Securing Endpoint Devices in a Remote World The rapid and widespread shift to remote work has increased the complexity of endpoint security for enterprises with mobile workforces, and organizations have been hamstrung by a lack of resources, time, or even expertise on hand to address security gaps as they arise. As threat actors and hackers refine their tactics and snoop for ways to exploit vulnerabilities, organizations often don’t have the IT visibility and control to address or remediate every at-risk endpoint in a proactive fashion. Regrettably, research suggests that organizations that are not proactively looking for a way to find patching and remediation solutions within their budget are playing with fire. Nearly half of enterprise devices have gone dark to corporate IT or else have seen their operating systems become dated, making the prospect of a security breach more than a hypothetical threat for all too many organizations. In fact, the International Data Corporation (IDC) found that 70% of all successful network breaches originated on endpoint devices. If you’re one of the many organizations who have experienced an endpoint attack, you’re certainly not alone: A recent study by the Ponemon Institute found that 68% of organizations have experienced one or more endpoint attacks that successfully compromised data and/or their IT infrastructure. The same report found that 68% of IT professionals found that the frequency of endpoint attacks was increasing (source). Of those, 81% involved some form of malware and 28% involved compromised or stolen devices. 71% of IT and security professionals found patching to be overly complex, cumbersome, and time consuming, an Ivanti survey reveals. In fact, 57% of respondents stated that remote work has increased the complexity and scale of patch management. (source) Patching takes 2.5 times longer when endpoints are remote (source) 66% of respondents to the Ponemon Institute said that their organizations don’t have sufficient resources to minimize endpoint risks. Consequently, respondents indicated they could only address 52% of attacks with their current technologies and expertise (source). Comprehensive Compliant Security is the Only Real Solution The myriad of threats posed by evolving cyberattacks requires comprehensive security solutions so that IT teams can have a fighting chance of properly addressing all the different risks that endpoints face. Cybercriminals are aware that budget and resource limitations are leaving endpoints vulnerable as inviting targets for a potential breach. And adopting a thorough security posture is no longer a luxury or “nice to have” for SMBs, who represent 43% of these cyberattacks. Crippling endpoints to make them inoperable and then compromising corporate networks is a common strategy of cyberattacks, and resilience is the key to stopping breaches in their tracks through proactive remediation that patches up would-be vulnerabilities. The response has been to adopt endpoint management and self-healing capabilities that allow IT teams to discover every device on their network, and then manage and secure each device using modern, best-practice techniques that ensure end users are productive and company resources are safe. And to better facilitate IT for that end, more and more organizations are choosing to prioritize implementing or improving zero trust solutions as a standard part of their security posture. Zero trust is an information security model that grants IT strict access controls over users by not trusting anyone or any action by default when someone is logged on within a network security perimeter. Each transaction is evaluated for the identity of who is requesting it, what they need and what risk is involved in permitting them access. This security posture assumes breach threats are ever present and takes nothing for granted when verifying someone is allowed access within a network. In a cyber landscape full of malicious actors, the mantra is to never trust, always verify. Another great tool remains multi-factor authentication (MFA), which remains the gold standard for mitigating password risk and preventing cyber criminals from exploiting user credentials to gain access to a network. When used correctly, MFA can provide an additional layer of security that prevents opportunistic bad guys from compromising credentials, even if credentials were exposed by phishing campaigns, brute force attacks, keyloggers, credential stealing malware incidents or many other types of sophisticated intruder attempts. Managed detection and response (MDR) is an outsourced service that provides organizations with threat hunting services and responds to threats once they are discovered in real-time. MDR is a critical piece of IT security and can reduce the burden of monitoring and managing end points by offloading the job to an expert provider with 24x7x365 security operations center (SOC) that is dedicated to analyzing internal and external threats. Additionally, if organizations struggle to patch their endpoints, then it becomes a no-brainer that overwhelmed IT teams need to be given the tools to properly identify patching and remediation gaps before a bad actor does first. Remote and automated patching further ensures human error and IT visibility issues are remediated by phasing out manual patching for endpoint management. And to that end as part of a comprehensive security posture, Ntirety’s Workstation patching helps answer the call for IT departments in need of expert assistance to help navigate the perils of patching management and remediation for their enterprise endpoints. Workstation was designed to deliver critical, timely endpoint protection against vulnerabilities no matter where a workforce may be in the world. It also accelerates patch and remediation actions—such as bug fixes and security flaw correction—and is also used to meet strict compliance standards. And when implemented in tandem with Ntirety’s MDR (log management and threat management), the pair create an even more comprehensive security posture, because patching is a preventative, proactive measure to protect against threats and known vulnerabilities, while MDR helps identify, contain, and remediate risks as they arise. When used together, IT departments can comprehensively secure and manage any endpoint that connects with or impacts the health of their network, granting IT the visibility and control over endpoints necessary to identify and remediate problems as they arise and not after the fact. When it comes to compliance, patching tools such as Workstation are a necessary part of adhering to several compliance standards. Workstation in particular supports compliance requirements such as PCI and HIPAA while providing documentation via a reporting feature. Cloud operations also stand to benefit from Workstation patching, which includes patching for servers and virtual machines. The bottom line is that IT relies on patch management to ensure endpoint devices have the latest security, functionality, and features at scale to keep workforces productive and businesses protected around the clock. Ntirety’s Workstation augments an IT team’s remediation powers by ensuring that devices have the latest features and functionality at scale so that they can remain reliable, safe and secure from the bad actors of the world, making it an indispensable part of a truly comprehensive security posture.
Ntirety Achieves ISO 27001 Security Certification Affirms the Robustness and Rigor of Ntirety’s Security Offerings, Policies, and Procedures AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Ntirety, the most trusted comprehensive IT security provider, today announced that it has received ISO 27001:2013 certification recognizing its proven commitment to the highest level of information security management. Ntirety’s certification was issued by A-LIGN, after the successful completion of its first formal audit process. Ntirety boasts compliance with all major standards such as HIPPA, HITRUST CSF, PCI DSS, SOC, GDPR, ISO, and CCPA, and also help customers get compliant on all these standards with offerings such as the Ntirety Compliance As A Service (CAAS). “Congratulations to the Ntirety team for receiving the certification upon the first attempt. This speaks to the readiness and posture of the entire organization. As a cyber-security service provider, the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of data has always been paramount,” said Emil Sayegh, President and CEO of Ntirety. “This ISO 27001 certification ensures that the security of data and information is being properly controlled in all areas of our organization. In order to also help our customers become and stay compliant, we will always ensure that Ntirety’s IT systems meet or exceed the most stringent standards and expectations.” ISO 27001:2013 is an information security standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards, and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Ntirety’s certification was issued by A-LIGN, an independent and accredited certification body based in the United States on successful completion of a formal audit process. This certification is evidence that Ntirety has met rigorous international standards in ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and other assets associated with information and information processing managed by Ntirety; services and support provided to clients; data provided by clients; all staff and contractors under the control of Ntirety. A-LIGN, an independent, third-party auditor, found Ntirety to have technical controls in place and formalized IT Security policies and procedures to protect it from unauthorized access or compromise. About Ntirety Managing security and compliance is a strategic, economic imperative that directly impacts business outcomes. Ntirety is the only company that embeds compliant security throughout IT and company culture, protecting enterprises with a comprehensive compliant security solution. With over 20 years of experience and deep security expertise, Ntirety’s security operations centers (SOCs) simplify risk management programs with a full protection, recovery and assurance suite of services. Learn more about Ntirety’s award-winning and globally-trusted Compliant Security Solutions at ntirety.com.
TikTok Users Are Bleeding Data For good or for bad, TikTok is one of the most popular mobile entertainment apps in the United States today. Its appeal to teens and a youthful demographic has captured a massive and growing audience with its community platform for creation and sharing short-form videos. It all sounds like fun and games, which are undeniable facets of its meteoric rise in our modern culture. A recent report by cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0 however highlighted the hidden dangers of TikTok’s “excessive” data collection regimen, and it has many users wondering if their data is somehow at risk. To further understand this threat, we must zoom out to look at the entire picture including the app itself, the code behind it, how the app is being used, the company itself, and the data that is likely affected by this app. TikTok is a Chinese app that is owned by ByteDance. The Western world is only now beginning to understand the potential alliance and influence that exists between state government agencies and private social media firms, especially with companies such as TikTok that are collecting massive amounts of data and attempting to influence information to varying extents. Government Influences In China, there is little question that private companies are closely linked and aligned with the wishes of its governing party, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The tech industry can simply look at the journey of Huawei for evidence of the CCP attempts at tampering, and spying by creating notorious backdoors. Based on multiple stories, it appears that the CIA and other western intelligence agencies not only have proof of the Huawei backdoors into major local telecom firms, but also that Huawei received funding from Chinese state security agencies. The ByteDance audience, however, continues to grow with little challenge from anyone else in the marketplace and in the minds of youth. Is ByteDance, with its market position and foothold into millions of mobile devices, susceptible to its country’s party influence? It is not a stretch to say “how could they not be”? Awakening to Privacy Concerns At the center of concerns are the TikTok privacy practices, and the claims of invasive privacy issues keep piling up. Significant reports indicate that the data collection practice outpace anything that Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter have ever imagined. It quite plausible that the Chinese government has access to and leverage to collect all of this accumulated data. Meanwhile, TikTok is profusely collecting data at such a large scale that it’s raised alarms across the world that resulted in: An official Apple research announcement outlining how TikTok deliberately spies on its users An outright ban preventing U.S. Military personnelfrom using the applicate due to it being a ‘cyber threat’ A call from the FCC to ban TikTok entirely An uptick in privacy advocate concerns These concerns aren’t just some sudden developments. A while back, research uncovered how the app installs browser trackers on subject devices. While that might seem common and perhaps insignificant, the tracker can reveal all of a user’s internet activities without authorization or notification. The app is also reportedly using fingerprinting technique which serves to identify specific users and their activity. That means the internet activities of any TikTok user wind up in the hands of Chinese entities and they know who you are with near absolute certainty, along with all your browsing history. When App Features Become App Threats TikTok requires access to a phone’s camera and microphone as part of its service. Consumers expect the convenience of allowing trustable applications to have access to these components, but one has to wonder about how TikTok is using its permissions. They could be secretly recording conversations and video resources. In its defense, ByteDance has stated that its wish is to serve a more global audience and therefore minimizes its links to China itself. This is very difficult to envision however, given the absolute control the CCP has over a company like this. It is not something that will just be able to ‘leave’. Does it surprise anyone that ByteDance wants this in every country? Is There Any Hope for TikTok Privacy? You love it. You want it. Your kids want it. So – is there any way for the average person to use the application and protect their data? Well, you might be able to limit some risk by controlling specific permissions, but it would probably not be long before changes reset all those configuration settings, or another form of circumvention emerges. In summary, the ByteDance privacy practices are abhorrent and there appears that there is nothing that anybody is willing to do about it. When a sworn political and economic enemy is in a clandestine position of planting an immovable trojan horse upon a willing and complacent population, there is little hope they are just going to give up that position. The only way to remove that trojan horse is to root it out and burn it down with no regrets, all while building up a comprehensive security strategy for your organization, and for you individually. This article was originally published in Forbes, please follow me on LinkedIn.
Ntirety Selected as One of Canada’s Best Employers for Recent Grads This year, Ntirety was selected for the Career Directory: Canada’s Top Employers for Recent Graduates. Published annually since 1992, The Career Directory is Canada’s longest-running employment guide for new graduates. Each year, the editorial team at the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project reviews thousands of employers to determine the academic qualifications they actively seek in young job-seekers. The result is a wonderful resource that helps students and new graduates find jobs that make the most of their university degree or college diploma. You can find Ntirety’s page on the Career Directory here.
Industry Leaders Vicki Patten and Jim Garrity Join Ntirety Executive Team Ntirety is proud to announce that a new Vice President of Channel and COO / CISO are coming into the fold and bringing 50 + years of IT and cyber experience with them. Vicki Patten and Jim Garrity represent that Ntirety is not only an attractive destination for top industry talent, but that Ntirety is dedicated to finding the right fit for our channel only go to market strategy. AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Ntirety, the most trusted comprehensive IT security provider, has named industry veterans Vicki Patten as VP Channel and Jim Garrity as COO / CISO. The two hires are yet another indication of the high-quality talent that Ntirety continues to recruit across all its business units, delivering unparalleled Managed Security Services (MSSP) to more than 1200 customers across the country, and growing its MSSP services 100% year over year. “Jim and Vicki are highly respected veterans of our industry, and we’re thrilled to have them join our team and our mission,” said Emil Sayegh, CEO of Ntirety. “Jim’s expertise in security, and cryptography across industries will be a vital resource for our team and the enterprises we serve. And Vicki’s leadership in and across the channel will bring even closer alignment with our valued partners and customers.” Prior to joining Ntirety, Patten served as Agent Channel Chief with Rackspace Technology, Vice President of Sales and Marketing with MultiTek Global, and Consulting Sales Manager for Oracle. With over 30 years in the technology industry, Patten has extensive experience helping companies solve problems in IT while helping partners grow their business. “Ntirety’s reputation in the industry is one of the best and I simply couldn’t pass up an opportunity to work with this team,” said Patten. “I’m thrilled to join a company whose channel commitment is so entrenched and work together to bring even better customer-first approaches to the market.” Garrity joins Ntirety with an extensive background as an IT executive. For more than 20 years, he developed storage, security and information architecture solutions in the banking, finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and government sectors. He most recently served as the COO at Diamond Technologies and as the CEO of The Laundry Boss, a cloud solution for laundry owners and operators. Garrity is a co-creator of the cybersecurity program at Wilmington University, which has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cybersecurity by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Jim also serves as an Adjunct Professor, teaching cryptography and applied mathematics, networking security, operating system kernel management, cloud computing, and computer ethics. “Ntirety is an industry leader in managed security, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with this incredible leadership team,” Garrity said. “We aim to deliver simple but deep perspective on security and compliance for our customers, and I look forward to working with each of them to create confidence and strength in their IT operations.” About Ntirety Managing security and compliance is a strategic, economic imperative that directly impacts business outcomes. Ntirety is the only company that embeds compliant security throughout IT and company culture, protecting enterprises with a comprehensive compliant security solution. With over 20 years of experience and deep security expertise, Ntirety’s security operations centers (SOCs) simplify risk management programs with a full protection, recovery and assurance suite of services. Learn more about Ntirety’s award-winning and globally-trusted Compliant Security Solutions at ntirety.com.
TBI Adds Ntirety to Supplier Portfolio Ntirety was delighted to be added to the supplier portfolio of TBI, one of the most prestigious technology service distributors in the United States. The addition to such an industry leading and high-profile company’s partner ecosystem speaks to the fact that Ntirety is recognized by the very best as being a go to provider of compliant comprehensive security expertise. The recent announcement of TBI’s addition of Ntirety to their supplier portfolio comes directly on the heels of being recognized as one of the top 20 MSSP’s in the world for 2022. And Ntirety looks forward to affirming TBI’s vote of confidence by providing TBI partners with the tools to provide comprehensive protection and prevention against evolving cyberthreats. CHICAGO, IL – TBI, the nation’s leading technology services distributor, announces the addition of Ntirety to their supplier portfolio. Ntirety, serving enterprise customers for over 20 years, is a highly trusted, comprehensive security supplier and the only company that embeds compliant security throughout the IT stack to safeguard assets businesses rely on. With Ntirety’s addition to TBI’s supplier portfolio, members of their partner ecosystem will gain access to comprehensive managed security and compliance services to deliver differentiated solutions to their clients. In the face of overwhelming cybersecurity challenges, enterprises today rely heavily on technology and service suppliers to manage risk and prevent attacks. Through Ntirety, TBI partners will be able to access an entire security and cloud management services portfolio, providing additional resources to protect their customers against cybersecurity threats. As a TBI supplier, Ntirety will also provide partners and their customers with valuable cybersecurity knowledge, as well as an ever-expanding feature set that mitigates all the nascent cybersecurity threat vectors. Offering turnkey and comprehensive solutions and services, Ntirety removes the complexity of traditional point-solution cybersecurity services. “Both TBI and Ntirety take a human approach to sales and partnership, focused on successful business outcomes for both partners and customers,” said Emil Sayegh, President and CEO of Ntirety. “As a trusted source of cybersecurity expertise, it’s a natural fit to partner with TBI and offer next generation cybersecurity, managed cloud, and compliance services in an ever-evolving industry.” “We’re pleased to have a well-established and reputable supplier like Ntirety join TBI’s portfolio of offerings. Cybersecurity in today’s world is essential for all businesses to address as a priority, and I am excited for our VARs & partner community to have the Ntirety suite of security service as part of their arsenal,” said TBI’s Vice President of Corporate Resellers/VARs, Jim Wolande. About Ntirety Managing security and compliance is a strategic, economic imperative that directly impacts business outcomes. Ntirety is the only company that embeds compliant security throughout IT and company culture, protecting enterprises with a comprehensive compliant security solution. With over 20 years of experience and deep security expertise, Ntirety’s security operations centers (SOCs) simplify risk management programs with a full protection, recovery and assurance suite of services. Learn more about Ntirety’s award-winning and globally trusted Compliant Security Solutions at ntirety.com. About TBI TBI is North America’s largest privately held technology services distributor. Since 1991, TBI has assisted Systems Integrators, VARs, MSPs, IT consultants, developers, software distributors and many entrepreneurs in advising and sourcing the right technology solutions. TBI serves as a partner’s advocate, ensuring the proper provisioning of cloud, internet, data, mobility, voice, and managed services from best-in-class service suppliers to achieve clients’ desired business outcomes. Endorsed by partners as having the best back-office support in the Channel, TBI’s 75+ person team meticulously oversees partners’ projects, providing ongoing updates, and proactively handling any issues or escalations. Solutions engineers and subject matter experts, along with training and an award-winning marketing team, empower its partners to be the foremost authority to advise and source all of their clients’ technology needs in over 40 countries. For more information visit www.tbicom.com and follow TBI on LinkedIn.
Ntirety Shares Cybersecurity Services Vision for Selling in Fast-changing Threat Landscape Ntirety recently had the privilege of sitting down with our Partner Advisory Council (PAC) to plot a course for the future. Our time together in Austin was immensely beneficial for creating a roadmap that implements the wisdom of our partners into our own cybersecurity services vision. Experience has taught us that sometimes the best way to lead is to listen to the feedback and insights of our valuable partner collaborators. And Ntirety has prioritized placing the input of partners into real world action that will accelerate growth and provide better protection to customers. AUSTIN, TX – OCTOBER 6, 2022 — Ntirety, the most trusted Comprehensive Security provider, today announced channel initiatives resulting from its recent Second Annual Partner Advisory Council meeting. The fifteen-member council meets yearly to advise on best practices and collaborate on goals and capabilities for the upcoming year. The group of senior channel executives and Ntirety’s leadership team discussed the ongoing the ever-evolving threat landscape, the demand for comprehensive security solutions, and the need for compliance education as customers face increasing regulation. “As a channel-only organization, Ntirety’s commitment to our partners is unassailable,” said Emil Sayegh, CEO of Ntirety. “The opportunity to collaborate with members of the Council in shaping the future of cybersecurity is invaluable. That collaboration directly shapes decisions we make about our services roadmap and GTM. The great work we do with our partners is testament to the power of our common relationships and expertise.” The Ntirety Partner Advisory Council serves as the trusted voice of Ntirety customers, providing unique insights and firsthand knowledge on the brand’s services. The council’s goal is to foster discussions about products, solutions, services, marketing tools, new initiatives, channel operations, and more. This year’s meeting covered a broad range of topics and resulted in commitment to further excellence in the channel by: Further expanding the POD sales structure to support national accounts more fully Continued focus on the vCISO and CaaS product / service offerings to help maintain compliance and manage risk across the entire organization Positioning Ntirety as the leader in MDR, leveraging the company’s recent top 20 placement on MSSP Alert’s Top 250 List for 2022 Expanding Ntirety’s messaging to the market, in terms of its in-depth expertise in Secure Cloud Operations, and SecDevOps Building on Ntirety’s generalist compliance success to drive deeper expertise in industries including Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Financial Services. “I had the pleasure of being part of last year’s Partner Advisory Council meeting and was pleased to see many of the topics we discussed come to fruition, including the new POD sales structure,” said Mel Melara, VP of Sales, Bridgepointe Technologies. “The Ntirety compliant data security and cloud operations services offering uniquely meets the needs of customers.” “It was inspiring to attend this year’s Partner Advisory Council meeting again and see first-hand Ntirety’s innovative approach to the market,” said Jeff Sharon, CEO, Cenergi. “The Ntirety portfolio of security and cloud operations services are tailor made for this time and they have a unique opportunity to capitalize on their expertise in this market.” Ntirety’s exclusive commitment to Channel includes dedicated training resources, co-branded marketing collateral, reciprocal opportunity generation, and partner advisory boards, as well as evergreen commission structures and opportunity-specific incentive plans. About Ntirety Managing security and compliance is a strategic, economic imperative that directly impacts business outcomes. Ntirety is the only company that embeds compliant security throughout IT and company culture, protecting enterprises with a comprehensive compliant security solution. With over 20 years of experience and deep security expertise, Ntirety’s security operations centers (SOCs) simplify risk management programs with a full protection, recovery and assurance suite of services. Learn more about Ntirety’s award-winning and globally-trusted Compliant Security Solutions at ntirety.com.
Ntirety Named #20 on MSSP Alert’s Top 250 List for 2022 Ntirety is honored to be recognized by MSSP Alert, and it as a reflection of Ntirety’s dedication to providing our partners with comprehensive security ranging from strategy, like Ntirety’s vCISO service, to daily management of their security with our Managed Security and SOC services. Being mentioned prominently on this list is especially meaningful because the rankings are based on MSSP Alert’s 2022 readership survey. This means customers and peers have taken the time to acknowledge Ntirety’s advancement towards greater security. We won’t relent on our mission to keep our customers secure and Ntirety will continue to safeguard you from the latest threats with our products and services. We pledge to be proactive in keeping bad actors out of your cyber infrastructure. AUSTIN, TX – Sept 27, 2022 – MSSP Alert, a CyberRisk Alliance resource, has named Ntirety 20th to its Top 250 MSSP’S list for 2022. The list recognizes Ntirety, the most trusted comprehensive IT security provider and the only company that embeds compliant security throughout the complete IT stack, as leading in business growth, ecosystem partnerships, quality of services and superior talent. “We could not be prouder of our ranking on the MSSP Alert’s worldwide survey,” said Emil Sayegh, CEO of Ntirety. “Our top 20 global ranking is testament to the company’s innovative approach to comprehensive IT security, setting us apart from point product security providers. It is also a testament to the impressive company growth, industry leadership, and customer focus.” “MSSP Alert congratulates Ntirety on this year’s honor,” said Joe Panettieri, editorial director of MSSP Alert. “The MSSP Alert readership and Top 250 honorees continue to outpace the cybersecurity market worldwide.” The list and research identify and honors the top MSSPs (managed security service providers) worldwide. The rankings are based on MSSP Alert’s 2022 readership survey combined with the site’s editorial coverage of MSSP, MDR and MSP security providers. The sixth-annual list and research track the MSSP market’s ongoing growth and evolution. 2022 has been a year of record growth and innovation for Ntirety. Accomplishments and milestones include: Key customer wins with 100% increase in MSSP clients annually. Broadening of Ntirety’s channel program, by adding every major TSBs, and hundreds of more sub-agents. The launch of Ntirety’s unique CaaS service, offering both a consulting strategy and implementation of a continuous compliance process on behalf of customers. The launch of Ntirety’s vCISO Service, which removes the guesswork from security, implementing best practices, creating a prioritized roadmap, and developing and executing a comprehensive security program. Winning three global InfoSec awards in the following categories: Next Gen Cloud Security; Editor’s Choice Cybersecurity Service Provider of the Year; and Editor’s Choice Cybersecurity Services. About Ntirety Managing security and compliance is a strategic, economic imperative that directly impacts business outcomes. Ntirety is the only company that embeds compliant security throughout IT and company culture, protecting enterprises with a comprehensive compliant security solution. With over 20 years of experience and deep security expertise, Ntirety’s security operations centers (SOCs) simplify risk management programs with a full protection, recovery and assurance suite of services. Learn more about Ntirety’s award-winning and globally-trusted Compliant Security Solutions at ntirety.com.
Managed Security Leader Ntirety Announces New Security and Compliance Services The latest CaaS and vCiso offerings from Ntirety complement existing comprehensive security solutions. They were developed to stay ahead of the complex security and compliance needs facing enterprises of all sizes since Ntirety’s CaaS and vCISO services maintain compliance and manage risk across the entire organization in an efficient and cost-effective manner. And these services enable Ntirety to stand out even further from the pack when it comes to providing uniquely comprehensive compliant security to customers. AUSTIN, TX, Sept. 20, 2022 – Ntirety, the most trusted comprehensive IT security provider and the only company that embeds compliant security throughout the complete IT stack, today announced the launch of two new advanced security services: Compliance-as-a-Service (CaaS) and Virtual CISO (vCISO). Developed to stay ahead of the complex security and compliance needs facing enterprises of all size, Ntirety’s CaaS and vCISO services maintain compliance and manage risk across the entire organization in an efficient and cost-effective manner. “Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen cybercrime activity rising well over 600 percent,” said Emil Sayegh, CEO of Ntirety. “Now more than ever, businesses need to protect themselves with comprehensive security and compliance, and these newly launched services enhance Ntirety’s mission to provide complete, end-to-end protection.” Ntirety’s unique CaaS service offers both a consulting strategy and implementation of a continuous compliance process on behalf of customers. Ntirety helps clients stay on top of regulatory demands, address risk, and provide evidence of compliance to maintain trust with auditors, customers, and partners. Ntirety’s CaaS combines the best parts of Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) tooling, consulting, and execution to simplify the entire compliance process—from understanding requirements and gathering evidence across departments to implementing controls and reporting on program effectiveness. “Ntirety’s comprehensive compliance-as-a-service and their dedicated expert have become an extension of our team throughout the entire process,” said Greg Church, IT Security & Compliance Engineer for Ntirety client AbsoluteCare. “The continuous support and guidance from strategy to implementation is invaluable, as we wouldn’t be able to get it all done without our partnership with Ntirety.” Ntirety’s vCISO Service removes the guesswork from security, implementing best practices, creating a prioritized roadmap, and developing and executing a comprehensive security program. Paired with an unmatched suite of services for support and optimization, vCISO proactively protects businesses against a broad range of evolving risks and aligns security and compliance needs with business objectives. “Our vCISO turnkey service fills the leadership void and provides the comprehensive solutions that companies need to combat cyber incidents,” Sayegh added. “Especially for businesses in healthcare, financial services, higher education, and retail. Those industries face high regulatory standards that absolutely have to be met.” These new services augment Ntirety’s existing comprehensive security solutions, allowing customers to come to Ntirety as a single provider for all security and compliance needs. Whether businesses are working towards meeting a compliance requirement or need help with security, Ntirety provides a full suite of security and compliance services to remediate risks and improve controls. For more information on Ntirety’s security and compliance products, visit www.Ntirety.com. About Ntirety Managing security and compliance is a strategic, economic imperative that directly impacts business outcomes. Ntirety is the only company that embeds compliant security throughout IT and company culture, protecting enterprises with a comprehensive compliant security solution. With over 20 years of experience and deep security expertise, Ntirety’s security operations centers (SOCs) simplify risk management programs with a full protection, recovery and assurance suite of services. Learn more about Ntirety’s award-winning and globally-trusted Compliant Security Solutions at ntirety.com.
Answering The Problems Of CIO Turnover The CIO role has become increasingly paramount as modern organizations’ technology has become increasingly complex and unique. But, within the responsibilities of this role, companies are struggling with turnover rates. In this article, Ntirety CEO Emil Sayegh delves into the turnover of this critical position. Across industries, we commonly talk about the lifecycle of products, computers, and software, yet we rarely hear about the life cycles of the Chief Information Officer (CIO). When it comes to technology, modern organizations are as complex as they are unique, and it comes down to the CIO to navigate through a wide sea of technology that reaches into every aspect of the organization. With an increasingly heightened importance on the execution of transformative information technology projects, the turnover rates for the CIO position are becoming a challenge for organizations across the spectrum. Amidst the technological climate of business today, the expectations for organizational success have never been closer to the actions of technology executives and the leadership they provide. Thanks to the rapid evolution of technologies, the role of the CIO has progressively shifted from the person responsible for running IT, to the purchaser of selected services or technologies, to that of a tactical technology strategist. The CIO can affect the very DNA of an organization, making it better, faster, and more able—or sometimes quite the opposite, unfortunately. The Come and Go of CIOs Across the Fortune 500, the issue of high turnover rates, even at the executive level, is hardly an industry secret. CIOs average from three to five years of tenure according to various industry reports, making consistency in IT delivery a challenge widely felt throughout the organization. This heightened criticality—combined with the rapid nature of the technology business as well as global technology skills shortages—are all factors that lead to this relatively high degree of CIO turnover. Incumbent CIOs face continual performance reviews from their CEOs and sometimes their company boards. They also have career aspirations; they get poached often and may just get burned out. The overall direction of a company can shift, as we saw with the COVID-19 pandemic, and fresh initiatives create demands for the CIOs and their teams to fulfill. Turnover is rampant when change is about, and change comes with the territory of business and technology. The Whys of CIO Turnover The CIO faces challenges across the board, and there are various factors that lead to turnover in this position: Security breaches – A significant security incident has the power to alter and end careers Project failures – Including misses on deadlines, budget, and objective fulfillment Burnout – Accelerated timelines, bureaucratic resistance, and resources challenges Uninteresting work – When the grass is greener somewhere else and the technology goals do not match what the CIO wants to do Technology executives also report that when they leave on their own terms, they have achieved a state where technology is on the right trajectory, even without their presence. They also share that they have achieved all that they wanted in their scenarios. Who is Right and Who is Wrong? Analyzing these overall factors, it is difficult to choose a side. Organizations need capable and experienced executives which means the search for talent can never stop. In some cases, the union between exec and organization can decay. What is more useful is to characterize successful CIOs. Regardless of tenure, the successful CIO has positioned themselves into a position of an essential nature. Around the office, this is easy to spot. Peers, leaders, and co-workers will naturally gravitate to an effective CIO. They lead through clear missions, and they recognize how to leverage technologies to drive improvements across the organization, create and capitalize on opportunities, and help manage costs. In various scenarios, CIOs are also able to deliver competitive intelligence that is actionable and useful to the organization’s goals. The successful CIO continuously learns on the job and balances risk factors, budgets, utility, and more in new technology scenarios. Building and Creating Great CIO Stories Striving for reduced CIO turnover is an exercise in improving outcomes and creating consistency. Whether from the position of the CEO, the board or the CIO, the responsibilities of this critical position are essential to the health of the organization and specific goals can help reduce the short-nature transitions and satisfaction. Think BIG – the CIO should envision the big picture and act with essential intent. Establish that critical connection between bytes, results, and opportunities. Remote work, IoT and AI systems, rapid application development, and global capabilities are just a few of the difference-making journeys that CIOs must embark on. Tap the Untapped: The untapped capabilities for the average organization are essentially limitless. With innovation and proven cloud technologies powering enterprise sails, a lone CIO can be the catalyst that raises the bar across business units and delivers transformative value to the organization. The Customer Experience: The modern technological needs feature an intense focus on user and employee experiences, profitability and 24x7x365 availability that depend on rapid, flexible technologies in addition to well-run operations. The CIO needs to lead this charge with innovation as the technological heart that drives everything forward. “Goldilocks” Partners to Mitigate Challenges – When the challenge is technical, or a security failure, specialized partnerships always produce better results than internal efforts. Find partners that match your needs and can take full ownership, rather than piecemeal. Treat partners well and you can invoke their full knowledge and networks. Bigger is not always better, and too small is often too risky. Recognize Your Top Solution is People – Technology isn’t everything. In fact, it’s not even the first thing—people are. Develop. Coach. Work together. Include end users, developers, IT, and leadership as you work down this route. Focus on Acceleration – At every turn, opportunities through technology and services can change the game and help you achieve goals. Going it alone can be thrifty, but rarely fully delivers. Resolve Conflicts – The waters will rise, the milk might spoil, things might seem destined to go wrong. Navigate these challenges with elegance by finding the best possible solutions. From CIO 1.0 to CIO 2.0 The Chief Information Officer will further move forward from day-to-day operations to picking up innovation, becoming de facto Chief Innovation Officer formally or informally. With each passing year, the role of CIOs becomes increasingly important to the core operations of a company. With everything that has happened these last two years, technology is more critical today than ever and as we roll into the future, there is no stopping this critical shift. Enterprise goals and achievements are contingent on the success of modern technologies. Upon reviewing the scenarios between the organization and its CIO, it is clear that objectives are critical and opportunities to evolve the organization drive this relationship. Just as the universe of technologies is boundless and without limits, the CIO can unleash growth through continually questioning, solving, and delivering toward their individual goals and those of the organization. Check out this piece, originally published in Forbes and follow me on LinkedIn.
