 2023

Supporting an in-house IT department is expensive, and there are far fewer qualified applicants than there are open positions. 73% of IT leaders say they struggle to recruit in this space, while turnover remains high. Such volatility in recruitment and retention makes external IT support a more viable option for many organizations.

Cybersecurity threats also continue to grow. 47% of small businesses in the U.S. have fallen victim to a cyber attack , 67% of which have experienced more than one breach. Phishing, password hacking, and adware are among the most common forms of attack against small businesses, and the methods employed by attackers grow more sophisticated by the day. Without adequate expertise and support, organizations are left vulnerable.

Downtime from such attacks is costly. According to Gartner , the average cost of downtime is $5,600 per minute. For some technology-intensive operations, the cost can be much higher. With properly monitored systems, breaches can be prevented and equipment failures can be identified and fixed before they cause an issue.

Find the Right IT Support For Your Business

Cloud Security Best Practices for 2022

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 03:02:02 GMT

Cloud Security Best Practices for 2022

Today, cloud computing is more than just another alternative for the business case. It has become an effective means of cutting costs, ensuring constant availability, and reducing downtime. In the past, connecting to the corporate network by accessing accounts, files, and business servers was only possible from offices and workspaces where firewalls or other security tools protected information.

However, the emergence of cloud applications has changed that by enabling users to access corporate applications, documents, and services remotely. According to an IDG survey , 92% of organizations’ IT environment are at least partially stationed on the cloud today. However, cloud services come with the challenge and risk of data security in the cloud, which has called for new security tools and practices.

For enterprises considering public cloud, security has been a major concern. As organizations move from offline to cloud networks and more sensitive data is put at risk, security must be at the forefront.

Typically, cloud service providers are responsible for the physical security of data centers and ensuring their systems are secure from cyberattacks. However, keeping data or running applications on an infrastructure not directly managed by the organization is seemingly insecure.

For organizations willing to safeguard their cloud environments, the following best practices can help ensure that critical data and applications don’t fall into the wrong hands.