ESET Protect

ESET Protect – Complete Multi-layered Protection for your Business

WTL are very excited to announce that we have recently partnered with award-winning global digital security leader ESET. We can now offer our customers ESET PROTECT, an easy-to-use security platform to protect endpoints, business data and users across all operating systems, available as both cloud or on-premises installations.

So, who are ESET?

  • ESET offers award-winning antivirus protection for Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile devices. They help users with identity theft protection and the detection and removal of malware and viruses.
  • ESET security solutions are completely agile and use machine learning to stay up to date with the latest malware signatures and threats.
  • ESET are a global digital security company, protecting millions of customers and thousands of companies worldwide.
  • ESET is trusted by some of the biggest companies in the world, such as: Mitsubishi Motors, Google, Canon and Allianz. ESET are also highly regarded by partners and independent analysts.

So why ESET?

  • 13 global Research & Development centres.
  • 600+ R&D experts behind ESET technology.
  • 30+ years of experience in internet security.
  • ESET reaffirmed ‘Champion’ status in Canalys Global Cybersecurity Leadership Matrix 2022.
  • ESET was Rewarded with the AV-Test Top Product Award in “the best Windows antivirus software” test in the business category.
  • For the fourth consecutive year, ESET has been named a ‘Top Player’ in the Radicati Endpoint Security Market Quadrant.
  • ESET has earned the AAA award for its ESET Endpoint Security 9.0 solution in the Enterprise Endpoint Protection Awards from the SE Labs.
  • ESET has been named a Strategic Leader in Endpoint Protection & Response (ERP) Comparative Report by AV-Comparatives.

Why does WTL Use ESET itself?

  • A small footprint on the desktop,
  • Easy deployment and ongoing administration (centralized management)
  • Trusted threat detection and mitigation with reporting
  • Offers A Single-pane-of-glass solution that protects all platforms, including desktop and mobile devices.

Another New Addition to our Team 

We are delighted to welcome Katie Cross to WTL Team. Katie started with us in January as a Sales Associate. She is a Philosophy graduate with a long-standing passion for IT and an enthusiasm to learn all about the services and solutions that WTL offer. Katie also has a drive for helping others, thus is passionate about sales and the process of communicating with and assisting customers.

In the last few months, since starting, Katie has undergone training with our vendor partners and gained certification surrounding the IT solutions and services we offer. Katie has also participated in sales training with Pareto Law and began her training with the ESET PROTECT campaign. This started as a mini campaign but due to the success of this, a larger ESET PROTECT is underway.

Oracle infrastructure - 4 question marks

4 Questions you must answer when choosing Oracle infrastructure

Your organisation may have committed its IT operational future to Oracle – but that is just part of the challenge. Now you must select infrastructure that delivers optimal performance for your Oracle estate.

Here are four questions to answer that will help you make the smartest choice as you consider your options.

1. How will the infrastructure be deployed?

Oracle applications are often just as ‘at home’ in the cloud as they are on-premise – or in a hybrid combination of both. There are distinct benefits for each physical location and you need to choose the deployment option that best suits your goals.

Ultimate performance and control are found with on-premise deployments – scalability and provisioning simplicity in the cloud. Hybrid provides a little of both.

What you hope to achieve will determine where your Oracle infrastructure should be located.

2. Will the solution stimulate innovation?

Digital transformation is intended to help an organisation better apply data to their business challenges. But as the name implies, change empowered by innovation is critical.

Your Oracle infrastructure must enable and encourage innovation so that your business has a platform on which to build new services and processes. And it needs to be able to do so more quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively to head off your better-provisioned competitors.

3. Will the solution deliver a consistent customer experience?

An exceptional customer experience now sits at the heart of business success. The better the experience, the happier your customers are, and the more likely they are to return.

The experience has to be excellent every single time. And it’s not just external customers either – your employees also need timely access to information and applications to increase productivity and speed of business.

All of this means you need Oracle infrastructure that is performant, stable and reliable.

4. Will the solution make operations simpler (and cheaper)?

Infrastructure complexity creates technical debt as ‘keeping the lights’ on consumes more of your budget every year. Worse still, technical debt reduces the cash available for investment in strategic projects that will help your business grow.

As you plan for the future, choose Oracle infrastructure that simplifies operations to reduce the total cost of ownership. Making the right strategic choice now will provide more opportunities for growth and innovation in future. Not only will you free up more of your budget for strategic spending, but you will also release more of your people to focus on growth-related projects too.

As you consider the future of your Oracle infrastructure, answering these four questions will help you select the best platform for your needs. In our next article, we’ll look at some of the key reasons why choosing Oracle infrastructure matters for stimulating innovation.

Until then, feel free to contact the WTL team team for further guidance – we’re always happy to help!

managed services support concept, Business person planning strategy by wooden blocks.

8 Great Reasons Why You Should Be Using IT Managed Services

There are many reasons why businesses choose not to adopt IT managed services. Some may be concerned about the potential costs. Others may believe it shows a failure with their in-house IT. And others are simply too busy to properly identify the right partner for their needs.

But struggling along trying to manage and maintain all of your IT operations in-house could be a serious strategic mistake. Why divert important resources away from your strategic goals just to ‘keep the lights on’?

Here are eight great reasons why an IT managed services provider (MSP) delivers much more value than you might expect:

1. Greater control of your own resources

Keeping corporate IT ‘running’ is not the core focus of your own business. But if you are pulling people and resources away from the projects that will grow your business, you are already delaying or limiting future success.

A good managed IT partner will free up your resources so you can deploy them where they are really needed.

2. Solve the skills shortage

Cutting-edge technology is essential for your digitally transformed future – but the skills required to adopt those technologies are hard to find (and expensive). A managed IT services provider will ensure you have the people and skills you need to meet your obligations and objectives – so no more staffing headaches for you.

3. Improve cost control

By eliminating hiring, firing and training costs, your business is better placed to contain staffing costs. This helps to significantly reduce IT operational overheads, freeing up cash to be spent on other strategic activities.

4. Improve scalability on demand

One of the goals of digital transformation is to increase the elasticity of operations. Where cloud platforms enable infrastructure and software scalability, an IT services provider allows you to scale internal resources (like people) in the same way. So you can grow and shrink your team as required without ever compromising the quality of service provided to customers and internal stakeholders.

5. Support on tap

IT service providers offer a range of support options to ensure you have access to help whenever you need it. From Mon-Fri 9-5 to 24x7x365 coverage, there is a support contract choice to meet your operational needs (without incurring overtime payments to your staff).

6. Reduce downtime (and costs)

The additional resources provided by an IT MSP allow you to take a more proactive approach to your IT operations. Your partner can help to identify and rectify issues before they take your systems (and operations) offline.

7. Build a mutual relationship

An MSP works hard to understand your IT systems in the context of your strategic business goals. This allows them to tailor services to your business needs – and ensures that you are both working towards the same outcomes. A shared, long-term view builds a mutually beneficial relationship so you can trust your partner and their recommendations.

8. Enhance security and compliance

Cybersecurity is a constantly evolving field of expertise which many businesses struggle to manage in-house. An MSP can apply industry best practice principles to help ensure your systems remain secure and compliant – and that your developments and enhancements adhere to the same strict standards.

A good IT MSP provides much more than just resources – they should be a trusted partner who helps your business grow quickly, securely and efficiently.

Our Solaris and Linux Managed Services can resolve skills, resources and budget constraints you may have. Our managed services will allow you to focus on supporting the business and not the technology.

To learn more about IT managed services and how WTL can help you meet your strategic goals, please get in touch.

Cloud Security

10 proven ways to improve cloud security

Security has always been one of the major hindrances to cloud adoption. The new operating model introduces previously unknown risks into infrastructure planning. But with digital transformation projects gathering pace, the cloud is now an essential aspect of agile operations.

So how can your business minimise cloud security risks effectively? Here are ten key considerations:

1. Security by default

Security controls should be enabled by default by cloud providers – preferably with a zero-trust approach. This will prevent your applications from being left unconfigured (and unprotected) during deployment and operations.

2. Shared responsibility operations

Your cloud provider should deliver platform-level security services as an integral part of their offering. You also need to understand the division of responsibility from the outset to prevent gaps in your defences.

3. Defence-in-depth

Modern cyberattacks work on multiple levels – so you need defences that operate across every layer of your technology stack. From physical hardware to incoming API calls at the software level, every layer must be monitored and secured.

4. Continuous compliance

Although not strictly a security requirement, regulatory compliance is essential. Your cloud provider should offer management tools that allow you to monitor and enforce operational compliance across your entire IT estate (on-premise and in the cloud).

5. Use ML to identify unknown security risks

Staying ahead of cybercriminals means being able to identify and block previously unknown attacks in advance. Machine learning (ML) tools can monitor your cloud activity to identify, and report suspicious activity long before your cybersecurity tools catch up.

6. Automated responses

Identifying threats with ML is just the first step – you then need to coordinate and orchestrate your response as quickly as possible. Your cloud provider should offer advanced tools that automate and accelerate your response to further narrow the window of opportunity for cybercriminals.

7. Identity management tools

To operate effective zero-trust security means having the right tools to manage identity, particularly as the traditional network edge is eroded by ‘work anywhere’ cloud operations. You need tools which control access and privileges for devices, apps and users across your entire IT estate.

8. Separation of duties and access

Preventing individuals from having excessive admin rights is crucial to limiting potential damage in the event of credential compromise. Separating duties and access also ensures that data is properly protected against improper access by ensuring individuals cannot access sensitive information without additional authorisation.

9. End-to-end visibility

Now that hybrid cloud operations are the norm, you need tools that extend visibility and control across the whole IT environment. Cloud access security broker (CASB) and cloud security posture management (CSPM) tools provide those tools, ensuring complete oversight of your platform as a whole.

10. Scalability

Much of the power of the cloud lies in its infinite scalability. But you must ensure that your security defences and tools can scale effectively in line with your operations.

Ask the tough questions

Unless a cloud provider can meet all ten of these requirements, they will never be able to properly reduce your security risk profile. Do not be afraid to ask the tough questions of a potential provider – or to walk away if they are unable to fully address your needs.

If you’d like to learn more about how to properly secure your cloud infrastructure, please give us a call .

Cloud Security- Data thieves stealing personal and private data from an unsecure cloud

Understanding Oracle Cloud Security

Unlike other hyperscalers, Oracle has built their cloud platforms to include multi-layer security from the outset. This ensures that systems and services hosted in Oracle Cloud are secured against many of the flaws and weaknesses that have affected other providers.

Zero Trust as standard

At the heart of Oracle security is the concept of ‘zero trust’ – no application, connection or user is permitted access to any resource until their credentials and permissions have been checked and verified. This means that everything is denied access as the default unless explicitly allowed.

Because Oracle Cloud is built on a pure Oracle tech stack, hardware and software work together to enforce these security settings.

Four defence layers protect Oracle Cloud users

Effective cybersecurity requires a multi-layer approach, and Oracle apply four layers of security defence in the cloud:

1. Preventative controls that block unauthorised access to sensitive systems and data.

2. Detective controls that audit, monitor and report on activity to expose unauthorised system access or data changes.

3. Automated controls that prevent, detect and respond to security updates that are highlighted by Oracle.

4. Administrative controls that apply and enforce security policies, standard, practices and procedures.

Working together, these four layers offer proactive and reactive responses to potential security issues.

Four other security features of the Oracle Cloud

Providing defence in depth goes beyond the tech stack too. Oracle employ four layers to provide 360º protection for customer data:

1. People – 38,000 developers and engineers trained to Oracle’s rigorous coding standards. A further 10,000 customer support specialists are on hand to assist with problems and queries

2. Process – Security policies have been formulated to govern people, technology and physical data centre assets. These include OSSA methodology to enforce secure coding standards along with support for other open standards like OAuth, System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) and more.

3. Technology – Cutting-edge tools that ensure security is enforced across IaaS, PaaS and SaaS, from server CPU to application layers. These safeguards include high customer isolation secure cloud architecture, data encryption and redaction, ML and AI for automated threat discovery and more.

4. Physical – Multi-layered physical defences to prevent unauthorised people from accessing cloud systems. Each Oracle Cloud data centre features Tier-3 redundancy, physical access controls on site (including access cards and biometrics) and surveillance alerts to detect unauthorised ingress or power supply issues.

By combining these eight factors, Oracle has created a cloud platform that is hardened against current and future attacks at every level. From encrypted data entering the CPU to the ports located on the back of the physical server, Oracle Cloud is designed to restrict access to authorised users and services.

To learn more about Oracle Cloud’s defence in-depth approach, and how it can help to keep your hosted operations safe and secure, please give the WTL team a call .