Operations | Monitoring | ITSM | DevOps | Cloud

June 2020

The missing link to comprehensive endpoint security

Very few things available online are truly free of cost. If you don’t pay with cash, chances are you are paying with your personal information or other data. The Chrome web store is filled with free extensions that users install on their browsers to enhance their online experience. However, more and more of these extensions are being discovered and removed from the store due to their malicious intent.

CCPA compliance: Getting ready for enforcement

With enforcement of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) set for July 1, 2020, it is time for organizations to ensure their compliance strategy is in place. With the CCPA already in effect since January 2020, regulators expect the companies to be CCPA compliant now. The CCPA requires organizations to secure the sensitive data they hold, while also protecting the privacy of consumers.

Implementing an effective change management process with ServiceDesk Plus Cloud

In the third session we will discuss the change management process, define the different types of changes possible, and how to implement them with minimum disruption to the organization. We will also discuss how a company moved their entire on-premises infrastructure to the cloud using ServiceDesk Plus, and how they were able to plan such a large scale change and effectively implement it. See the cloud version of ServiceDesk Plus in action, as we show how to use all the available features to plan and implement changes better.

Overcoming VPN bandwidth and capacity complications using Firewall Analyzer

As companies move towards a flexible, remote work environment, the demand for VPN services has increased considerably. This need to ramp up VPN infrastructures in such a short time comes with its fair share of operational problems and security concerns. Over purchasing VPN capacity would put a dent in the IT budget while under purchasing would result in loss of productivity.

Leveraging IoT to target pain points in the healthcare industry

Five worthy reads is a regular column on five noteworthy items we’ve discovered while researching trending and timeless topics. Most healthcare facilities already use the Internet of Things (I0T) to make their environment a more efficient and safer place, and this week, we show you how IoT is revolutionizing the healthcare industry. As the world’s population grows, so does the need for quality medical assistance and healthcare.

Minimize business losses by monitoring your applications' performance

Downtime is the biggest nightmare for organizations that capitalize on technology. A study about enterprise outages found that nearly 96 percent of enterprises had faced downtime in the past three years. Businesses lose a minimum of $1.55 million annually and 545 hours of staff time due to IT downtime. Up to 51 percent of downtime is preventable, which means businesses are spending on damage control when these resources could be diverted to something more fruitful, like R&D.

Infrastructure dashboards: Declutter your monitoring data and ensure you're not overspending

The task of monitoring and managing an entire network, including all the servers and applications that run on it, is by no means easy. With so many components of varying complexity, the volume of performance data coming at you can be overwhelming. This information overload increases the chances of missing data that could help discover performance inefficiencies.

SQL Server, Part 4: Understanding built-in SQL Server principals

In the previous blog in this series, we discussed the principle of least privilege, and the importance of assigning bare minimum privileges to users and systems at database or server levels. However, there are certain built-in principals in your database that possess all permissions in SQL Server. If an attacker managed to get hold of one of these principals, the database could be easily exploited and damaged.

Tackling password mismanagement woes of remote employees

Remote work is here to stay, at least for the time being. IT admins now face the stiff challenge of extending IT support to employees and ensuring smooth workflows. They are now forced to minimize help desk dependency and processes in place that ensure complete security. This e-book helps IT admins do exactly that. ManageEngine's in house IAM expert writes about accessibility and security aspects of password infrastructures, and how you as an IT admin can minimize the risk of employee down-time due to password mismanagement.

How essential is monitoring your AWS services?

Organizations around the world are increasingly relying on the cloud to capitalize on its speed, ease of management and scalability, and the business value it provides to transform and grow their business. It’s an ever-growing market that is currently estimated at 266.4 billion dollars—a whopping 982.9 percent increase in growth compared to a decade ago when it was worth a little over 24.6 billion dollars.

Five worthy reads: Privacy in pandemic management

Five worthy reads is a regular column on five noteworthy items we have discovered while researching trending and timeless topics. This week, we explore the data privacy challenges and concerns that have arisen during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the wake of COVID-19, the world has witnessed the power of technology.

Why Zero Trust in IAM is the new way forward

The increasing adoption of cloud applications and an expanding remote workforce are redefining network security. In a traditional setting, the emphasis was on perimeter-based security—assuming that everything behind the corporate firewall is safe. However, it’s clear that organizations have to rethink the philosophy of implicit trust in a corporate network.

The right way to track technician performance

Amid concerns of resource scarcity and increasingly complex resolution processes, service desks are constantly under pressure to deliver more with less. This, in effect, forces service desk managers to drive technicians to resolve requests faster, leading to an unhealthy obsession with numbers. Several service desks are known to regard the number of requests closed by technicians as a good yardstick for their performance.

Curtail security exploits in applications and fortify your remote endpoints

The trend of working from home has hit the ground running, and businesses have turned to strategies and tools that will ensure a no-plummet productive environment. There are two major forks in the road when it comes to provisioning remote endpoints—users can use their own devices, or the company can hand over corporate-owned devices.

GCP monitoring and alerting with Applications Manager

Google Cloud Platform (GCP), a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google, launched in 2008. It is a powerful cloud platform that offers Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service, and serverless computing environments. Many companies are now using GCP to build, modernize, and scale their businesses. GCP monitoring with Applications Manager Monitoring GCP service instances can be pretty challenging.

Securing Azure Active Directory from PowerShell abuse

Malware attacks are evolving and once common tactics are becoming a thing of the past. Attack strategies, like using a third-party hacking program or injecting viruses from external sources, are almost obsolete as they leave a distinct footprint. Most antimalware tools can now detect the presence of a foreign program or device and immediately block them.

Your return-to-the-office cybersecurity checklist

The novel COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way organizations work. The sudden transition to remote work has forced organizations to look for temporary fixes to bridge the gap, leaving their endpoints exposed to an unprecedented threat landscape. Insecure internet connections, a lack of perimeter security, and the inability to implement effective security policies have made remote endpoints a breeding ground for threat actors.