Have you unlocked the potential of Zero Trust?

You may have heard the term Zero Trust doing the rounds. But what is it, and is it relevant to SMBs?

According to digital.com, “Zero trust isn’t a specific product, it’s a way of thinking about and constructing your security architecture, it operates on the idea that no one user, device, service, or programme is trusted inherently.”

With Zero Trust, you can provide seamless access to all levels of user, while maintaining strict authentication and verification to access particular SaaS applications, assets, data, or systems.

Is Zero Trust applicable to your business?

Zero Trust Access (ZTA) can increase security, productivity, and flexibility for your business. This recorded webinar from Barracuda shows how ZTA can be applied to:

  • Prevent unauthorised access to corporate resources and digital assets
  • Reduce your overall attack surface and risk of breaches
  • Secure the migration to a cloud-integrated infrastructure
  • Serve as the foundation of a successful SASE implementation
  • Improve remote access performance and employee productivity

You’ll see how Barracuda CloudGen Access secures SaaS applications, including Microsoft 365, and protects users from ransomware and other web threats.

Want to learn more?

Complete IT Systems have a team of Barracuda specialists on hand to demo the solution, discuss business benefits and help you understand how the technology works for your organisation.

To get in touch or request a demo please contact us.

🤳We’re hiring apprentice IT sales account managers!

We are currently recruiting for 3-4 new “rock star” L4 Apprentice IT Sales Account Managers within our successful Bradford office! Successful applicants will gain experience within the IT reseller industry and will be accountable for the full sales cycle in their accounts – from sourcing and lead generation to presentation and closing the sale.

 

▶ Find out more and apply now on Indeed.co.uk, or read on!

 

What you can expect from us

 

Whether you are a school leaver or looking to accelerate your career, you can build valuable skills with us, get your BTEC Level 2 qualification, and a basic salary £16,000 per annum OTE per annum £30,000+ uncapped.

We have hired 10 apprentices in the past, with six of those still with us and the other four having built successful careers elsewhere.

We are a fast-growing company with a proud role in the Bradford Community, new offices around the UK, as well as recipients of several national awards. Read more about Complete IT Systems.

 

Listen to Jerome James discussing our apprenticeships opportunity on BCB106fm!

 

 

 

You can also find out more in our Sales Director Ben Gregg’s recent interview with the Telegraph and Argus.

 

 

Read our excellent independent reviews on glassdoor.co.uk.

 

👁️‍🗨️ Check out this short video to see how you’ll learn, gain your formal accreditation, and develop your all-round skills during your apprenticeship.

Your role

 

Your role will be to conduct office/telephone-based account management of your clients, as well as cold calling for
new business to continually grow your account base and supply IT Hardware, Software, Support Services,
Technical Office Equipment, Supplies/Consumables, IT Security, IT Services and all Audio Visual products and
services.

It will be your role to identify and generate new prospects and convert them into key accounts, develop
and manage key accounts to their full potential, and continually update and develop product and market
knowledge.

 

What you’ll learn

 

You’ll need to keep up-to-date with cutting edge technology to be able to advise your customers – they look to you as their trusted expert. To do this, it will be important to stay on top of the trends in some of the hottest growth areas in business, including cloud computing and cybersecurity.

 

Key qualities required for the position:

 

👟Willingness to expand & develop

🏎️ Self-motivation and ambition

🗣️ Communication skills

⌚ Punctual

💼 Presentable and professional

💪 Above all……  a hunger and desire to succeed

 

Apply now

 

📧

📞 01274 933451

Three ways to reduce risk with privileged access management

Effective management of privileges and credentials is essential for the security of your organisation. With 74% of data breaches happening due to privileged credential abuse, it’s an area that organisations must address. Cyber attackers can abuse credentials through several methods. The main approaches are social engineering and phishing, exploiting poor password hygiene and password reuse, and taking advantage of initial access brokers selling these credentials on the dark web.

To combat this, it’s vital to upgrade your approach to privileged access management. Here are three steps you can take to easily manage and secure your privileged access, helping to reduce the likelihood of both internal and external attacks:

  1. Simplify compliance reporting
  2. Deploy Zero Trust Network Access
  3. Secure contractor access to your business

➡️ Find out more in this eBook from Barracura.

Want to learn more?

Complete IT Systems have a team of Barracuda specialists on hand to demo the solution, discuss business benefits and help you understand how the technology works for your organisation.

To get in touch or request a demo please contact us.

Cyber security trends

Trying to keep on top of the latest cyber security threats can feel like a full-time job in itself. For overstretched IT teams, this is a problem.

This webinar features Barracuda CTO Fleming Shi and VP for Zero Trust Access Sinan Eren’s perspective on the top cybersecurity trends they’re following – and the predictions they’re making for 2023 and beyond.

In conversation, Fleming and Sinan will explain how the events of the past year inform their predictions for what’s coming. So you’ll understand clearly why they predict, for example, that:

  • By 2025 threat actors will have caused human casualties by weaponising operational technology.
  • More than half the organisations embracing zero trust as a starting point for security will fail to realise its benefits by 2025.
  • The number of nations imposing regulation of ransomware, payments, fines, and negotiations will rise from 1% now to 30% by 2025.

▶ Watch this recorded webinar to see the global cybersecurity landscape through the eyes of seasoned experts, and to understand what changes are likely, and why.

Want to learn more?

Complete IT Systems have a team of Barracuda specialists on hand to demo the solution, discuss business benefits and help you understand how the technology works for your organisation.

To get in touch or request a demo please contact us.

The two most important metrics for sustainable storage

When considering how sustainable an #ITstorage offering is, the two most important metrics are the capacity density and how much performance you can get for the energy that you use.

Check out this fun video to discover why the IBM FlashSystem family are the market leader for Sustainability.

Find out more

As IBM Silver Partners, Complete IT Systems have the skills and resources to help your business implement the best solutions for the modern workplace.

For more information on how Complete IT Systems and IBM can help, call 01274 396 213 or email .

 

Let’s talk about QR codes

QR codes can be a security risk. Have you covered the base?

We’ve all scanned those little tags on tables, adverts and such. You’re not alone! In 2022 there was a 433% increase in QR code scans from 21. Your users will be doing this to work productively, efficiently and get things done.

So what’s the problem?

A malicious link hidden in a QR code can bypass traditional email filters. Additionally, the tell-tale signs of a phishing link are not as apparent with a QR code because it is difficult to validate and lures your users to switch to their mobile device with weaker security protection.

KnowBe4 have developed a new FREE tool so you can test your end users on the type of attack. Scan now to get started (see how easy it is!)

▶ Or click the safer link here!

Improved storage performance and new capabilities

Our customer was initially looking at renewing the support on their existing storage provider, as it was due to expire.

The issue that first became apparent was the fact the vendor was withdrawing support for the current arrays within the next three months – which would have meant the leaving the client unsupported. With it being short notice and that we were approaching the financial year end, we had to ensure a cost-effective solution in quick time this it wasn’t a budgeted project. Here’s how we helped them.

The solution

Complete IT Systems in partnership with our partners IBM and TD Synnex worked together to scope and build a suitable replacement for the existing storage environment. With support from our technical teams, we proposed a FlashSystem 5200, which is IBM’s densest storage system, within the FlashSystem portfolio. This offers the customer benefits such as cyber resilience capabilities, immutability and FlashCore modules (IBM’s NVMe patent drives).

The result

All-in-all, this gave customer new levels of infrastructure performance, and new capabilities. We also provided the customer with finance options to enable them to install the Storage array sooner rather than later and over the term of the agreement. This has saved the company money compared to continual support renewals.

Find out more

Read more about storage’s role in cyber resilience.

Are your employees “phish prone”?

Did you know that 91% of successful data breaches started with a spear phishing attack?

Find out what percentage of your employees are Phish-prone™ with your free phishing security test. Plus, see how you stack up against your peers with the new phishing Industry Benchmarks!

IT pros have realised that simulated phishing tests are urgently needed as an additional security layer. Today, phishing your own users is just as important as having antivirus and a firewall. It is a fun and an effective cybersecurity best practice to patch your last line of defence: USERS!

Here’s how it works:

  • Immediately start your test for up to 100 users (no need to talk to anyone)
  • Customise the phishing test template based on your environment
  • Choose the landing page your users see after they click
  • Show users which red flags they missed, or a 404 page
  • Get a PDF emailed to you in 24 hours with your Phish-prone % and charts to share with management
  • See how your organisation compares to others in your industry

The Phish-prone percentage is usually higher than you expect and is great ammo to get budget.

Start phishing your users now. Fill out the form, and get started immediately!

Want to learn more?

Complete IT Systems have a team of KnowBe4 specialists on hand to demo the solution, discuss business benefits and help you understand how the technology works for your organisation.

To get in touch or request a demo please contact us.

 

What you need to know about migrating to Windows 11

Upgrading your users to a new operating system may seem like one job too far for overstretched IT teams. 

This article outlines the what, why and when of making the move to Windows 11.

📅 Windows 10 will be retiring on 14th October 2023. It’s time to start thinking about your migration plan!

About Windows 11

Windows 11 offers new productivity features and functionality to enable users to work safely and securely on the go.

🏃‍♂️ Here’s some of the key changes over Windows 10:

  • Universal search: Taskbar search function to find what users need from files, photos, contacts, emails, and the web.
  • Accessibility: Move to new ways of working with voice recognition1, live captions, and on-screen text read aloud by a narrator in a natural, human voice.
  • Easy setup and personalisation for users to tailor their workspaces.
  • Snap assist to organise screens in an easy manner
  • Desktop groups to silo work and business
  • Optimised working: Microsoft Phone Link is now available for iPhone® devices and Android™ to view notifications, read messages, and dial calls from your PC
Keeping devices and data more secure

🔐 For IT, it’s also easier to keep users and data safe with new performance and security features

From start up, Windows 11 is on guard. It works in combination with your hardware and was designed with multiple layers of protection to help keep your apps, information, and privacy secure.

Devices are also protected with SmartApp Control, meaning Windows 11 will only run reputable apps that won’t compromise your data. In addition to giving your users control over their data and defending against malware, Microsoft Edge can also scan the web to check if your passwords have been compromised.

Find out more

❔ Contact us today to find out how we can help you migrate your users to Windows 11.

A successful data strategy

In a recent customer survey conducted with Tintri, we asked some of our customers what would make their team successful in 2023. 

We’ll be looking into the results in much more detail over the coming weeks. But when starting to analyse the results, it is interesting to note that the top success criteria (38% of respondents) was to achieve a faster application performance for their users in new, hybrid ways of working.

Easy in practice, but the trick is designing a strategy to achieve it. Tintri’s predictive analytics enable ongoing workload optimisation for all sizes of virtual machine infrastructures – and all manageable with a single click by IT teams.

▶ Download the DCIG Technology Report to find out more.