InfoAge

One of our cloud providers, OneNet, speaks about how they protect our clients against threats and ransomware. With Ransomware attacks in 2017 reaching an all-time high, there is no better time to ensure your systems are protected adequately so you don’t lose your information (or money).

On   by OneNet.

If 2017 is to be remembered for anything from a cyber-security perspective, global ransomware attacks will top the list. Now perhaps the most infamous ransomware outbreak in history, the WannaCry virus reportedly infected over 230,000 computers in 150 countries worldwide.

Its victims ranged from small businesses right through to large organisations such as FedEx and the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. Estimates of the economic losses resulting from this single ransomware outbreak alone have run into the billions, and according to a report published by the US Department of Justice, ransomware attacks increased in frequency by 300% from 2015 to 2016.

Of course, ransomware is not the only threat on the cybersecurity landscape. Trojans, email phishing scams, denial-of-service attacks, and online identity fraud present persistent and increasingly sophisticated threats to business worldwide.

So what does this mean for small businesses and the IT companies that support them?

In a world where the UK’s National Health Service can be brought to its knees through a single infection, what hope is there for small companies with fewer resources to protect themselves? Further, what pressure does this place on traditional IT firms, whose clients expect 100% protection, but often don’t appreciate the complexity or cost involved?

While it seems an overwhelming prospect, the fundamental principle of best practice cybersecurity can be symbolised by the anatomy of the humble onion – many layered. Only installing antivirus agents on local machines, with a solitary business-grade firewall is no longer sufficient to maintain defence against the continually increasing number of infection vectors to which modern organisations are exposed.

At OneNet, we are a champion of the layered defence approach, and employ it across our infrastructure and services. For example, every user on our Hosted Desktop platform is protected by the following layers of defence:

  • Antivirus
  • Blended Threats (email link scanning)
  • Antispam
  • Two-factor authentication (optional)
  • Local Backups
  • Backup copies sent to geographically separated site
  • Encryption
  • Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)
  • Firewalls
  • Critical patching and updates to servers

As a result of our robust security systems, OneNet is proud to say not one user in our Hosted Desktop platform was affected by any of the recent attacks.

As a cloud provider for thousands of clients nationwide, a major advantage of the OneNet platform is economies of scale. Such advanced security systems and procedures, which are out of financial reach for most small-to-medium sized businesses, become cost effective – even for a single user.

At OneNet, we have invested significantly in enterprise level security systems, and we believe you, our partners, can make better use of internal resources by utilising them.  The time it takes you to manage tasks (server patching, antivirus updates, backups, spam filtering, and firewalls) would be better spent growing your business through higher-value activities. OneNet can handle these routine tasks efficiently, at a large scale, and to an enterprise standard of quality.

If you are ready to take the next step in improving security for your clients, get in touch with Matt at matt.smith@onenet.co.nz.