Improved Govt IT systems = improved service delivery

By Brandon | January 24, 2012 @ 1:26 pm

The latest auditor-general report (on National Audit Outcomes) cited the lack of adequate IT systems across government as a key obstacle to service delivery.

Failings highlighted include:

In short, the auditor-general (AG) found that practically none of South Africa’s national government departments and public sector entities have sufficient IT systems in place.

Cibecs Data Risk Assessment App

By Natasha | October 31, 2011 @ 10:48 am

Giving Business IT Endpoint Insight

The Data Risk Assessment App is an easy solution to planning around multiple data protection challenges facing IT today.” says Cibecs Marketing Manager, Brandon Faber.

“The tool gives businesses insight into what data resides on endpoint devices. in 15 minutes it runs an audit showing how much data resides on laptops & desktops, what types of files users are storing, the average amount of data by file type and the average amount of data each user has on their machine.”

Companies worried about the security of their files need not worry, the App is completely secure and runs in their environment – it doesn’t report on individual users or their data details. “We are vigilant when it comes to protecting business data.” Says Faber, “One of our first considerations was ensuring that the App poses no risk to the security of organizations’ information-  as an endpoint data protection company this is something we are very familiar with.”

Once the App has done a quick data audit on a sample group of PCs, businesses can pull their data report which details the following:

Corporate Governance Compliance and Data Protection

By Natasha | October 28, 2011 @ 1:23 pm

Data Protection & Corporate Governance Compliance in South Africa

Compliance & Legalities around business Data Protection in South Africa

Protecting data correctly and effectively is a paramount business continuity imperative. Not only do organizations with ineffective data protection strategies face the immediate costs and productivity interruption of data loss, they leave themselves vulnerable to data theft, unauthorised access to confidential files and are liable for legal penalties and criminal consequences due to failed corporate governance compliance.

Responsibility for protection of data cannot be left as IT’s problem- stewardship and buy-in is required at an executive level to avoid negligence, prevent reputational damage and to implement a solution that addresses areas of vulnerability.

The reality of data mismanagement is increasingly consequential. Failure to address your organization’s risks with urgency only increases exposure and the probability of suffering financial and legal penalties.

Often however, Acts and Reports are long-winded, making them difficult to digest and complicated to drill down to tangible and actionable items. However, without securing your data and ensuring that your data protection covers all the bases- the personal and organizational consequences can be detrimental.

We’ve broken down the main Acts and Reports pertaining to data protection in enterprise environments and placed them in the table above as an easy reference, there are certain guidelines & requirements that all companies must follow:

Recent Data Loss Highlights Importance of Endpoint Data Protection

By Natasha | September 26, 2011 @ 1:35 pm

Lost Social Security Numbers a Harsh Reminder of the Importance of Endpoint Data Protection

Names and Social Security numbers of 1,200 individuals seeking Job and Family Sevice assistance lost 

The recent loss of a USB thumb drive which resulted in  the 1,200 social security numbers of people seeking assistance from the Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services going missing has once again brought to light the importance of effective business data protection.

The drive contained the names and social security numbers of people who were serviced at the Transition Center between 2005 and 2010.The incident prompted an internal review of the way the department handles and stores sensitive information, including additional training for employees.

The question remains- why are companies slow on ensuring that their business data is effectively protected? Especially individual’s data that requires protection under Corporate Governance compliance regulations?

The business challenge of protecting user data

How to Backup Branch User Data

By Natasha | September 23, 2011 @ 12:24 pm

Remote Office Backup: How to Backup Branch Data

One of the key challenges of enterprise end user data protection is how to effectively backup branch user data and ensure that  protecting remote office data is securely protected.

The Problem with branch office data: Protecting branch user data

Backing up remote office data (branch data backup) can result in increased bandwidth costs and create a challenge for IT. There are significant considerations required to prevent effecting the business’ ability to backup their branches data (the branch user data) without incurring increased costs, wasting IT’s time  and unnecessarily exhausting resources.

So what should IT be looking for?

How to Backup Corporate Email

By Natasha | September 23, 2011 @ 12:11 pm

Backup Corporate Email: How enterprises can effectively protect corporate email files

Corporate Email backup is a critical consideration for enterprises due to the often irreplaceable and confidential nature of PST files and the implications of losing this data.

Corporate email backup and the effective protection of business PST files is a vital consideration for IT and business owners to ensure corporate governance compliance and manage reputational & legal risks effectively. Emails are undeniably valuable for business and often contain confidential information. The ability to effectively and securely backup and recover business PSTs is an integral feature in an any enterprise PC data backup solution.

Reduce Business Cyber Security Threats

By Natasha | September 5, 2011 @ 1:27 pm

Cyber Security: How to reduce data vulnerability with an endpoint backup solution

No user involvement in data backups

The reality is that users should not be involved in the security of business critical data. When organizations rely on a data backup policy where users are instructed to backup to a central server, they expose themselves to data loss risks.

To form a solid data security infrastructure, enterprises need to first completely remove the user from the data backup process by implementing an endpoint data backup solution that is:

Removing user involvement in data backups and putting IT in control is vital for effective data security and foundational protection against cyber security threats.

Business Data Backup : Cibecs Overview

By Natasha | August 18, 2011 @ 5:04 pm

Cibecs Business Data Backup: Cibecs Features Overview

Cibecs is a ‘built from the ground up’ endpoint data backup & recovery solution for enterprises. Cibecs ensures that you have central control over your business data and enables business data backup management.

Cibecs has multiple differentiating features that ensure automated and centrally controlled endpoint user data:

Cyber Security | Data Vulnerability

By Natasha | July 27, 2011 @ 9:02 am

Cyber Security: Data vulnerability

Data loss from internal threats, negligence and/or accidents was rated the “next big threat” by 37 percent of respondents in the 2010 CDW Cyber Security Straw Poll, revealing that human factors are considered a significant challenge and vulnerability by enterprise IT managers.

Data loss is a significant and obvious precursor to vulnerability as if data is lost it can result in unauthorized access. The security threat of access and publication of confidential business data has been further highlighted by Wikileaks’ ability to draw media attention to company’s innermost secrets. If your business data isn’t properly protected, a plethora of confidential information can find its way online- including e-mails, legal documents, and records of major decisions such as fighting legislation and employee dismissals.

The risk of access to confidential business data, whether through an attack on the network or resulting from an internal threat, should be managed effectively with secure business data protection.
The endpoint imperative