Your business, delivering next generation services
For a second imagine your company at the very cusp of technology, and providing services to customers instantly over the Internet. This is where we are today, and this is part of what it takes to leave an impression on our customers and provide services that truly enable businesses for the better – an intuitive and effortless user experience. Putting aside the warring elephants that provide such products and services worldwide, there are many niches that smaller service providers can take advantage of and make a big impact, and it is in this segment that our partner offering can help.
The Cloud is here to stay
The notion of companies moving to the Cloud is all too real. In 2014, over 43% of Cloud adopters wish they had made the change earlier, and all for good reason considering the strategic move from Capex to Opex for IT expenditure, higher SLA’s, the ability for companies to focus on core business, as well as on the fly changes to IT services and many more.
Grow your business into the Cloud
As a service provider, you may be questioning what the next evolutionary step in your company’s portfolio will be. BMIT believes that an IT company looking to increase customer stickiness while leveraging margins and developing its’ brand should adopt Cloud services as its new method to evangelize themselves in today’s market. Delivering an added array of services (in this case Cloud) can help provide customers with a well-rounded one stop shop portfolio, allowing your customers to consolidate more lines of IT engagement, to you.
Cloud Services, not Cloud Washing
Be wary though that Cloud as a buzzword is often overused today, justifiable as it may be, since the term can apply from simple virtualization to complex on demand systems. As a service provider what you should be looking for is an easy entry without the large investments in training and infrastructure, with the assistance of a partner with your go-to-market. Differentiation strategy may point towards a USP such as a locally deployed Cloud solution white-labelled under your brand. On demand services are key to a valuable customer experience and grows your business in bottom line as well as through market perception.
Beyond the Public Cloud
This new growth can be further boosted by enabling a suite of services that go beyond the public cloud and also include services such as private and hybrid cloud, as well as hosting, co-lo and managed IT services.
This may sound like a lot of build and buy effort, though by selecting an effective partner like BMIT, they can be realized with ease, speed and agility.
Let’s talk more about offering Cloud services, schedule a meeting & visit us.
Stand 172 @ Cloud Expo, ExCel London 11th - 12th March 2015
Data Centre Malta - This Q&A article originally appeared in the GamblingInsider Magazine. Jack Mizzi, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer, of BMIT explains how Malta's leading data centre, cloud and managed services provider has evolved its offering beyond standard co-location provision.
BMIT describes itself as a ‘one-stop technological solution’...
Over these last couple of years BMIT has transformed itself from just a co-lo provider to a full IT service provider, with services and solutions now including co-location and hosting, a full range of cloud services as well as the ability to offer managed services and solutions.
We like to consider ourselves as an IT services provider with a difference, and we try to achieve this by combining this managed service capability with the personalisation, affordability and skillset which we make available to customers. The one-stop solution element is derived from our ability to use internal or partner resources to provide solutions which span across all customer IT requirements.
To what extent have the needs/expectations of online gaming customers changed over the years? Have customers become more demanding?
At the core, online gaming customers continue to expect their data centre services provider to provide robust, secure and affordable hosting, complete with any ancillary support that such hosting requires. This has not changed. What has changed is the requirement by such customers to have access to additional resources and skills, as well as on-demand and flexible service offerings.
In our case, we have transformed our portfolio, which now includes a range of on-demand and pay-per-use cloud services, as well as strengthened our support and expert technical team to offer a range of managed services.
Many new operators opt not to have their own internal IT team and therefore depend on our technical team for advice, management and support. Other companies with internal IT teams prefer that their technical people focus on business-critical IT functions, and leave the infrastructure management and support to us, therefore optimising the use of their IT resources.
A growing part of your business is managed services – what do these services involve?
Managed services bridge the infrastructure and HR resource requirements of organisations. In many instances this involves ensuring that the IT infrastructure is kept up-to-date and managed properly, and that system administration is in place, on a 24/7 basis if required. We offer this but also extend our assistance to aspects such as infrastructure design, management of complex set-ups, design, operation and support of private and hybrid cloud infrastructures, as well as specific requirements related not just to the gaming platform but also to the communication and collaboration requirements at their office.
How do the managed service needs of an online gaming firm differ from companies in other sectors you deal with?
There are many similarities to other sectors such as financial institutions and telecom providers. Immediate response to requirements, ability to provide resiliency and pro-active management as well as a deep understanding of the IT and connectivity requirements are some of the key common characteristics.
One aspect which is very specific to online gaming customers relates to network and connectivity management. For that purpose we offer specific service management and support, based on our many years’ experience in offering services to gaming customers.
What advice can you offer online gaming firms about how best they can prepare for issues such as downtime, power outages and disaster recovery?
There is one simple piece of advice when it comes to such issues – always ensure that you choose a reputable data centre and IT solutions expert as your partner. Track record is critical, and the service provider should be able to guarantee performance in this regard. Multi-site setups are also important for disaster recovery requirements, including the ability to tap into a service provider’s expertise to design, implement, execute and support a business continuity plan.
What will be the biggest developments in the data centre services sector in the coming years?
As is the case with most IT-related industries, the data centre services sector is in a constant state of change with regards to technology and service development. Cloud technologies are part of this reality and this, coupled with higher degrees of automation, is enabling organisations such as BMIT to move to truly become an ‘IT-as-a-service’ provider. Other developments, including software-defined DC technologies, are expected to impact the way data centres offer their services, as will trends related to the handling of big data requirements. In other words, interesting times ahead!
BMIT has been confirmed as a National Champion in the 2014/15 edition of the EBAs - the European Business Awards.
Our video presentation is online and viewers from all over Europe are invited to vote for their favourite business and make it National Public Champion.
What are the EBAs? Since 2006, the European Business Awards have been given to companies that promote excellence, innovation & best practice in Europe. In this year’s edition, 709 businesses from 33 countries are competing for the prestigious Ruban d’Honneur,and the title of National Public Champion based on your voting choice.
Cast your vote today! Watch BMIT’s video entry on the EBA and cast your vote today by typing your email address in the box and clicking on the ‘Vote’ button. You will then receive an email to confirm your vote. To complete your vote for BMITclick the link in the email. You can vote for BMIT multiple times using different email addresses.
Voting closes at 17.00 on Tuesday, 24 February, 2014. Vote today.
We are pleased to announce that BMIT is now officially a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with Hosting Competency. This achievement was attained after extensive specialised training by our technical and commercial teams on core Microsoft products, as well as many aspects of sales and customer support.
The Microsoft Gold Partner status is another sign of BMIT’s commitment towards providing a high-value service to its customers as Malta’s largest data centre. This certification will enable us to strengthen our capabilities further and build better connections with clients, which in turn will help us develop better IT solutions that help them reach their full business potential.
It also allows our increasing hosting customer base to continue benefitting from BMIT's in-house expertise on various Microsoft technologies, and is also a recognition of our status as Malta's leading hosting services provider.
The online gaming industry has been experiencing rapid growth over the past decade to the tune of 20% a year and emerging markets in the US, Japan and Europe hold the promise of further growth.
But as the industry becomes more lucrative, it also catches the eye of wrongdoers looking to make a quick buck and using betting websites for their money laundering purposes.
In this article, we examine five tactics that fraudsters are using to target betting websites and further devious ends.
Tactic #1 - An unfair advantage
1. When an online gaming enthusiast shops around for the best bonuses, they stumble upon a review site where they can ask fellow gamblers for advice.
2. The fraudster, masquerading as a friend, suggests a website where the victim can obtain VIP bonus codes and invites them for a game of poker once they have registered.
3. When the victim clicks on the website suggested by the fraudster and downloads the bonus codes, they also load their device with malware that records everything that happens on screen and transmits this data to the fraudster.
4. When victim and fraudster meet online of a game of poker, the fraudster can see the cards held by the victim and use this information to take advantage of them.
Tactic #2 - Make them thank you
1. A fraudster purchases real payment card and user identity details from a website that sells this stolen data.
2. Funds from the victims account are transferred to a prepaid credit card which the fraudster can easily obtain using the victim’s own identity details or by fabricating a fake identity.
Note: Government regulations concerning money laundering with prepaid cards are scant or non-existing for small amounts of money.
3. The funds loaded on the prepaid card are then deposited at an online gambling website and used to wager several bets.
4. Money from winning bets are withdrawn into the prepaid card.
Bonus step: A fraction of the money won is used to repay the credit stolen from the victim’s account and the fraudster sends out a fake email purporting to be from the victim’s bank, claiming that fraud was detected and the stolen money reimbursed.
Tactic #3 - There’s money in numbers
1. Different fraudsters team up together and channel funds stolen from other people’s bank account to their respective gaming accounts at a particular online gambling website.
2. The fraudsters work together at poker tables by deliberately losing small amounts to each other and gradually laundering the money stolen into each other’s account.
Tactic #4 - Tipping the victim
How criminals fraudulently get access to customers online wallets to wash dodgy cash into clean cash.
1. A fraudster operating alone gains access to a person’s e-wallet credentials, which is often used by online gaming customers.
2. Money obtained from criminal activities is funnelled into the unsuspecting victim e-wallet.
3. The majority of this money is then deposited to another account owned by the fraudster, such that the transfer appears to originate from clean sources and is unassociated with crime.
4. The fraudster leaves a small amount of money in the victim’s account as a ‘gift’, duping them to believe that an account error was made on the bank’s part and counting on the victim’s greed to keep the extra money and not to report any suspicious activity to the bank.
Tactic #5 - Fraud 101: A step-by-step tutorial
Even though the original Silk Road, a notorious breeding spot of criminal activities that lay hidden in what is known as the deep web, was shut down by US and UK government enforcement agencies in 2013, there are several new versions that have spawned since then.
These websites advertise a wide variety of tools that can be used by fraudsters targeting the eGaming industry, including log-ins to bank accounts, prepaid cards, money transfer services as well as tutorials on how to defraud some of the world’s biggest betting websites.
Retailing at prices as low as €10, these tutorials provide access to established gaming accounts owned by real players with proven transactional histories with the betting websites and a line of credit ready to be defrauded. More expensive fraud tutorials provide access to accounts with a more established history and richer balances.
The Malta iGaming Seminar (MiGS) is a must-attend yearly appointment on the calendars of everyone involved in the igaming industry in Malta.
This year’s marks the sixth time the event has been organised on our shores and will feature two days full of informative talks, panels and keynotes by a host of international speakers, a revamped agenda with meetings and networking opportunities, as well as a more interactive format that encourages debate between participants.
MiGS 2014 is taking place on the 11th and 12th of November at the Hilton Hotel, in St Julians. Early bird tickets are available right now till the 15th of September at the special price of €249, so book your place now if you want to take advantage of the reduced prices and be in the loop on the lawww local and international developments affecting the industry.
We’re very proud to announce that earlier this month Michelle Vella Wood became the first ever local triathlete to step on the podium in an Ironman event.
With BMIT’s support, Michelle participated in her fourth Ironman Kalmar in Sweden, a gruelling event that www athletes’ endurance and willpower to the limits and which this year was marked by unfavourable weather conditions. Despite the strong headwinds and a rainstorm, Michelle pulled off a spectacular performance in all three disciplines of the event: finishing 2nd in her age-group in the swimming part, 4th in the cycling section and 3rd in the marathon.
BMIT congratulates Michelle for her remarkable achievement and we wish her a well-deserved rest before she begins training for her next event.
Summer is in full swing and as days get longer and workloads (hopefully!) lighter, we can afford to spend more time relaxing on the beach. Even though you’ve escaped from the office, chances are you still haven’t got away from your computer/mobile devices. So here are some IT tips for Summer 2014, to help you protect your data while away from work and make the sunny season brighter.
5 IT tips for Summer 2014
1. When travelling abroad, make sure you backup your data in case your devices get lost or stolen.
2. Make sure to clear any sensitive work-related documents that you may still have saved on your laptop/mobile devices.Save these on an external storage device or lock ‘em up in the cloud.
3. Keep your password safe by changing it regularly throughout the summer months as well. Maybe people work less around this time, but that’s just the perfect excuse for hackers to make a move.
4. IT people who are still stuck at work, now’s the perfect time to carry out updates and upgrades to your company’s IT system.
5. Learn how to automate your email inbox by using filter and auto-responders. Less work for you equals more time to relax!
For the 3rd year running, BMIT was a main sponsor for the 12-hour Fun Tennis Marathon in aid of Puttinu Cares, and held at the Marsa Sports Club on Friday 27th June 2014. This annual event is organised by the Tennis Section of the Marsa Sports Club, to raise funds for the Puttinu Cares Foundation, who's mission is to assist patients requiring medical treatment abroad. Assistance takes several forms, ranging from emotional solidarity, to financial aid, to those patients needing treatment abroad.
"At BMIT we collaborate annually to this event as part of our corporate social responsibility objectives. As a company we believe that we should support the foundation's objective and to help in its mission to assist patients requiring medical treatment overseas," said Christian Sammut, CEO of BMIT. "We are very delighted that the 12-Hour Tennis Marathon in aid of Puttinu Cares Foundation was yet another great success, with the help and support of over 170 tennis players taking part".
BMIT, Malta's leading data centre, cloud and managed services provider is, for the second year running, sponsoring the Swimming and Waterpolo School organized by Otters Aquatic Sports Club in Marsalforn Bay, Gozo.
After the successful initiative taken these last two years, the club is once again organizing lessons in Swimming and Waterpolo, for children in Gozo. These lessons will start on the 8th of July and will run throughout the months of July and August. Under the guidance of Head Coach, Alfred Cachia, the School has blossomed and in Summer 2013 it had close to 100 participants.
The main targets of this School are to promote and introduce swimming and waterpolo to children from the age of six upwards. With BMIT's backing, Otters ASC have recruited a number of qualified coaches which have given the School a more professional set-up.
On Saturday 17th May, a Registration Day was held at the Arkadia Shopping Mall in Victoria Gozo and this attracted a record number of new applicants, therefore promising a great summer of activities in Marsalforn. All those interested may still download an application from the Club's website.
