The security arm of Onyx Group, the North East’s leading technology solutions company, which trades under the Askaris banner, has launched a new network security service designed to identify potential weaknesses in an organisation’s ICT infrastructure.
Branded ‘Safe and Secure’, this innovative new service is designed for use on all types and sizes of computer network, providing an end-to-end process for vulnerability assessment and remedial action.
“Information and communication technology has become an integral part of many organisations, effectively increasing professional advantage and delivering internal efficiencies,” said Neil Stephenson, Onyx Group’s Sales & Marketing Director. ”The consequential increase in the need to share essential information has, however, created a number of serious vulnerabilities for businesses.
“This exposure to threats has led to the meteoric rise in the availability of security solutions designed to protect all aspects of a network, but in spite of this, organisations are still being affected by hackers, worms and other malicious attacks. Security violations can cost an organisation both financially and in a loss of customer confidence, as the recent TK Maxx incident has vividly demonstrated. There may even be legal consequences, and these various negative impacts could threaten the very existence of the organisation.”
Vulnerabilities can usually be attributed to one or both of two fundamental reasons. Firstly, network security measures have not been implemented correctly, or new forms of attack or intrusion are able to by-pass the solutions already in place. In fact, 99% of network intrusions result from the exploitation of known vulnerabilities or configuration errors where countermeasures were available.
This is why, in an ideal world, it is usually best practice for businesses to commission regular independent assessments of their network infrastructure to minimise the possibility of such breaches. Regular independent assessments provide both an ongoing validation of security measures and a regular assessment of the effectiveness, or otherwise, of these measures. The only problem is that such assessments can be both difficult and time consuming to carry out.
“It is for that very reason that we have developed our ‘Safe and Secure’ vulnerability testing service,” added Neil. “We adopt a four stage process to secure a network. In the Analysis stage, we inspect the network infrastructure to provide an understanding of changing network topology. During the Detection stage, we identify any potential vulnerability. At the Reporting stage, we provide a comprehensive assessment giving detailed information on the effectiveness of existing security measures. Finally, we suggest unbiased methods of dealing with the identified vulnerabilities on a network.
“Due to the cyclical nature of this process, we suggest that it should be carried out on a regular basis to address the ever growing number of reported vulnerabilities. In addition to raising levels of internal confidence, regular assessments of your network security can also be used as evidence in submissions to clients and other external organizations. You may even be able to negotiate a reduction of up to 20% in your Professional Indemnity Insurance premiums by providing evidence of regular IT security assessment.
“Regular penetration testing can also help you to the meet the requirements of various industry bodies as well as standards such as BS7790 and ISO 27001.”
Further information can be obtained by contacting Onyx Group on 08457 715715 or by visiting www.onyx-group.net.
