Our service desk manager, Nick Bowling, recently shared his cybersecurity predictions with TechRound. If you missed the original article, you can catch up here…
A perfect storm for cybercriminals
As many organisations try to make cost savings in 2023, their focus will likely shift towards projects and products that seemingly offer more immediate and tangible value and benefit. Those that deliver on security can sometimes be difficult to justify in budgets.
But with hybrid working now the norm and firms using more technologies to stay connected, cybersecurity and risk management measures need to take centre stage.
If cybersecurity isn’t prioritised, cybercriminals will capitalise on poorly trained users and weak security within businesses’ ICT systems — at a more accelerated rate than ever. This could pave the way for the worst year on record for cyberattack volumes.
‘Insider risk’ could grow
Also, while there’s a focus on implementing technologies like multi- and two-factor authentication to plug gaps and improve security, it's possible that ‘inside jobs’ will increase.
More employees may be targeted by attackers, in a bid to obtain key business-critical information or gain low-level access to ICT systems. And if successful, this data could then be used to access often weaker internal systems.
Given statistics show that over 70% of global organisations were victimised by ransomware attacks in 2022, regular training and penetration testing will therefore be an unnegotiable part of organisations’ security strategies.If your organisation needs IT and cybersecurity support, please get in touch with the Central team by filling out the web form, emailing info@centralnetworks.co.uk, or calling 01706 747474.
For public and third sector organisations, digital transformation holds a more valuable seat at the table than ever right now – enabling government services and programmes to be delivered more efficiently, transparently, and cost effectively across the board.
But with already significant pressures being exacerbated – by the cost-of-living crisis, nationwide skills shortage, and increasing proliferation of cyber attacks, amongst other factors – keeping pace with progress can feel like a challenge.
That’s why the G-Cloud 13 Framework is such a valuable service. Aiming to simplify the process of procuring cloud-based services and solutions, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) initiative lists only the highest standard of UK tech providers.
Following a rigorous application and review process, Central Networks is proud to have secured a position on this agreement. With our portfolio of hosting, software, and support aids now available via this digital marketplace, we’re looking forward to helping more organisations achieve maximum commercial value when purchasing common goods and services.
Speaking on the achievement, our director of operations, John Blackburn, commented: “Having partnered with a variety of charities, healthcare providers, and educational institutes throughout our 30+ years of operation, we’re well aware of the challenges and opportunities facing public sector organisations.
“With this efficient and trusted route to procuring cloud computing services, drawn-out tendering procedures can be switched for an end-to-end, automated vendor comparison process. By reducing the risk of data silos, optimising technical resources, and improving regulatory compliance across a variety of industries, SMEs can reap the benefits of enhanced citizen support – in 2023, and beyond.”
To discover more about how Central Networks’ position on the G-Cloud 13 Framework can benefit your public sector organisation, please get in touch with our team of specialists. Or, if you want to browse the online catalogue and choose from over 40,000 services, head to the CCS website.
The shortage of high-level talent in the social housing sector is well documented – with 71% of employers expecting to face recruitment difficulties over the coming year, a third having already experienced a scarcity of projects and change management skills, and half increasingly struggling to find candidates with senior leadership qualities.
But with sector activity continuing apace during economic downturn – as people depend on affordable housing solutions – coupled with nearing government targets to tackle the under-supply of properties, the need for skilled talent has never been so great.
Outsourcing IT services is certainly not a new concept, but it’s one that is often overlooked when finding ways to combat such recruitment challenges.
Here, our operations director and social housing specialist, John Blackburn, explores how re-allocating the help desk function in particular, can deliver significant financial, operational, social, and environmental benefits.
Whilst managed services providers (MSPs) aren’t immune to the skills shortages facing the social housing sector, they remain an excellent way to access a rich and diverse pool of knowledge and expertise.
As specialist organisations with a wide network of industry connections, they’ll often onboard professionals who are both experienced and highly skilled in their role – and don’t require dedicated training. It’s because of this that MSPs can be engaged at short notice, to bring an immediate solution to an urgent project need.
Boasting experience and expertise in a variety of sectors, MSPs are able to tap into intelligence from different customer projects to offer first contact resolution and facilitate a higher quality end-user experience.
With the ability to enter service level agreements (SLAs) with outsourced IT companies, IT teams working within housing associations can also reap the benefits of improved performance. Not only is it easier to turn the dials up when compared with internal teams, but it’s also easier to measure and feedback on process, due to greater oversight.
There’s a common misconception that MSPs act as a direct replacement for your internal teams. The reality is, the two can easily work together effectively.
By outsourcing your help desk function, your managerial and human resources teams won’t need to add handling an IT department to their list. A third-party partner will take care of everything – and often around the clock – leaving your organisation free to focus on the strategic and tactical future of its tech estate.
It’s important to remember that growth doesn’t always come from more business – often, it’s about having more time to concentrate and look at the bigger picture.
With in-house IT help desks requiring multiple, full-time salaries, added operational costs, and ongoing training budget, MSPs bring significant financial benefits to your organisation, too.
Offering the ability to scale up and down as required, organisations can pay for the specific IT services they need, when they need them – with the guarantee that the resources will be readily available. Plus, the MSP will take care of the full project – from technology integration and transition to long-term end-user support – to remove unnecessary headaches and help retain in-house talent.
In recent years, we’ve witnessed a dramatic shift to more flexible, hybrid, and digitally-focused ways of working. And as a result, there’s an ongoing need to keep pace with the wants and needs of today’s employees. To do so, organisations must be able to offer innovative solutions that are user-friendly and efficient, whilst keeping a sharp eye on finances.
With vast expertise in services – spanning cloud consultancy, security-first SD-WANs, IT environment audits, transformation services, and more – MSPs can offer valuable infrastructure and support to help you compete in the talent market and attract skilled workers.
Our team at Central has a collective 250 years’ experience within the technology industry – so not only can we provide the know-how, but cost-effectiveness and a professional service to boot.
We make it our mission to be seen as an extension of our clients’ IT teams, so if you need our help short-term to solve a problem in the long-term, let’s talk.
Downtime occurs when a technology-related product or service is out-of-action and unavailable for use. This can either be planned – when upgrades and configurations are required, for example – or entirely unexpected due to systemwide failures, power outages, cyber security attacks, and more.
With an oft-cited statistic declaring that UK businesses could be losing an average of £3.6 million a year as a result – including 545 hours of wasted staff productivity – this impact is significant. And whether you’re an SME or blue-chip organisation, swallowing such spend is simply not an option in today’s uncertain economic climate.
The reality is, no organisation enjoys 100% uptime. But by developing a deep understanding of outage implications and how to minimise them, IT teams can build that all-important resilience to keep operations running as smoothly as possible. Our operations director, John Blackburn, explores this further…
Lost revenue: Whether it’s revenue lost in sales, paying out of pocket for recovery costs, or compensating unmet Service Level Agreement (SLA) commitments that have hindered business continuity elsewhere, a large part of the downtime sum will be related to direct finances. In the case of service outages, customers are unlikely to wait for the problem to be resolved and will instead be pushed towards competitors.
Tarnished reputation: Measuring intangible costs, such as business reputation, is a much more challenging assignment - and one that isn’t as easily reflected in numbers either. But that doesn’t make it any less severe. For customers, partners, and stakeholders alike, a network outage can significantly damage how much faith is placed in your service – particularly if you don’t react promptly, or the issue is ongoing. When Facebook suffered a global outage last year, the stock ended the day down nearly 5%!
Hindered productivity: Unplanned IT downtime can terminate work for an entire organisation for hours, and sometimes days, at a time. And for companies that rely on the public cloud for development efforts, as well as to communicate, the ability to do anything productive in this time comes to a complete standstill. For larger organisations paying a greater number of employee salaries, the impact is even greater.
How IT outsourcing can minimise risk
The first step to reducing the risk of IT downtime is through proactive monitoring and maintenance of the network. Instead of waiting for a problem to arise, or implementing a knee-jerk sticking plaster solution to cover the cracks, carry out a full health check of your tech stack. External IT partners can offer an invaluable service here, if you’d prefer not to eat up precious in-house resource.
A specialist third-party will not only advise where upgrades and repairs are required, but also take a proactive approach to ongoing upkeep – acting as an extension of your team to ensure systems are running efficiently in the background and enabling you to focus on more revenue-generating, value-add tasks. If you choose the best fit for your organisation, this relationship will be completely headache-free, and significantly minimise the cost of IT downtime.
If you’re keen to continue the conversation, why not get in touch for a no-obligation discussion? We’d love to chat through your requirements.
To say cyber-attacks can be devastating is an understatement. But when you consider how underfunded charity organisations and their teams are in particular, the realisation that the not-for-profit sector is one of the most targeted is a difficult one to swallow.
Across the UK, there are almost 200,000 registered charities in total – from animal welfare and child protection services, through to cancer relief and mental health support.
And while it should seem unconscionable to pose threat to any of these organisations, the number of perpetrators seeking financial gain from stealing valuable data is evident.
According to the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Cyber Threat Assessment, valuable funds, supporter details, and information on beneficiaries, remain primary motivations across the board.
So, what can be done to mitigate these growing risks? Here, client director at Central Networks, Mike Dunleavy, offers some crucial insight…
Understand the risks and how to spot them
As with any organisation, employees are the first – and often most powerful – line of defence against cyber-attacks. That’s why developing a detailed understanding of what motivates threat actors, as well as how they might attempt to compromise vulnerabilities within your systems, is crucial.
It shouldn’t just be a tick-box exercise, but something that’s constantly on the agenda from one month to the next. Running regular audits of your tech environment and testing employees on their ability to spot malicious phishing or malware attempts are just some examples to help fortify your charity organisation.
Be mindful though, because trying to adopt a one-size-fits all approach to educating your teams will only result in low engagement. Instead, ensure that training programmes and cyber security insights are specific to individual roles and responsibilities.
By resonating with the day-to-day minutiae of a person’s routine, they can see the true scale of the problem, how exactly it might impact their own work, and what a ‘best practice’ approach to help mitigate any dangers might look like.
Remember that prevention is always better than the cure
Once you’re aware of the risks you face as an organisation, you’ll have a better understanding of how you can bolster lines of defence.
With the increasing sophistication of cyber-attacks, it should go without saying that it’s important to get the basics right. Think watertight password policies, multi-factor authentication, and being vigilant when it comes to opening unknown links and accessing unfamiliar sites.
But if the shift to ‘work from anywhere’ models has taught us anything, it’s that the most effective cyber security strategies run much deeper. No matter where your teams work, a dedicated IT division should have complete control over every device.
This not only enables full visibility over software updates, anti-virus technology, firewalls, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and more, but it also enables more robust access control – ensuring only authorised personnel within your non-profit organisation can gain entry to sensitive data.
From part-time volunteers to full-time employees, it’s important that every colleague knows how to uphold the security stance of the charity right from the very beginning.
Invest in a tough business continuity plan
According to The Charity Commission, one in eight charities (12%) have experienced cyber-crime in the past year – yet just 55% see enhanced security as a fairly or very high priority. The reality is, the benevolent nature of these firms places them at a growing risk.
But let’s say all the right procedures are in place, and a perpetrator still manages to slip through the net undetected. What happens then? To help minimise downtime and reverse the effects of a breach as quickly as possible, having a robust business continuity plan in place is a must.
Whilst the purpose of disaster recovery is to find and repair the root cause of the problem, this strategy helps to keep mission-critical operations running as smoothly as possible on the route to reinstating ‘business as usual’.
As a living document, this should constantly evolve in line with your charity’s evolving needs – with periodical testing ensuring every detail is appropriate, and the person in charge is still capable of carrying our designated tasks.
Such a proactive approach may seem full on, but it will pay dividends if it’s ever needed. And trust us when we say disaster will usually strike when you least expect it.
Turn the tables on attackers
Charity or not, anyone who has fallen victim to a cyber security attack will have at least one thing in common: they never thought it would be them. That’s why it’s better to ask too many questions before handing over sensitive data, rather than asking too few and it ending up in the wrong hands.
Better still, beat attackers to it. While defence is a crucial part of the cyber security equation, it’s only half of the puzzle. Instead of waiting to be notified about a breach, offensive approaches tap into the hacker tradecraft, and utilise human analysts who can think like the enemy to identify any warning signs.
Penetration testing, for example, simulates a real-life attack and shows how the action would unfold, step-by-step – rather than simply scanning for vulnerabilities and handing the insight over in a report. It’s the perfect way for charities to stay agile in today’s constantly evolving cyberwar landscape.
One of our partners, Cyphere, recently spoke about this defence mechanism in greater depth, in our recent Q&A.
Of course, budgets are a significant restraint for any non-profit organisation, but combining as many of these examples as possible will maximise security posture, help protect precious data, and mitigate any financial or reputational damage in the long run.
Keen to continue the conversation? Central Networks has a glowing reputation when it comes to arming companies in this space – from social housing organisations to hospice care services.
If you want to know more about creating a bullet-proof cyber security strategy for your charity, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d be happy to have a no-obligation chat about your requirements.
Established following the merger of two housing associations — City South and Eastlands Homes — the newly-formed One Manchester found itself with a complex network of connectivity solutions, which were not only inefficient but unnecessarily expensive.
As technology continues to advance at pace, we’re seeing what were once pinnacles of innovation become completely redundant – and often, seemingly overnight.
The most recent part of the tech stack to be trumped, legacy phone systems are slowly but surely being replaced by cloud-based solutions across the globe – with Microsoft Teams dominating this opportunity.
According to a recent Forrester study, SMBs can realise an average £93,000 in savings benefit over three years, and enterprises over £9.3 billion, by integrating calling capabilities into their communication platform.
Yet, with such a relentless volume of information to digest in the tech space, it comes as no surprise that organisational leaders are hesitant to dive straight into adoption.
To this end, the Central team has clubbed together to provide some of the must-know benefits Teams Voice has to offer. Let’s delve deeper…
Answer calls on the go
There are a whole host of ways to use Teams Voice, although most users tend to install the mobile app, enabling them to make and receive calls in any location – rather than be tied to a desk-based handset.
While this may sound invasive, and blur the boundaries between personal and professional for some, the app has an excellent functionality which allows users to set predetermined, active working hours – during which, notifications of any work-related calls are paused.
Secure and reliable support
By extension, Teams Voice is an inherently secure platform, which enforces organisation-wide multi-factor authentication, single sign on, and continued encryption of data – both in transit and at rest. So, even with the increasing sophistication of cyber-attacks, you can rest easy that your business-critical data will remain secure.
Not only this, but Teams Voice also comes with a 99.9% uptime guarantee – backed by a service-level agreement (SLA), load-balancing and in-built redundancy. Because Azure – Microsoft’s cloud technology – is an ultrafast network which spans the entire globe, it’s rare that connections drop out – so you can experience high-quality calls, too.
Scalability and flexibility as required
Because Teams Voice is a cloud-based solution, the infrastructure can be deployed relatively quickly, as well as scaled up or down as required. As a business leader, head of operations, or financial director, the range of investments available allows great flexibility to suit your of-the-moment needs.
For example, organisations can choose between:
Helps to unify communications
While putting all your eggs in one basket can be a cause for concern if a potential issue arises, the ability to access everything in one central location introduces unparalleled benefits for SMEs.
By housing multiple communication and collaboration channels under the Microsoft banner, you can guarantee complete compatibility from one application to the next – in turn, boosting productivity, streamlining operations, and improving the overall customer experience. From managing phone numbers to calling plans, voice routing to auto attendants – everything is available in one place.
Built-in security and compliance
There’s no denying that the cyber security landscape is becoming increasingly volatile, which is why it’s important that infrastructure remains robust, to mitigate the risk of an attack. And that’s another reason why MS Teams Voice is so great for businesses!
With built-in compliance features – including team and organisation-wide multi-factor authentication, single sign-on through Active Directory, and encryption of data in transit and rest – you can rest assured that your organisation’s security posture is truly augmented.
Still need convincing? To learn more about the benefits of Microsoft Teams Voice, and how Central can help manage this secure, reliable, and compliant service on your behalf, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
It’s no secret that the tech sector is facing increasing pressure on the employment front – not least because of the national IT skills shortage.
But offering custom learning routes, apprenticeship programmes present a great opportunity to help bridge the gap - both bolstering recruitment and introducing fresh knowledge and perspectives too.
That’s why, here at Central HQ, we’ve had a scheme dedicated to nurturing tomorrow’s talent since 2009 – set up by our very own client director, Mike Dunleavy.
And because we’re so proud of our apprentices’ contributions to the team – plus their willingness to dig deep and develop their expertise – we’re keen to showcase and celebrate each and every one of them.
So, first up, it’s our technical architect, Jordan Gallier. Take it away, Jord….
Why did you choose a career in the IT and tech sector?
I have always had a strong interest in technology, from being about three years old on windows 95 and windows 98. As my mother used to say, I was a bit of a wiz – and she always used to leave me to it!
After finishing school, I was set on pursuing a job in IT – and had been keen on the idea of an apprenticeship from the offset. Previously working at another company that went into administration, Mike gladly took me under his wing.
From coming in with next to no knowledge of the day to day working of networks and systems, Central provided me with the resources I needed to grow in my career.
Why was an apprenticeship the right choice for you?
It skyrocketed my career – giving me the chance to learn and gain experience at the same time. Working at a managed service provider (MSP) specifically, I have also been able to quickly progress in my role, becoming a lead engineer at Central with over eight years’ experience under my belt.
And how did you first find out about Central’s apprenticeship programme?
Central’s details were provided to me by my previous employer – it just so happened that I lived quite locally, and I drove, so it was easy to get to the office. It was a no-brainer for both Central and myself.
The opportunities that Central quickly placed on the table filled me with great confidence on this being the best step of my career.
What made Central stand out from other employers?
Central as an MSP was local, had a very experienced and knowledgeable team, provided a good sense of security when it came to the path they were taking in the industry, and there were great benefits for career progression that got me to where I am today.
Sum up your role in three words:
Collaborative, team-oriented, technical lead – I suppose that’s four, but they’re the perfect summary of my position at Central!
Can you tell us what a typical working day looks like for you?
This can vary, as my responsibilities at Central are very vast – and I love that no two days are the same. As a technical architect, I get involved in pre-sales – which is essentially providing system specifications for our clients.
But my role also involves lots of hands on work too – from implementing security solutions and provisioning new servers for customers clusters, to travelling down to customers to help them out with their own projects.
Finish the sentence – the biggest misconception surrounding apprenticeships is…
That it’s just cheap labour for companies, which is definitely not true. Organisations like to work with next-generation talent to help progress their career – and bringing an apprentice on board is the start of an investment into staff.
Take myself as an example, I have worked hard for over eight years and have progressed to now play a key senior role in the business.
What’s the most valuable skill you’ve learnt so far?
Work hard – not just for the business, but for yourself – and you will be rewarded.
How do you see your career path developing?
Having worked myself up to being a technical engineer and, more recently, a trusted technical architect, my career at Central has already developed significantly.
Moving forward alongside the management team, the ultimate goal is to continue to compete in a highly saturated market and ensure we always stay at the top of our game with the services we provide.
Finally, do you have any advice for would-be apprentices?
Start your career at an MSP that allows you to be guided by highly experienced and knowledgeable colleagues, whilst giving the freedom to carve your own path. It’s an opportunity that I’m extremely grateful for, and wouldn’t change if I had the opportunity to go back.
Tracked as CVE-2022-32894, the first vulnerability which the update is set to fix is situated in the iPhone Kernel – the core of the operating system – and could allow an application to execute malicious code with kernel privileges, which grants unauthorised and undetected access to the device.
The second issue patched in iOS 15.6.1 is a flaw in WebKit – the browser engine which powers Safari. Known as CVE-2022-32893, successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a threat actor to achieve arbitrary code execution if the target visits a maliciously crafted website. Again, this could provide complete control over a user’s device.
In the most extreme attacks, perpetrators use two or more issues in conjunction to successfully infiltrate protective barriers. And, as has been seen with this example, it’s not uncommon for cyber criminals to break into the device's browser – such as WebKit – as a means to enter the wider operating system and access sensitive personal data.
How do zero-day attacks work?
A zero-day attack occurs when hackers exploit a flaw in security infrastructure before the software developers have the opportunity to address it.
Because the vulnerabilities are not always discovered immediately, they can cause long-lasting effects for individuals and organisations alike – not least due to the fact that the only people who know about the zero-day attack are the perpetrators themselves.
Not only can exploits get sold on the dark web for significant sums of money, but attackers can also decide to sit and wait for the most opportune moment to strike rather than infiltrating a network immediately.
What does this mean for the future of security?
While, naturally, this news has caused concern for individuals and organisations across the globe, Apple’s rapid response to the incident showcases exactly why proactive patch management is the key to creating – and maintaining – more robust security infrastructure.
Because attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and cyber criminals are constantly on the lookout for vulnerabilities to exploit, software developers and IT teams must equally be keeping a sharp eye on any abnormalities that require attention.
But it’s not just up to the professionals to be proactive – users of any affected devices must also be quick to implement necessary updates as and when they become available, to mitigate the consequences of an attack.
There’s no denying that such vulnerabilities will continue to occur – both in Apple products and within other software – but maintaining a proactive approach to patch management and sight over emerging updates will no doubt maximise the security posture of individuals, as well as organisations large and small.
We provide patching services to firms within both the public and private sectors. If you'd like to find out more about how we can help your company, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the Central team.
We’re always here to help.
One of the biggest shortcomings of user ID and password logins from tech users across the globe is that details can be easily compromised, causing irreparable damage and leaving organisations significantly out of pocket as a result.
Whether through malicious malware, phishing attacks, or automated password cracking tools, perpetrators have a whole host of methods to gain entry into your systems. And as the cyber warfare climate continues to become increasingly volatile, the risk of having one or multiple of your accounts hacked is only becoming more of a threat.
That’s why multi-factor authentication (MFA) is such a crucial line of defence in any security strategy today.
So, what is multi-factor authentication?
While two-factor authentication (2FA) previously formed the foundations of many online security protocols, vendors are increasingly turning to MFA to help augment their levels of protection – not least because the Cyber Essentials scheme recently made MFA mandatory on all cloud service accounts in order to pass certification.
Combining two or more independent credentials – from passwords and security tokens to biometric verification methods – MFA is a state-of-the-art security technology which uses a layered defence mechanism to protect a target.
If a user is unable to verify their identity, they will be rendered as an unauthorised personnel and refused access to the desired data or resource. Plus, if one factor is compromised or broken, the remaining elements act as a fortress to keep attackers from breaching any further barriers and gaining entry.
But with so many MFA combinations available, how can firms ensure they’re choosing the best fit for their needs on both a cultural and commercial level?
Here, the team at Central delves deeper into key considerations to factor into your decision-making…
Five tips to help you choose the best MFA solution for your organisation
Of course, needs and requirements will differ from one firm to the next, but there are some crucial elements that will help you lay the foundations of your security strategy when it comes to multi factor authentication.
1. Cost and ease of deployment
As with any tech investment, the initial cost of implementing an MFA solution can be a barrier for many. However, the benefits that come to fruition long-term will make the return on investment (ROI) worthwhile.
For companies with a tighter budget, managed IT partners can help to spread the cost of maintenance on an ongoing basis – including server infrastructure, hardware distribution, and vendor support.
It’s also important to understand that, with the wrong solution, deployment can be a complex task with time consuming configurations needed to onboard employees – which can be even more challenging if your network environment is a hybrid of on-premise, cloud-based, and custom applications. That’s why we’d recommend getting users to self-enrol rather than putting a heavy admin task on one individual.
2. User-friendly authentication
MFA should not only be easy to roll out, but it should also be simple to use. Some employees may not feel confident in approaching a security request, and others may be limited when it comes to resource access – not everyone has a smartphone, for example. Plus, without advanced warning of MFA protocols, users can feel blindsided by the process and will instinctively reach out for support and reassurance – which naturally swells workload for the IT team.
With this in mind, it’s important for organisational leaders to ensure that cost and security are balanced with usability and understanding across the entire scope of a team to increase acceptance.
3. A variety of pre-built integrations
The best MFA providers will offer pre-built integrations with a broad spectrum of popular business applications – so you can both easily authenticate your employees and better manage and protect your security network.
This doesn’t just apply to everyday productivity tools either, but those bespoke to your own firm that may not be available off the shelf. Check whether your prospective MFA solution supports custom integrations with applications and services or more industry-specific examples.
4. Flexibility and scalability
In such a mobile world, it’s important that any tech solution you implement is flexible to support employees, irrespective of location, in their time of need. If a user is trying to access data off-site, but doesn’t have a hardware token such as a USB to hand, they should still have an option to use software tokens such as smartphone apps or push notifications, as well as biometrics such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanning, to authenticate their identity.
And, because business environments are becoming increasingly volatile, any MFA solutions need to be scalable too, so it can be deployed across your entire organisation and levelled up or down as required. This means security practices should be consistent from one employee to the next, and cover all users – whether working in the office or remotely, and accessing cloud or on-premise applications.
5. Reporting and analytics
Data provision should be one of the key factors you consider when comparing MFA solutions. The most value-adding MFA solutions will give you a clear oversight of your firm’s security landscape to help both improve processes and support compliance and auditing initiatives.
For example, reports that detail when are where authentication attempts are taking place can help to identify any malicious activity, so you can revoke access to unsecured devices that are compromising your security posture.
Closing thoughts
There’s no denying that MFA is a powerful tool that can bring an abundance of benefits to organisations of varying shapes, sizes, and sectors – not least when it comes to adding that extra peace of mind to access security.
But it’s important to remember that a successful solution will be utilised by the entire team, which is why making sure it suits the needs of everyone – from apprentices and help desk support officers to C-suite executives – will play a key role in headache-free implementation.
While there’s rarely a one size fits all approach to any element of tech in the business world, these steps should help to offer a starting point to guide your MFA journey.
As always, if you need any further support to help enhance your security strategy, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our experts. We’d be happy to help.
Central Networks are a strategic technology partner. Excellent technology is a given, customer service, trust and long-term relationships are what drive our business. We support CEOs, Heads of IT, IT technicians and transformation directors to ensure technology provides an edge to their organisations.
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