Data is the new currency of the digital world and for businesses to thrive today, it is imperative they start handling the information they process daily more effectively. This requires having the right infrastructure in place and the expertise to maintain it, all while abiding within the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern the use, storage, and transmission of data.
We live in a world where even the most mundane objects around us can generate data and communicate it to other objects over the internet. From kitchen appliances and car radios to wearable tech, every smart device you own is continuously pumping information when it’s online, which has to be transmitted through networks and stored in a server where it can be accessed again.
The service providers nominated for the EGR B2B Awards 2016 have been announced and BMIT has been shortlisted for the 'Data Centre of the Year' award for the fourth year running.
The EGR B2B Awards, now in their seventh year, celebrate and reward the achievements of the best companies in the iGaming industry. The winners will be announced on Wednesday, 1 June 2016, at The Pavilion at the Tower of London.
Nick Tonna, BMIT's Chief Commercial Officer, shares his thoughts on Malta's vibrant iGaming industry with iNTERGAMINGi in this month's issue available below:
Data is the life-blood of modern enterprises and, just like the real thing, they cannot afford to lose any of it. Given that companies today collect and utilise larger volumes of data than ever before for their everyday activities, how many of them consider the critical issues surrounding disaster recovery management and the devastating consequences of data loss?
Being able to access and share information online is important for billions of people around the world. However, websites are vulnerable to targeted digital attacks that prevent people from accessing their content. One common way of bringing a site offline is to overload it with unwanted traffic. When someone maliciously uses several computers to do this, it known as a Distributed Denial of Service, or DDoS attack.
Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness. — James Thurber
Data has arguably become the most important asset for modern businesses, with 2.5 quintillion bytes of data being generated every day around the world. It is no wonder then, that network security has become one of the crucial cornerstones in a professional business setup. An unsecured network is akin to leaving the keys to your apartment in the front door – you’re just asking for unwanted visitors.
Here are 8 tips on how to secure your data, protecting your network enough to face today’s internet wilderness:
Audit your network
Knowledge is half the battle. If you’re unsure which parts of your business are at risk or what data you need to protect, how can you secure it? Audit your entire IT infrastructure - be it computers, servers and even mobile devices – to get an idea of what you need to do in order to keep any potential hackers miles away from your network.
Educate the staff
Having security experts within your IT department certainly helps, but nowadays it is not enough. Your non-IT staff should be briefed on the do’s and don’ts when it comes to security, as hackers will target them first. Innocent-looking invoices or password-reset emails are common tactics used to gain access to your network via malware or phishing, both of which can be easily avoided by simply educating your staff.
pass1234 is not a great password
It might be tempting to use a simple password as it’s undoubtedly easier to remember, especially since your list of logins and passwords seems to be growing daily. Try using popular password management tools such as LastPass or KeePass to help you both by generating passwords which are harder to crack, as well as storing these passwords for you.
Encrypted data is good data.
Encrypt all your data with tools such as BitLocker to provide yourself with an additional layer of security. Hackers who gain access to an encrypted hard disk will not be able to read its contents, and brute-force cracking an AES-256 encryption is nigh impossible.
Backup, backup, backup.
Fine, your data is secured, but if you don’t back it up you’re playing a very dangerous game. Backing up your data provides you with peace of mind, and the opportunity to rollback in case something goes wrong. Whilst it’s advisable to backup locally, you should also look into cloud backups. We at BMIT offer fully-automated cloud backup solutions in ISO27001 and PCI-DSS certified data centres, allowing you to save your data on the cloud as well as to local storage, all with the same service.
Security policies are your friend.
Asking your employees to work more securely is certainly a step in the right direction, however, implement concise and effective security policies in your workplace in order to drive the point home. One example would be to ask all staff members to avoid divulging sensitive information over the phone or leaving passwords with sticky notes on their monitors. Moreover, they should make sure that they have security software installed on their workstations if they want to connect to the work network. Policies of similar nature will definitely help secure your critical data and the integrity of your network.
Mobile defense
Your sales team from 10 years ago might have had some form of mobile connectivity, but it pales in comparison to the power they have in their hands these days. With Android smartphones and iPhones quickly becoming the must-have gadgets of the century, more of your staff are now working away from your office - and away from your secured network. Make sure that their smartphones are secured, as you might soon discover that mobile devices are your network’s weak point. Encryption, remote wiping and malware protection go a long way in further reinforcing your network, both on-site as well as off-site. They should also avoid processing sensitive data on public Wi-Fi networks (in parks, coffee shops or airports for example) as these are vulnerable to packet sniffing.
Two locks are better than one
Viruses are no longer the only security threat you have to worry about. Hacking has evolved from a hobby in the 1970s to the lucrative crime business we know today, bringing with it more sophisticated attacks. To counteract these fast-paced developments, it is crucial that you protect all devices connected to your network (desktops, mobile devices, file servers, mail servers, and network end points). Multiple-layers of security will block network attacks and/or alert the IT staff to a problem, so that they can take the necessary actions.
Suppose you’re a manager in a firm. Some of your time is spent making strategic decisions for your team, delegating tasks and coordinating work between people. You might be called in to interview new recruits and give your thoughts about the layout and content of the company website. You also spend time with the tech person, discussing how important it is that you approve the purchase of new systems that will make your company data safer, quicker and easier to access by employees, and up-to-speed with the lawww hardware and software used by your competitors.
The truth is that as an individual within the company, you’re likely...
On the 2nd of February, the European Commission and the United States reached an agreement on a new framework for transatlantic data flows, replacing the old Safe Harbour framework, which has been invalid since the 6th of October, 2015.
Thanks to this new agreement, companies in the U.S. are now subject to stronger obligations to protect the personal data of Europeans, as well as more stringent monitoring and enforcement by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Better cooperation with European Data Protection Authorities will also start being enforced.
EU data protection laws dictate that EU citizens’ personal information cannot be shared with countries deemed to have less than stringent privacy regulations, such as the US, but Safe Harbour allowed some data to circumvent these restrictions to be transmitted across the Atlantic.
More than 4,000 companies, including tech giants Amazon, Facebook and Google, were reliant on the previous 15-year-old legislation. Concerns about US state surveillance prompted a renegotiation of the agreement before it was deemed invalid.
The important facts
The scheme “EU – US Privacy Shield” replaces the Safe Harbor scheme, and will be administered by the US Department of Commerce. European and U.S. representatives will oversee the process and the timing for the transition from Safe Harbor to the new scheme.
An organization under the new scheme will be able to import personal data from Europe to the U.S., provided that the reason for this is explicitly stated, and they comply to the new enhanced requirements. Existing restrictions concerning onward transmission of personal data from the US to other countries will be tightened.
Every organization claiming that they comply with the new scheme will be subject to regular monitoring and reviews by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Failing to comply with these commitments will result in sanctions by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and possibly being removed from the scheme completely.
An individual has the right to file a complaint free of charge, with any organization adhering to the EU – US Privacy Shield scheme. This complaint must be considered within a limited timeframe in the first instance, with the individual having the possibility of referring to their European data protection authority, who in turn may decide to refer it to the U.S. Department of Commerce and Federal Trade Commission. The U.S. authorities will be required to investigate and resolve the complaint within a reasonable but limited timeframe.
A written assurance to the European Union will be provided by the US Director of National Intelligence, stating that access to personal data about European citizens will only occur to the extent it is necessary and proportionate, namely for national security and law enforcement purposes.
The Judicial Redress Act must be passed by U.S. Congress so that European citizens will hold the same rights of redress as U.S. citizens when it comes to unlawful access of their personal data by U.S. public bodies.
The European Commission and U.S. Department of Commerce will perform a joint annual review of the functioning and compliance with the new scheme.
The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield scheme is anticipated to be fully implemented in May 2016.
BMIT, Malta’s leading provider of data centre, cloud and managed IT services, has just announced the completion of two major investments, which are posed to drastically enhance Malta’s offering as a jurisdiction of choice to several industries, including online gaming and financial services operators. These are the opening of a data centre in SmartCity Malta and the launch of a new exclusive and secure private network which will provide BMIT customers with very high speed connectivity and performance to the Internet.
