How Advanced Threat Protection Can Help Protect Financial Data

 

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Technology integration in the financial services industry has opened opportunities that could only be dreamed of a few decades back. Around the turn of the millennium, we began seeing banks set up websites for internet-based banking, and about a decade later, mobile banking customers began tapping their smartphones to make payments at retail stores.

Inside the walls of financial institutions themselves, employees are leveraging technology such as email and mobile devices to streamline processes and provide a better overall customer experience.

Industry research indicates that this technological evolution, and its related spend, is just hitting its stride: IDC expects IT spending to grow from its current total of nearly $2.4 trillion to more than $2.7 trillion in 2020, led by financial services. Stephen Minton, vice president of Customer Insights and Analysis at IDC, says, "While the consumer and public sectors have dragged on overall IT spending so far in 2016, we see stronger momentum in other key industries including financial services and manufacturing.”

While this growth in technology has enriched the industry, it’s also introduced data risks that many financial organizations are simply not prepared to defend. Since technology is now a part of the financial services industry’s DNA, the threats to its data are larger than ever. With this in mind, financial organizations should look to advanced threat protection (ATP) solutions as a way to keep their data safe.

Here’s how they work:

Prevent

One of the best ways to defend against malware and other prominent threats in the financial services industry is to limit the surface area while controlling access to valuable data up front. Organizations should only grant access to those that truly need it, and be sure to validate any and all devices that are granted network access. Next, advanced threat protection frameworks utilize technologies like anti-phishing, antivirus, and application control to prevent breaches. Antivirus solutions may be the most critical to ATP as it’s common to all components of the framework.

Powerful ATP solutions also feature signature detection technology that can identify mutated variants of traditional signatures to better detect malware. With this capability, they’re able to catch thousands of new variants and stop them in their tracks in real time, whether the threat originates via email, file transfer, or web browsing.

Detect

Gone are the days of predictable attack methods. The cyber criminals targeting the financial services industry today are smart, and they’re finding new and unique ways to get into the financial services network. For this reason, organizations need to have a framework in place that can detect brand new threats and add them to the shared intelligence database.

ATP frameworks typically utilize sandboxing as a way to test unknown items in a secured environment and analyze how they behave. Thanks to this method, IT Services Wilmington NC teams are able to turn previously unknown items into known threats before they become an issue. If an item is deemed to be malicious it is passed along to other parts of the ATP framework, and the resulting threat intelligence is passed along to other products.

Mitigate

After a threat has been identified, it’s important for it to be immediately mitigated. Advanced threat protection solutions can automatically handle threats by sharing intelligence between prevention and detection products. They can also be handled via “assisted mitigation,” which is a combination of technology and people working together as a cohesive unit.

Once malware has been detected, a three-step process comes into play to successfully mitigate:

• Containment: Today’s network “perimeter” is very hard to define because of the cloud and IoT. With an ATP framework, organizations can segment networks based on criteria like user identity, device type, and location. With this strategy, the movement of an attack is limited and the likelihood of it impacting other parts of the network is greatly reduced.
• Analysis: When a breach occurs, the malware needs to be analyzed and added to all systems so it becomes a known entity.
• Memory: After the malware has been added to the systems, it’s then stored and fed back to all other products as a critical update.

Final Thoughts

As cyber criminals continue to identify new attack methods, security solutions will need to adapt accordingly. While this cycle will likely continue for the foreseeable future, ATP solutions can help IT Support Wilmington NC teams come out on top and keep their critical financial data secure.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now to find out more about our managed IT Services Wilmington NC and how we can help protect your business against cybercriminals. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 218-9255
http://manageditserviceswilmington.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

How Does Ransomware Get Into Your Computer?

 

Today’s digital landscape is filled with various hazards such as identity theft, spyware, and viruses. There’s one particular threat that has become a virulent and common threat on the internet these days. It’s called ransomware. It is a software-based computer security threat that’s already wreak havoc on various industries. It has cost companies billions of dollars every year and that’s why IT services Wilmington NC is crucial.

What is ransomware?

The very first ransomware attack was reported back in 1989 through the AIDS Trojan horse. It was only in the early 2000s when the public knew about this threat. Since 2005, ransomware has evolved at a very alarming rate.

Ransomware is pretty simple. Rather than a virus that immediately replicates itself throughout the whole system, the modern day ransomware will attack by locking out the users from the system using a highly advanced encryption.

When it’s in place, the hackers will ask for a ransom if you want to regain control of your system. In some instances, access won’t be restored even if you paid the ransom and followed their demands. Ransomware is illegal and it is considered as digital extortion. Hackers who get caught will face serious consequences. Unfortunately, a lot of them are never tracked and arrested and that’s why you need to bolster your cybersecurity.

How does ransomware control your system?

Modern networks and computers are susceptible to this type of cyberattack. There are several methods for ransomware to control of your system, according to the experts in IT support Wilmington NC.

Suspicious email attachments

You must always be careful when it comes to opening attachments from your email even if you think that it’s from a reliable source. The computer of the original sender may be infected without them knowing. It makes them an effective host for the code of the ransomware.

Additionally, attachments that came from an unknown or suspicious email address must be ignored and deleted right away from your inbox.

Fraudulent websites

Hackers may also use websites to spread ransomware to networks and computers. If you want to protect yourself, you need to make sure that you download and install files that are from a secure and trusted website. In many instances, you must see https instead of http on the url address.

Fake software

Sneaky hackers are popular for creating fake apps that are just coverups for ransomware. Taking the needed precaution and downloading from apps or software from reliable and trustworthy sources is crucial if you want to avoid fraudulent and fake software.

User Installation

In some instances, when a disgruntled employee still has access to the network of your company, the employee could intentionally install the ransomware. The worker doesn’t have to make the ransomware. They just have to download and install the infected file and this will lock the whole network.

There are steps you can take to avoid the risks of your network getting infected with a ransomware. You must install a malware removal and antivirus system. You should also set up regular and automatic updates to your operating system. Reduce your risks by enlisting the help of an IT expert that offers managed IT services Wilmington NC.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team of IT experts assist you in protecting your company and network against ransomware and other types of cyberattacks.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 218-9255
http://manageditserviceswilmington.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Understanding Managed IT Solutions and Support Services

 

Can Managed IT Solutions Help Small Businesses Function Like Large Companies?

Before, managed IT services were only used by Fortune 500 companies. Today, providers of such solutions are now supervising different kinds of enterprises from start-ups to well-established multinationals. As IT services continue to evolve and systems move transition from on-site services to cloud services, SMBs are working with managed service providers to check and organize networked services. For small businesses, IT resources could be limited, with at least one agents taking care of different IT concerns. With an MSP, firms of all sizes could benefit from the expertise that such a provider can offer.

Managed IT services Wilmington NC can do so much more than just fix what is broken. Although MSPs deal with network issues and fix software concerns, other types of managed services such as software, multicloud management, as well as IoT management are growing the managed service provider market. Additionally, the fast expansion of the usage of cloud based platform have boosted the requirement for managed security. With the high costs of the in-house management of an updated security base, MSPs can help companies with a wider scope of advanced security measures.

 

 

Why should you use managed IT services?

 

Managed IT services re saving firms money, offering top notch solutions, and letting companies to concentrate on their clients and key objectives. Managed IT services provides access to the latest technologies without the additional costs and inconvenience of on-site installation, and the IT experts who are knowledgeable in the new tech. Apart from that, managed IT services minimize the downtime since server as well as the networked capacities can expand and contract easily compared to on site servers. Managed IT services can offer proactive strategies as well as long term planning, they know the systems as well as the possible complications that may take place. For several industries that have strict security measures in place, a focused managed IT service can provide firms with improved security and management.

 

Types of Managed IT services

 

Managed support services – the most common service that involves conventional help desk solutions and tech support. With managed support services, firms can avoid the cost of having a large IT team, depending instead on trained IT experts who know the system and have dealt with it under different situations.

Managed cloud infrastructure – firms could lease cloud space that’s under the management of the host company. It offers additional backup, app management, operating system, as well as technical support for storing data in the cloud.

Managed Software as a Service – it offers initial software access, upgrades, and support services. Although the majority of SaaS services rents the software from the software provider directly, managed SaaS services will allow a firm to engage a certain application whenever it’s needed.

IT lead generation services – IT lead generation solutions work closely with sales teams however, they are unique in several ways. Lead generation solutions establish and isolate a steady flow of qualified leads.

Managed security – helps in ensuring existing security protocols for securing the applications and data on cloud based services.

Data analytics – offer data expertise to individual businesses. Experts will bring professional knowledge in order to make information intelligible.

Managed wireless and printing – assures companies of less network downtime, consistent and regular upgrades, as well as service management.

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and if you are looking for reliable, trustworthy, and top quality managed IT services.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

SpartanTec, Inc.
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 218-9255
http://manageditserviceswilmington.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence