5 Days, 5 Takeaways – Recap of TBI’s BIG Event 2020

TBI hosted our fifth annual BIG Event on August 17^th through 21^st. Not only was this year bigger than ever – 5 days, 30+ sessions, 40+ providers – it was completely virtual! Taking place for a couple hours each day throughout the week, we addressed some of the biggest IT topics concerning businesses right now. Each day focused on a different subject – Emerging Tech & Mobility, Cybersecurity, Cloud, Cloud Communications and Collaboration, and Next Gen Networking. Partners were able to maximize their time by attending the sessions of their choice and booking 1on1 meetings directly with providers. In case you were not able to attend or missed a session, we’ve made replays available here. If you want the opportunity to connect with a specific provider, reach out to your Channel Manager to facilitate a meeting.

Reflecting on this year’s BIG Event, we put together five key takeaways, one for each day of the event.

Let’s be very clear - hackers do not discriminate. They’re after any and every opportunity to snatch data, make money, disrupt business and cause chaos. In case you missed it at TBI’s BIG Event 2020, a white hat hacker showed us exactly how easy it is to hack into a device during Hold My Beer While I Hack This Smartphone – watch here. Businesses big and small can fall prey, and you and your customers need to be aware. So far this year, we’ve seen some big-name companies, with presumable top-notch security, become victims. The pandemic seems to be a catalyst for many of the biggest breaches that have taken place in 2020. Check out some of the most headline grabbing examples of the reality and severity of cyberattacks.

COVID-19 has led to an onslaught of cyber security incidents, forcing organizations to act swiftly to protect themselves. As the threat landscape evolves, so do the security solutions. Are you up to date on the latest?

Security solutions are seeing an upgrade, incorporating cutting edge technologies. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are now being baked into security services, helping to identify and respond to threats faster than humanly possible. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) services now offer greater monitoring through extensions from network to the cloud, and managed detection and response (MDR) offerings are available as SaaS options for even quicker deployment. Authentication technology has also seen advancements, using new user identification methods to verify secure access. Many businesses are embracing the zero trust model leading providers to create stricter controls and micro-segmentation features.

Download this free white label doc to inform your customers about what is available now and how these solutions can keep their business secure. Brand with your own logo and contact information.

SSG Construction, a company renovating facilities on a remote Southern California military base, needed high-speed internet to communicate with its field teams and share real-time data.

With up to 20 employees and 30 subcontractors, SSG needed to keep its teams connected and informed. Often working at sites with no permanent address and outside the cable, fiber, and cell zones, internet connectivity proved tough to find at the speeds SSG needed to operate.

A huge cybersecurity problem facing many businesses, even large corporations, is the lack of a strong cybersecurity workforce. A report shared by Security Magazine found that 76% of cybersecurity leaders believe their company is lacking cybersecurity skills, and there are over 314,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the US according to Cyber Seek. In an alarming prediction from Cybersecurity Ventures, unfilled cybersecurity jobs around the world are only expected to increase, reaching 3.5 million by 2021, up from 1.5 million in 2015.

How a CIO switched providers and saved the day.

by Anthony Leggio, Vice President of Finance Solutions, AT&T Business

Technology solutions and applications essential for businesses in a post-COVID market
by AT&T Business Editorial Team

It’s hard to believe it has been nearly 4 months since the U.S. enacted shelter-in-place measures to counteract the spread of COVID-19. In that time, we have seen an unprecedented perseverance on display from businesses, both large and small. Through ingenuity and innovation, companies across all industries have had to adapt to new customer dynamics and working environments.

The FBI reports a 300-400% increase in cybersecurity incidents since the pandemic began and Google reveals 18 million COVID-related phishing emails are now being blocked, daily. Risks and threats have rapidly multiplied as hackers prey on disenfranchised organizations and unplanned remote work. Most businesses today have security baked into their IT plans, but those plans need to be re-evaluated and assessed on an ongoing basis.

As many people practice social distancing and in some cases isolation, technology has proven our greatest ally, keeping us connected person to person and business to consumer. Before the pandemic, people were already engaging with companies across multiple channels, by voice, text, chat, video, and social media, growing accustomed to choosing how we want to engage and getting a quick response. Now, as people are dispersed and businesses shut down, albeit temporary, these multi-channel communications have become vital. Companies and organizations have been resourceful during these uncertain times, exploring new outlets, some even changing business models as they move quickly to communicate in real-time with customers, employees and associates.

The response and urgency with which we all had to react to COVID-19 came on quickly. Suddenly, we found ourselves having to ramp up an offsite workforce, testing company productivity, IT teams and infrastructure. While some had remote employees or work from home policies, a completely remote workforce and IT infrastructure operating out of office was not a fully baked plan for most.

When cybersecurity events occur, they can have major - even devastating - effects on your customer’s business. Preparedness and prevention are key, but the number of protections and cybersecurity recommendations can be overwhelming. Where should your customer start? What if an attack or threat still happens, what do they do?

TBI’s Tech Gurus put together a simple step-by-step cybersecurity events plan to address each phase within an occurrence – prepare, defend, recover. Get a straightforward outline of recommended actions and specific solutions to address what is happening at each level, from protecting and detecting to responding and remedying. Have a handy shortlist of what solutions are best.

Download the Cybersecurity Events document for a quick reference guide to protect customers from cybersecurity occurrences.

This is the final post in a three-part series where we’re taking a closer look at various cloud-related solutions, what’s trending, and partner expectations as we head into 2020.

By 2020, the number of connected devices across all technologies will reach nearly 21 billion. -Gartner

This is the second in a three-part series that will run monthly through the end of the year where we’ll be taking a close look at various cloud-related solutions, what’s trending, and partner expectations as we head into 2020.

It’s common knowledge that cyberattacks are increasing in frequency every year, and companies of all sizes are continuing their migration to the cloud at a record-setting pace; as a result, while these are not a new phenomenon, both cloud accounts and credentials have become the primary targets for black hat hackers.

By: Chris Betz, Chief Security Officer, CenturyLink

Let me put it another way: Security can be complex. The true art is making security easy to use.

As a Fortune 150 company and the second largest U.S. communications provider to global enterprise customers, we are responsible for securing our own operations through a suite of hybrid IT, cloud, networking and communications solutions — in addition to those of our customers. As CSO for this company, I can attest to the fact that the pressures security leaders face today are many.

We’re excited to collaborate with our new and existing TBI members to offer the opportunity to sell a blended portfolio of Verizon wireline and wireless business solutions. With over 25 million Small Business customer prospects, we have tremendous opportunity to leverage the scale and expertise of the channel to meet customers where they want to buy.

This article was originally published on PR Newswire.

NEW YORK, June 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Brosnan Security, the renowned national security officer firm, has unveiled its newest SmartTruck, transformed by MetTel IoT into a connected mobile command center capable of instant internal and external threat and efficiency detection, analysis and response.  Brosnan is rolling out the new SmartTrucks to big box retail store parking lots nationwide through 2019.

Is your organization prepared? Is your security maturity advancing? Are you concerned with meeting compliance privacy regulations? At AT&T, we help organizations minimize risks, manage security operations effectively and work toward meeting compliance requirements.

No matter what type of business your company conducts, even if it is technology-based, your business can benefit from an outside set of eyes. The technology and data surrounding cybersecurity are constantly changing and evolving. This means that while you may have some of the most brilliant tech minds around grinding out your code, their focus is not necessarily security -- and the result is vulnerability.

It’s interesting to note that device loss accounts for 41% of breaches, compared with 25% that derived from hacking and malware, according to Trend Micro. Overall, there has been a 300% increase in mobile device OS vulnerabilities since 2011, and businesses are realizing the increasingly critical need to protect company—and customer data. As networking environments have evolved, IT departments have adapted to growing security threats in mobile devices. Cabir, the first virus that infected smartphones, reared its ugly head in 2004, and by the time iPhones and other smartphones emerged, a whole new generation of security woes had been born.

This article was originally published on Mitel's Blog.

Whether you work in a multi-hospital healthcare system or a private dentist’s office, protecting personal health information (PHI) is essential. HIPAA’s rules and requirements are clear — no matter what, PHI must be kept completely confidential.