Vapour’s CEO Tim Mercer was invited to attend the much-talked-about Comms Vision event delivered by Comms Dealer at the beautiful Gleneagles venue in Scotland last month.

Here are his top 10 takeaways from the two-day discussions:

  1. Cyber security was the number one topic of the entire event, I would say. Our lives are becoming increasingly connected and with that comes risk, particularly in the home. IT security should therefore be considered a process, not a product. There isn’t a quick fix, particularly where human error is involved. It was interesting to note that while customer service is something I would hope everyone cares about, it gained only a couple of fleeting mentions – particularly on day one. Let’s not lose sight of why we’re all here!
  1. When it comes to people management, there are a number of issues keeping tech firms awake at night, including diversity, hybrid working, mental health and the cost of living crisis. The biggest concern from the last 12 months, however, has been recruitment. Businesses therefore need to think carefully about how they attract and retain top talent moving into 2023 and beyond, and how the attitudes and behaviour of colleagues throughout entire organisations can influence whether a company is a great place to work, or not. Culture is undoubtedly key – something panellists repeatedly agreed on. Corporate values can’t just exist to tick a box.
  1. While many people love the flexibility of remote working, it should not be forgotten that for others, it can cause increased anxiety, especially when it comes to holding meetings on platforms such as Microsoft Teams. It’s important to keep talking to colleagues about how they feel. Also, while hybrid working policies may feel to contradict flexibility – the very reason hybrid working is so popular in lots of cases – they can give definition that better sets out the expectations of everyone involved.
  1. While conversation surrounding net zero is mounting – something nobody would dispute – a third of people in the room admitted that they do care about the topic, there are more pressing priorities on their strategic agenda at the moment.
  1. The channel is optimistic about the year ahead, on the whole, with 85% predicting some degree of growth.
  1. The date for BT’s switch off of their 35-year-old network – 2025 – is looming. Porting and provisioning is difficult and time consuming, so the channel must ensure it’s ready. The consensus seemed to be that the Government has to work harder in terms of communicating the change too.
  1. Mobile is taking priority over fixed line connectivity, and while 5G progress has come a long way, with BT aiming for 50% of all coverage by 2028, infrastructure on the whole still requires some work.
  1. There was a fantastic talk about the role of anthropology at the heart of a successful business strategy, with some incredibly interesting insight into why one athletics club in Kingston, Jamaica, produces most of the world’s best sprinters. The conversation centred on the notion that, usually, people – in all walks of life including their careers – reach an acceptable standard then stop trying as hard. Elite performers, on the other hand, have a deliberate practice that makes them continue to succeed when others typically stop – they want it the most. Thank you Rasmus Ankersen, for your brilliant presentation.
  1. We shouldn’t confuse great talent with the right talent needed for a particular role. The story of American football was eye-opening here. Athletes attend camps every year where they are tested on everything from their speed and how high they can jump, through to their IQ. However, the tests don’t delve into the true detail of the person, and arguably, in the middle of a game, when milliseconds matter, IQ and speed become less important. The ability to see and feel the game, and react quickly, is critical, and these star players are quite different.
  1. Thank you also to RPD Development – another brilliant session, this time on the topic of innovation. I found this talk particularly interesting because of the speaker’s backstory – a teenager influencing millions of dollars of R&D design in the robotics industry before he’d even sat his GCSEs (because customers weren’t aware he was still in school!) His session shed a superb light on the role of culture, mindset and internal PR in driving true innovation within organisations.

It’s no secret that the global tech sector is advancing at an astonishingly rapid pace – not least in relation to the now integral role of digital transformation in spearheading growth and success. But no matter the size or scope or your organisation – or how sophisticated your innovation strategy is – the only way to drive significant change is to leverage the power of people.

So, to champion some of the industry’ finest talent, and gain some insight into the minds of individuals from across the tech space, we’re inviting friends and partners of the business to take part in our quickfire Q&A.

Up next, it’s Greg Gyves, Business Manager, MSSP - EMEA at Fortinet…

Tell us about your role at Fortinet and the part you play in the tech sector.

Fortinet is the world’s leading cyber security company, and we help a range of organisations – from the smallest micro businesses to the world’s largest enterprises and governments – to securely accelerate their digital journey.

All my time in the last 10 years at Fortinet has been dedicated to supporting the growth of our MSP and MSSP partner community, as well as helping them build new and incremental recurring revenue streams from managed security services.

What innovation was the turning point for your organisation, to get it to where you are now?

A significant turning point was the introduction of the Fortinet Security Fabric vision – which has existed for almost a decade now, and helps deliver broad, integrated, and automated protections across the entire digital attack surface.

This is a strategic approach most recently validated by Gartner, with the introduction of their cyber security mesh architecture (CSMA).

And where’s next for your business?

Fortinet has several strategic growth engines in different technology areas – driven in a large part by the increasing volume and variety of sophisticated cyberthreats, the shift to working from anywhere, and the convergence of network and security.

Our key priority areas are continuing our growth in network firewall and Secure SD-WAN, along with SASE and ZTNA, to accelerate the digital transformation of our customers. We’re also keen to further develop comprehensive products and solutions to secure operational technology (OT) environments, as we see a rising volume of attacks that are targeting these traditionally isolated environments.

The biggest misconception faced by the tech sector is…

That it’s an industry for men and that you have to be technical to succeed. While it is true that there are few women working in the field of cybersecurity, and even fewer if we only consider engineering positions, I don’t think it’s necessarily more difficult for them to enter this space. We should collectively make it more balanced by hiring a greater number of women, to bring diversity as well as help to address the global skills shortage.

What do you think will be the biggest tech trend over the next 12 months?

Although the trend will span longer than 12 months, there is a continued convergence of IT and OT, where there is a requirement to leverage previously unconnected operational networks by connecting them to the cloud, and in turn the IT network.

There is a significant addressable opportunity in OT security, and we believe we are well placed to take advantage of this fast-growing trend.

What top tip would you give to an individual trying to excel in their tech career?

Don’t stand still – it’s equivalent to falling behind. Constantly looking for ways to push beyond your comfort zone is crucial to keep up with the pace of the industry.

The next purchase on my personal tech wish list is…?

A Peloton exercise bike – I love the idea of that immersive experience from the comfort of your own home.

And what is your earliest memory of tech in your life?

Probably a Commodore VIC 20, that I think was originally given to my older brother. It was later superseded by the Commodore 64 and Amiga 500, before we became a Nintendo house instead.

What is one longstanding piece of tech you are shocked is still used today?

Well, I’m shocked my wife still forces me to keep the Blu Ray player (not that I can remember the last time we used it!), against my best efforts to stick it in the bin. If anyone reading this actually still uses a DVD or Blu Ray player, then I am shocked!

If you are without the internet for an hour, what would be the first activity you resort to, to pass the time?

I imagine it would be a game of football in the house or in the garden with my two boys, aged 10 and 5. They are both mad for the sport and any ‘unconnected’ activity usually involves a football.

Cyber Security Awareness Month may have dominated the headlines in October, but it remains an ongoing priority at Vapour HQ.

And the team is delighted to have secured Cyber Essentials certification – a government-backed scheme that evidences our deeply-engrained commitment to security, and our protection against cyber-attacks.

Independently assessed by the ISAME Consortium – a Cyber Essentials Partner – the accreditation hasn’t just encouraged the Vapour team to review and validate our cyber security protocol. It also now reassures our customers across public and private sectors – ranging from construction to education, and healthcare to professional services – that we take proactive steps to protect our cloud technology infrastructure from risk.

Commenting on the success, Vapour’s head of transformation and operations Carol McGrotty – who led the certification project – said: “A key part of being ‘cyber ready’ is never becoming complacent. It’s a mantra we share with our customers, so it’s important we live and breathe it too – not least because many attacks are a result of fairly unskilled hackers exploiting innocent human error.

“So, while we know we take cyber security extremely seriously throughout the Vapour team, the exercise to achieve certification provided a helpful ‘sense check’ that we’ve got all bases covered. It should also act as a further sign of confidence for our customers – large and small – that when you’re working with us, you’re in safe hands.”

Last month, the iconic Olympia London opened its doors to over 5,000 delegates, for the 2022 International Cyber Security Expo.

With an esteemed Advisory Council, chaired by Professor Ciaran Martin CB (former CEO of the NCSC), the event combines world-class education with practical business solutions, as well as leading products and innovations.

Not ones to miss such an opportune event, our cyber security team headed down to scope out some key insights.

Here’s what they came back with…

Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) as a strategy 101

Recently emerging as a key building block in software security and supply chain risk management, a SBOM is a complete inventory of a codebase – including open source components, their license and version information, and any known vulnerabilities.

Having an SBOM is one of the most effective ways to identify impacted systems, as well as help organisations secure their infrastructure to minimise cyber security risks.

Attack tree analysis: identifying and ranking cyberattack paths

Conceptual diagrams showing how a system or target can be compromised, attack trees are an excellent tool in the world of cyber security.

Utilising telemetry data and estimates to reduce the risk of an attack, David Wiseman of Isograph Software ran through an example of a threat imposed on an automotive infotainment system – and what an insightful demo it was!

Application security – present and future

A panel of cyber powerhouses delved deeper into application security automation testing.

Specifically, the discussion focused on API security, cloud native application security, and supply chain risks – highlighting how our growing reliance upon such services have exposed users to a variety of new security risks, and exploring how to protect them from constantly-evolving threats.

Hunting the actors behind the threat

Clustering is the process of dividing entire data into groups, based on the patterns in the data – allowing experts to observe activity and identify any anomalies that could indicate a threat. Very Jason Bourne!

Zero Trust for applications and protecting yourself from zero-day vulnerabilities

Zero Trust is a hot topic for network security. Yet, many are yet to grasp its impact or understand successful implementation.

Delving into the various endpoint evasion techniques that are undetectable by most Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and antivirus solutions, offered some great insight into the need for such architecture in an increasingly connected world.

An insight into  penetration testing

With a whistle-stop demo of penetration testing in action, attendees were encouraged to think like a hacker, and detect vulnerabilities in a sample software system.

But why is this so important?

Want to continue the conversation? Get in touch.

We have received a growing number of enquiries over the past two weeks, from customers concerned about the threat of cyberattacks. And the number of people contacting us in search of guidance is continuing to rise. Our head of transformation and operations – Carol McGrotty – has therefore summarised our advice in this short post. If you wish to discuss this any further, please contact our Service Desk at gethelp@vapourcloud.com, and we will do our best to assist.

With Russian military operations currently underway in Ukraine, the question of whether cyber warfare will also be employed remains unanswered.

Vapour is liaising with Tier 1 providers – with no known immediate threat – and shall continue to do so.

There is a heightened sense of concern being felt by many organisations. Our focus is to help clients prepare for potential cyberattacks. For that, we have put together this cyber readiness checklist. While many of these suggestions are standard cyber hygiene protocols and best practices, simple actions can also go a long way towards fighting against cyberthreats.

Key takeaways

Access: Review admin access to Firewalls and Firewall policies to ensure only permitted access has been given and not open to vulnerabilities

Patching: Ensure that all systems are fully patched and updated

Protection Databases: Make sure your security tools have the latest databases

Backup: Create or update offline backups for all critical systems

Phishing: Conduct phishing awareness training and drills

Hunt: Proactively hunt for attackers in your network using the known TTPs of Russian threat actors

Emulate: Test your defences to ensure they can detect the known TTPs of Russian threat actors

Response: Test your incident response against fictitious, real-world scenarios.

We hope you find this helpful, and if you have any queries, please contact our Service Desk at gethelp@vapourcloud.com.

The hybrid world of work is here to stay and brings a raft of benefits with it. But we can’t forget the data security risks that come with being away from the usual corporate setting.

And, to celebrate the launch of our SD-WAN solution for hybrid workers, we decided to team up with One Minute Briefs in a bid to educate the nation around some of the cyber risks which lurk with remote work.

Enlisting the help of One Minute Brief’s 33k-strong online community (otherwise known as OMBLES), we set about creating posters which highlight the cyber risks associated with hybrid working – if organisations don’t better protect their colleagues’ devices.

Of course, we’d highly recommend using Vapour’s new hybrid working solution, which integrates endpoint and network security through state-of-the-art SD-WAN technologies, to reduce organisations’ exposure to cyber threats, regardless of where employees decide to work from one day to the next.

The OMBLES were inspired too, and not only did the campaign feature amongst Twitter’s ‘trending’ charts – alongside National Tea Day and The Queen’s 95th birthday – but it generated over 200 entries, 76.6k impressions, and reached around 6.6 million people.

The level of creativity was sky-high, and it took us a while to settle on a shortlist of just 20 – never mind our eventual winner. But do you agree with our selection? Find out more about our SD-WAN solution, here.

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