Author: Sam Taylor

Chicago, CrossRealms

APPLICATION SECURITY NOW PART OF CROSSREALMS SECURITY SUITE

Jul 11, 2019 by Sam Taylor

In order to reduce the security threat profile of our customers, CrossRealms is very pleased to announce the addition of Application Security to our portfolio of Security Services offerings. We are excited to announce our partnership with PTP, a web application vulnerability testing firm, to deliver this new service.

It is our goal to reduce the growing risk of cybersecurity attacks on our customers while still helping them meet compliance requirements, address audit gaps and securely transmit data and applications to their employees and customers. This new service will complement our current range of security offerings, including Penetration Testing, Forensic Readiness, and Compliance Reporting.

Our suite of Security Services is designed to counter threats to cybersecurity, an issue rarely out of the headlines. Please be on the lookout for information on our upcoming event with APONIX to learn more about VDI and its important role in compliance.

CyberSecurity, Data Protection, Hacking

IS AIRPORT WI-FI SECURE?

Jul 11, 2019 by Sam Taylor

The one thing that makes an airport layover bearable may be more risky than many realize.

Airport Wi-Fi, though sometimes faster than cellular networks, is often unencrypted and rather unsecure, according to a study by Coronet. They created a list of the 10 U.S. airports where you’re most likely to have information stolen via the Wi-Fi.

This doesn’t mean you should never connect to airport Wi-Fi, but it does mean it is important to be careful when doing so.

Click here to read the full article!

Business Continuity, Compliance, CyberSecurity, Data Protection, Disaster Recovery

THE 7 REASONS VDI IS THE NEXT MUST-HAVE FOR COMPLIANCE

Jun 27, 2019 by Sam Taylor

My intention with this blog is to create a conversation about the topic of VDI’s (virtual desktop infrastructure) impact on compliance, whether positive or negative. Therefore, please comment with questions and opinions!

I’ve built and used many VDI environments, but VDI’s impact on compliance didn’t occur to me until recently.

I was hired by a client in the financial sector to identify ways of achieving compliance as it relates to devices at the edge and their cloud presence. My conclusion was that we needed to implement a VDI infrastructure, which would prevent anyone from accessing the cloud tenancies unless they originate from certain IP addresses within the organization. At the same time, we would no longer have to worry about “data at the edge” – i.e. devices and handhelds that can contain compliance data and might be subject to theft or information leak.

As we moved forward with the project, I realized there were other benefits of VDI unaccounted for in the original decision to move to a VDI infrastructure:

1. Desktop Isolation

In a VDI environment, the different virtual instances can be prevented from exchanging data with one another, which is hard to implement in a physical environment

2. Unified Access

Users access their VDI environment in the same manner regardless of scenario – normal or disaster recovery; no new accommodations, directives or training for end users must be provided in a business continuity situation

3. Dynamic Load Provisioning

VDI can dynamically allocate resources (RAM, CPU, GPU, etc.) for users with varying workloads, such as in computational modeling

4. Simplified Reference Architecture

VDI can be designed and deployed based on proven reference architecture, rather than making incremental improvements to existing environments

5. Data Loss Prevention

VDI resolves the issue of preventing USB/External drives from leaking data outside the organization

6. Unified Image

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7. Uninterrupted Workflow

Forced reboots no longer affect the end user; patches and updates can run at a very aggressive schedule

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas to investigate? Experiences you’ve had? Please share!