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Have you noticed how many public places offer free Wi-Fi to help you stay connected while on the move? How many times have you taken advantage of the complimentary Internet access at your favourite restaurant or shopping mall? It’s tempting to use resources that don’t dent your pocket, but you could pay a high price if you’re not savvy about personal security and the protection of your web-enabled devices… Because open wireless networks and public hotspots are not secure – and cyber crooks are always on the lookout for chances to exploit vulnerabilities. Here are three of their most common tricks…
Picture this… You’re inside Cuppa Joe’s coffee shop at the airport. You’re waiting for your to-go cappuccino before you head down to departures. You decide to use the free Wi-Fi to check the weather in your destination city. You turn on your phone’s Wi-Fi and see a list of available networks, including Cuppa_Joes, CuppaJoe, CuppaJoePublic, and CuppaJo. How do you know which Wi-Fi is the shop’s legitimate network for customers?
It’s easy for cyber villains to set up a fake Wi-Fi hotspot that mimics the local network in a specific area. And if you’re distracted, tired, or in a hurry, you might not be as alert as you normally are. One simple mistake on your part might be all a hacker needs to access your device.
Picture this… You’re standing in line at the reception desk of your hotel. You’re connected to the public Wi-Fi in the lobby and you’re typing in your Facebook username and password so you can post a quick update for your family back home. There’s a stranger in line behind you, standing close enough to see your device screen. You’re not really paying attention to their movements, but they’re watching yours like a hawk. And they’ve just seen your login credentials.
What could they do with that information? They could access your Facebook account and see the personal information you’ve listed on your profile. Information like your full name, birthday, email address, phone number, and place of work. Private material like photos of your family or your home. Sensitive details like your location-based check-ins, your friend lists, your comment history, and your group affiliations. This kind of data is a goldmine for identity thieves and fraudsters.
Picture this… You’re relaxing by the hotel pool, sharing the free Wi-Fi with dozens of other sunbathers who are also busy on their laptops, tablets, or smartphones. How much do you know about your fellow pool patrons? How much do you know about their cyber security habits, or the health of their devices? Do they have the latest anti-virus software installed on their mobile? Do they use a VPN on their laptop? Do they carry out security updates on their tablets?
When you’re connected to the public Wi-Fi, you’re sharing an open network with strangers. And that’s risky behaviour, because it only takes one compromised device to put all the other connected devices in harm’s way. Malicious infections can spread from machine to machine in seconds, and that’s something the cyber villains count on.
Stop and think before you connect!
Have you heard? October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month – a collaborative global campaign involving governments, educational institutions, agencies, and companies like ours to ensure that people are empowered to be #CyberAware in their daily lives. BUI is proud to be a 2019 NCSAM Champion organisation! Follow along on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter for more tips and resources to help you #BeCyberSmart this month and every month!
There are more than four billion Internet users around the world today – and they’re spending a lot of time on social media. Content is viewed, shared, and downloaded on a massive scale. Every 60 seconds, 347 222 people are scrolling through Instagram; 87 500 people are tweeting; and 1 million people are logging in on Facebook.
Social media can be a great way to keep in touch with family and friends – but it can be risky, too. Especially when people start sharing personal information about themselves, their loved ones, or their friends. Both cybercriminals and real-world fraudsters could use such sensitive data for any number of schemes, including identity fraud, mobile scams, or phishing attacks. When it comes to posting on social media, privacy is paramount. Take these precautions, and take control of your social profiles.
It’s all too easy to skip through the Terms & Conditions, the Disclaimers, the Privacy Policies, and the User Agreements when you’re setting up a new social profile. This kind of documentation is often lengthy and complicated, but it’s important to know your rights, and the rights of the service provider, from day one. Don’t just tick the boxes and move on: understand what permissions you’re granting to the social network concerned and how your account data is going to be used and managed.
Many social networks allow you to restrict content access to certain groups of people. Facebook, for example, lets you customise the privacy of each post, so you can opt to share it with the Public, with Friends, or with Specific Friends (selected individuals). This is a useful feature for controlling the visibility of your words and pictures. Check the settings of your social profiles to see the enhanced privacy options available – and then take advantage of them.
We’ve included links to the relevant information pages from the most popular channels, in the list below. Bookmark them for future reference, or take a few moments now to learn more about the privacy controls on your favourite social site.
It’s tempting to share the daily details of your life on social media, especially when you’re enjoying a holiday or celebrating an event. But stop and think about how such information could be used by other people. A photo of your new big-screen TV, for example, might seem harmless. But what if you’ve listed your residential address in your public biography? A real-world villain could use that geographic data to locate your house, monitor the property, and then pick a suitable time to break in and steal your new TV! Don’t make your personal data public. Sensitive information – like your full name, date of birth, residential address, email address, and mobile number – is valuable to you. It’s valuable to scammers as well. Protect your privacy by being discreet on social media.
Have you heard? October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month – a collaborative global campaign involving governments, educational institutions, agencies, and companies like ours to ensure that people are empowered to be #CyberAware in their daily lives. BUI is proud to be a 2019 NCSAM Champion organisation! Follow along on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter for more tips and resources to help you #BeCyberSmart this month and every month!
National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) is held annually in October to promote online security and privacy.
Jointly led by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Agency of the US Department of Homeland Security, NCSAM is an increasingly global initiative to highlight the importance of a collaborative approach to Internet safety.
Now in its 16th year, NCSAM encourages governments, businesses, nonprofit organisations, industry associations, and educational institutions to spread the message about cybersecurity best practices.
Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT.
This year, NCSAM is about emphasizing personal accountability under the theme Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT. With the number of web-enabled intelligent devices rising every day, it’s critical to understand our digital profiles, as well as the threats that exist in cyberspace.
BUI is proud to be a 2019 NCSAM Champion alongside the likes of Microsoft, Kaspersky, McAfee, Symantec, and dozens of other organisations committed to empowering people to use the Internet responsibly and safely.
Throughout October, we’ll be sharing top tips, how-to guides, and other useful resources to help you become more cyber aware at work, at home, and on the go. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter and join the conversation by using the #CyberAware and #BeCyberSmart hashtags online.
From left, Paul Wallet, Willem Malan, Ryan Roseveare, and Thys janse van Rensburg at The Houghton Hotel, Spa, Wellness & Golf in Johannesburg.
We were the Finalists in 6 Awards and we Won.
Further, BUI was a finalist in the Modern Workplace and Go to Market Partner categories.
Nearly 300 Microsoft Partners attended the gala dinner and prize-giving ceremony at the upmarket Houghton Hotel in Houghton Estate. Held annually, the Microsoft Partner Awards acknowledge and celebrate Partner organisations that have excelled in delivering Microsoft solutions. Judging takes place across numerous competencies after intensive reviews of the award submissions.
BUI won the most awards of any Partner on the night, and the First Technology Group took away 7 in total.
A personal best for BUI
“It was a great evening,” says Managing Director Ryan Roseveare with a smile. “I’m thrilled that we took home the Cloud Platform Partner of the Year award for the sixth year in a row! We collected four trophies in total, and that’s a personal best for us. But it’s also a testament to the commitment of every person at BUI. I’m enormously proud of them all. Winning these awards means a great deal to us and our business, and is achieved through dedication and teamwork. BUI truly owned the night in the most important award categories.”
BUI is equally excited about scooping the Security Partner of the Year award. “We’ve made significant investments in our security division this year. We’ve added a dedicated Security Operations team focused on cloud security operations. We’ve also built a cloud-centric Security Operations Centre to provide our customers with cutting-edge security and oversight solutions. This award is a wonderful endorsement of the local skills and local capabilities that we offer to the market.”
An era of opportunity
In his opening remarks on Wednesday evening, Lionel Moyal (Commercial Partners Lead at Microsoft South Africa) urged Partners to explore new ways of helping their customers adapt to the digital age. “As we move towards the fourth industrial revolution, it is important that we work together, sell together, and win together. We are seeing every industry embrace tech intensity, as every company is becoming a digital company.”
“We’ve seen sustained interest in cloud technology, especially since the launch of Microsoft’s Hyperscale Cloud Data Centres here in South Africa. At BUI, we added 23 new Azure customers this financial year alone, and they’re consuming Azure at an exceptional rate. We’ve positioned ourselves to strengthen organisations in diverse industries, and I think our Services Partner of the Year and Azure Consumed Revenue Partner of the Year trophies speak to our success in this regard,” says Roseveare.
Microsoft gave this year’s award-winners an extraordinary token of appreciation in addition to their trophies: a celestial body! Winning Partners will have an actual star named after them. “We took home more awards last night than any other Partner. It’s an incredible feeling! And it’s because of the stellar work done by the BUI team,” concludes Roseveare.
Tech startups have been early adopters of productivity apps like Evernote, Slack, Google Drive, Trello. The way in which they’ve spread the word, as the vanguard about the future of work, have been documented. It’s the adoption of tools and new methodologies that allowed them to move quickly, and not worry about digital transformation and the transition from legacy systems; and the subsequent change management of people.
The reason the above mentioned apps are favoured is because… they were first to crack their purpose ; usage scaled, and users bought into the vision. As SaaS platforms they made it easy for users to login and manage across operating devices and platforms, with the ability to scale.
However, they’ve not always been able to consolidate or integrate seamlessly with other ‘legacy’ platforms (hence the rise of Zapier) for cross-purpose and projects needs. For instance – email to chat ( Gchat failed, & Slack didn’t crack video chat). Trello have plugins to Slack, but not all Users use it, or understand the functionality of it…
This is where Microsoft is playing the long game with MS Office365 and sees a gap, to consolidate and eventually move all 365 users into, at least a Hybrid Cloud. For a seamless cross platform experience, using terminologies people know – think of File, Edit, View, Tools, Insert.
With MS Teams – they’re reaching an end goal – with even more real-time/multiplayer edit capabilities; for better collaboration – sharing of files, instant saving, and plus cross platform integrations with software suites like Adobe. More open API’s will be made available soon.
In SA, the latest announcement around the hosting and migration of 365 Office, to local data centres, (and Core data of Sharepoint, Exchange & OneDrive)…allows; not only for a faster experience in MS Teams, but can now integrate with VoiP for call and video meetings, or to setup their PBX systems.
Small Businesses and Startups can be allocated faster than any on-site resources can many times over. Take for instance getting a new Sales team on board, who requires onboarding with the aim to get them up and running asap. Setting up their Services from CRM, Email, Teams, and Sales Collateral, can now be done within minutes; and the dynamically changing nature of Agile teams and the remote force, enables management – to plan for such a move more accurately.
With a growing remote workforce,Own Devices, adds to security risks ; which can be better mitigated from the cloud through multi-step verification.
Also, SMEs with private Customer Data records now have more piece of mind, knowing the record of truth will now be stored locally, adhering to more stringent data protection policies ( GDPR/POPI).
Small Business owners are in the enviable position that software has become more user friendly, even for the non-technical execs. Hardware setups and technical support is another matter, and still requires dedicated expertise. The cloud takes care of this, where the installation of new servers and configuring them don’t require a full or even part time IT person, but comes with a checklist, and is taken care of in the back-ground.
Starting out is easier than growing and scaling a team, and adopting a new way of work. The cost to try out different software and SaaS tools are low compared to before. It’s the transition from onsite to the cloud and the risk involved, that have many burying their heads in the sand, until another lunar moon passes. Stalling to migrate is costly.
From left, Louw Liebenberg, Bernard Chadenga, Laurent Peretti-Poix, Jan Davel, Chantelle Nieuwendyk, Vilje Visser, and Handre van der Merwe at the PayProp Academy presentation at Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch on the 16th of May 2019.
If you’re involved in South Africa’s real estate industry, then there’s a good chance you’ve heard of PayProp, the leading processor of rental payments for the property management sector. The company’s eponymous payment and reconciliation platform is used by several local real estate brands, including Pam Golding Properties, Jawitz Properties, Seeff, Harcourts, and REMAX.
In recent years, PayProp has gathered experts from diverse fields for its PayProp Academy presentations. These annual road shows are designed to give property managers an inside look at the latest developments in the property sector, and to showcase the technologies available to help them maximise their own business performance.
In 2017, the PayProp Academy events covered rental trends, risk management, profitability, and the legal landscape. In 2018, speakers demystified property tech and discussed some of the tools available to help attendees streamline their processes and empower their staff. This year, the focus shifted to cybersecurity, the importance of data protection, and the need for vigilance.
PayProp South Africa’s chief executive officer, Louw Liebenberg, and general manager, Jan Davel, were joined by Laurent Peretti-Poix (chief technology officer at Humanstate), Bernard Chadenga (senior cybersecurity manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers), and Handre van der Merwe (our own CISSP and head of marketing here at BUI) for a series of talks in Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Stellenbosch.
Cybercrime is a growing problem. South Africa’s economy loses more than R2-billion a year to criminal activities conducted in cyberspace. The country also has the third-highest number of cybercrime victims in the world. And if you think hackers are only targeting big businesses, think again: it’s often the smaller organisations that unwittingly provide gateways for cyber villains to exploit.
Real estate companies, rental agencies and property managers handle vast amounts of personal and financial information. From names and ID numbers to home addresses and bank accounts, data is being collected, processed, and stored every day. Private data. Sensitive data. Valuable data. What can you do to help safeguard the information in your care? Here are five people-centric pointers from this year’s PayProp Academy presenters…
“We cannot throw the dice and depend on luck (for protection),” warns Jan Davel, highlighting the meticulous, methodical treachery of Bernie Madoff as a prime example of deception. “Sometimes, we don’t even know what we don’t know,” he adds. That’s why it’s important to be aware of the risks, to query anything that looks suspicious, and to stay informed about the latest industry-specific scams. “We’re all busy. We all get tired and frustrated. But we’ve got to focus on the finer details.” So, check that payment authorisation form one more time. Call that client with the strange email address. Stop, think, evaluate, and then act responsibly.
Getting to grips with the current playing field is essential. “What we used to see in the movies and think was impossible, today is possible,” says Bernard Chadenga, explaining how cybercriminals search for access points in our personal and professional lives. “They hack our businesses. They hack our homes. They hack us.” So, be careful what you share, and with whom. Be careful how and where you connect your devices to the Internet. Realise that there are hackers who could create havoc with just your username and password. “You’re a piece of the puzzle, a link in the chain. And the bad guys will try to manipulate you.”
In an increasingly connected digital world, cybersecurity should not be delegated to your IT staff alone, cautions Handre van der Merwe. Every single employee has a role to play when it comes to data defence. “Hackers need to be right one time, but defenders need to be right 100% of the time.” Technical safeguards (like multi-factor authentication for user logins) create barriers to entry, but Van der Merwe believes company-wide watchfulness is important, too. “Have a few more things in your arsenal,” he says, because it pays to know what’s happening on your machines, who’s accessing them, and why.
Our smartphones, tablets and laptops are never far from us. And it’s not an exaggeration to say we use them every day – in private, in public, and even on the go. These devices are so ubiquitous and so entrenched in our routines that we often take them for granted – and that needs to change immediately, says Laurent Peretti-Poix. When it comes to cybersecurity, there’s no room for complacency. So, turn on automatic updates, use reputable anti-virus and security software, and be sensible when connecting to external networks. “You send a postcard if you’re happy for everyone to read it, but you put a love letter inside an envelope,” he says in reference to HTTP and HTTPS.
South African real estate businesses operate within the confines of the Finance Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), among other laws. Certain international legislation, like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, may also apply to local companies in certain circumstances. Hackers have no regard for such boundaries – and that means they can target anybody, anywhere, at any time. “It’s tempting to think that a hack is all about you, the victim,” says Louw Liebenberg. “But it’s not about you; it’s about what you hold in your hands.”
This year’s PayProp Academy events were held at the following locations:
View our Facebook photo album.
Microsoft South Africa MD Lillian Barnard announced the official opening of Microsoft’s Africa Hyperscale Cloud Data Centres today. Speaking from Microsoft South Africa’s head office in Johannesburg, Barnard said the state-of-the-art facilities, located in Cape Town and Johannesburg, will offer Azure immediately, and Office 365 and Dynamics 365 in the near future.
“We are extremely excited to announce the opening of our new enterprise-grade data centre regions based in Cape Town and Johannesburg. This world-class cloud infrastructure will power emerging cloud, artificial intelligence and edge computing innovations across the continent,” Barnard said, to enthusiastic applause.
The launch makes Microsoft the first global provider to deliver cloud services from data centres on the African continent. The Cape Town and Johannesburg Azure regions join Microsoft’s 54 available and announced regions around the world, and represent a significant local investment by the technology titan.
Organisations across Africa have realised the significant benefits of operating in the cloud. Research indicates that cloud usage among medium and large enterprises more than doubled from 2013 to 2018. South African companies, in particular, have looked to capitalise on the benefits of the cloud, including scalability, speed and adaptability.
With locally delivered cloud services from data centres on South African soil, businesses now have the option to migrate to the cloud while maintaining security and meeting compliance needs. With legislation like the Protection of Personal Information Act and evolving laws around data protection, local cloud services represent a significant opportunity for enterprises engaged in digital transformation.
As Microsoft’s top cloud partner in South Africa, BUI is proud to introduce a customised cloud-migration service to help local businesses transform their operations with digital technology.
The Azure Data Centre Migration Service by BUI is an end-to-end solution for moving on-premises servers and applications to the Microsoft Cloud environment.
BUI designed the Azure Data Centre Migration Service to make cloud migration simpler and more manageable for mid-market and enterprise-level organisations across the South African business landscape.
A step-by-step process
The Azure Data Centre Migration Service by BUI focuses on four key stages in the cloud-migration journey:
BUI’s cloud architects are skilled in a range of Microsoft Cloud technologies and can offer strategic insight regarding the business applications best suited for the Azure platform. “Our focus is always on our customers. We want to help them solve their business problems with technology, now and into the future,” says Technical Director Willem Malan.
It’s the right time to consider cloud migration
Microsoft announced the official launch of its long-awaited Africa Hyperscale Cloud Data Centres today. The two facilities – located in Cape Town and Johannesburg – enable the delivery of Microsoft’s intelligent cloud services. Azure is available immediately via the local data centres, and will be followed in the future by Office 365 (Microsoft’s cloud-based productivity solution) and Dynamics 365 (Microsoft’s next generation of intelligent business applications).
Data residency will be a key benefit for local businesses bound by the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act and other privacy regulations. “Data privacy and data protection are critical today,” says General Manager Thys Janse van Rensburg. “There’s a new headline about cybercrime almost every week. Microsoft Azure is a compelling cloud solution for businesses that are serious about digital security.”
Microsoft Managing Director Lillian Barnard announced the launch of the South African data centres during a press conference at Microsoft South Africa’s head office in Johannesburg. “We are extremely excited to announce the opening of our new enterprise-grade data centre regions based in Cape Town and Johannesburg. This world-class cloud infrastructure will power emerging cloud, artificial intelligence and edge computing innovations across the continent,” Barnard said.
BUI Managing Director Ryan Roseveare is thrilled that Microsoft has made such a significant investment in local infrastructure, and says BUI is perfectly positioned to guide businesses at every stage of their cloud-adoption journey. “BUI is always on the leading edge, especially in the cloud space. We’ve won Microsoft’s Cloud Platform Partner of the Year award five times… I think that reflects the strength of our practices and processes, but I also believe we have the best people here,” says Roseveare.
BUI is consistently recognised for its premier abilities in cloud technology. In-house teams have helped leading brands to modernise their systems and empower their people.
The Azure Data Centre Migration Service by BUI is available now. Book an assessment with our cloud specialists today.
Put the cloud and large-scale intelligence from decades of Microsoft security experience to work. Make your threat detection and response smarter and faster with artificial intelligence (AI). Eliminate security infrastructure setup and maintenance, and elastically scale to meet your security needs—while reducing IT costs.
Azure Sentinel supports open standards such as Common Event Format (CEF) and broad partner connections, including Microsoft Intelligent Security Association partners such as Check Point, Cisco, F5, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks and Symantec, as well as broader ecosystem partners such as ServiceNow.
Azure Sentinel is able to ingest events from several Microsoft and non-Microsoft platforms, including: Azure AD Identity Protection, Microsoft Cloud Application Security, Azure Security Center, Microsoft Graph Security API, DNS, Syslog and third party telemetry including F5, Palo Alto Networks, Checkpoint, and Cisco ASA.
Azure Sentinel uses state of the art, scalable machine learning algorithms to correlate millions of low fidelity anomalies to present a few high fidelity security incidents to the analyst. ML technologies will help you quickly get value from large amounts of security data you are ingesting and connect the dots for you.
For example, you can quickly see a compromised account that was used to deploy ransomware in a cloud application. This helps reduce noise drastically, in fact we have seen an overall reduction of up to 90 percent in alert fatigue during evaluations
Additional automation opportunities exist, through the use of Azure Logic Apps, a cloud-based workflow platform, which includes an out-of-box connector that allows developers to listen for Azure Sentinel events.
Invest in security, not infrastructure setup and maintenance with first cloud-native SIEM from Microsoft. Never again let a storage limit or a query limit prevent you from protecting your enterprise. Azure Sentinel is available immediately, you can automatically scale to meet your organizational needs, and only pay for the resources you need.
Connect with data from your Microsoft products in just a few clicks, import Office 365 data for free, and analyze and draw correlations to deepen your intelligence.
Now you can focus on finding real threats quickly and reduce noise from legitimate events with built-in machine learning and knowledge based on analyzing trillions of signals daily.
We’ve compiled a list of technology conferences and events happening across South Africa in February and March this year. Read on to learn more about the IT gatherings taking place in the first quarter of 2019…
20-21 February 2019 | CISO Africa Conference
VENUE: The Maslow Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg
THEME: Mitigating Cyber Threats Through Effective Leadership
WEBSITE: https://ciso-af.
4-5 March 2019 | Africa Tech Week
VENUE: Century City, Cape Town
THEME: Digital Transformation
WEBSITE: https://africatechweek.co.za
18-19 March 2019 | Women in Technology Africa
VENUE: Century City, Cape Town
THEME: Master the Art of Disruption
26 March 2019 | DevConf Cape Town
VENUE: The River Club, Observatory
THEME: Solving tomorrow’s software development challenges
WEBSITE: https://www.devconf.
26-27 March 2019 | Internet of Things Forum Africa
VENUE: Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg
THEME: IoT, AI and IT security in Africa
28 March 2019 | DevConf Johannesburg
VENUE: Vodacom World Events, Midrand, Johannesburg
THEME: Solving tomorrow’s software development challenges
WEBSITE: https://www.devconf.
Have we missed any tech events in your corner of the country? Let us know in the comment section!
Microsoft Ignite, the technology titan’s premier event for IT pros and developers, was held in Orlando, Florida, in September 2018. The audience’s appetite for hands-on training from the company’s experts was clear, and shortly afterwards, Microsoft announced plans to take the show on the road. Microsoft Ignite | The Tour began in Berlin in December 2018, and will end in Mumbai later this year.
South Africans recently had their chance to learn from Satya Nadella’s team of specialists. Microsoft Ignite | The Tour Johannesburg was held on January 28 and 29 at the Sandton Convention Centre. As Gold Sponsors of the event, we were thrilled to see the level of enthusiasm! So many delegates stopped by the BUI booth to ask us about cloud migration, digital transformation, and cybersecurity. And we, in turn, took every opportunity to hear from Microsoft’s top tier. Here are our four key takeaways…
Mina Nagy (Microsoft’s senior product marketing manager for the Middle East and Africa) said this often-stated figure of speech is worth repeating – because it’s as true as ever. And because we sometimes forget how digitally connected we are. The Internet of Things spans equipment, vehicles, energy systems, smart cities, sensors, marketplaces, business machines, personal devices, and so much more.
“Virtually anything can be attacked,” warned Nagy. Cybersecurity solutions need to be all-encompassing, with visibility across assets, comprehensive control, and in-depth guidance to allow real-time responses.
Senior Cloud Developer Advocate Ruth Yakubu gave attendees a brief overview of Azure Front Door Service, the newest addition to Azure’s application delivery suite of products. Currently in public preview, Azure Front Door Service is designed to provide web and mobile apps, APIs, and cloud services with always-on reliability, high performance, easy scalability and simplified connectivity. View additional information from Ruth, here:
Senior Cloud Security Advocate Tanya Janca stressed the importance of making security a company-wide priority for technical and non-technical staff alike – especially in SMMEs. “When smaller companies suffer a big cyberattack, they often just don’t survive,” said Janca, highlighting the prevalence of data breaches, privacy breaches, insider threats, corporate espionage, and denial of service attacks, as well as the growing problem of ransomware.
Cloud-based security offers organisations the complete infrastructure visibility and threat-monitoring they need to remain agile and responsive in an evolving digital world. Check out Tanya’s cloud security resources here:
Alastair Pugin (Microsoft Office Apps & Services MVP), Stephen Thair (co-founder of DevOpsGroup), Tracy van der Schyff (Microsoft Office Apps & Services MVP), and Marissa Salazar (Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft Corporation) weighed the impact of cloud on traditional IT. One trend was clear: technology professionals have to keep learning if they want to keep up. Three-year release cycles are a thing of the past: three-week rollouts are the norm in some areas.
New tools require new skills, but there isn’t always time for formal training. Computer users (and even recognised Power Users) need to become their own teachers. Microsoft has created free resources to encourage self-guided learning. Explore the tutorials available via Microsoft Cloud Society and Microsoft Learn, and check out these articles from Tracy:
On-demand content, including downloadable slide decks and videos, are available to all Microsoft Ignite | The Tour Johannesburg delegates. Visit the online portal and login with the same credentials you used to register for the event, and then explore the curated digital assets.
If you missed the Johannesburg event, Microsoft Ignite | The Tour continues in other parts of the world until May 2019. Upcoming tour cities include Amsterdam, Dubai, Mumbai, Seoul, and Stockholm. Register your interest on the official event website if you’re able to attend those sessions.
And don’t forget to browse through the 700+ videos on the Microsoft Ignite YouTube channel, where experts address everything from Azure infrastructure and applications to the future of artificial intelligence.
Microsoft Ignite | The Tour Johannesburg was held at the Sandton Convention Centre on 28 and 29 January 2019.BUI was proud to be a Gold Sponsor at the event.Hundreds of South African technology professionals attended the two-day conference. Conference delegates attended workshops and presentations at the Sandton Convention Centre.
