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Businesses opening up to security risks by failing to gain grasp of DevSecOps

DevOps approaches have become a fixture in most businesses, but integration with security operations is lagging behind.

Claranet Cyber Security launches Endpoint Detection and Response

New threat hunting service to protect networks before attacks evolve Claranet Cyber Security have today announced the launch of a new Endpoint Detection and Response service as part of its growing Managed Security Services portfolio for customers.

On the Front Foot: six countermeasures to pre-empt a security breach

IT security is a lot more than just battening down the hatches. It’s as much about thinking like a hacker to identify and outwit every potential breach. Close-combat instructors call their field “self-defence” for a reason. The first moves any student learns are purely to stop the worst happening. Block that kick, tense that core, keep your fists in front of your face.

Lost in Translation: why IT leaders need to step away from tech when selling Cloud to the board

Cloud services are a strategic necessity for your business - which is why you need to start selling it to the c-suite in terms of goals and benefits.

Cloud on the Ground: real world examples of The Great Migration

Agility, scalability, and long-term business need… there are many reasons why no two migrations to the cloud are the same. Here we look at five businesses that have made the move, and how they chose to get there.

Boom time: how cybersecurity has morphed with the rise of the white hats

Due to a rise in bug bounties from companies large and small, many hackers are seeing the light and using their skills for good. We look at some of the ways you can work with this new breed of hacker.

Testing times: which is the best methodology for you

Find out which is the best testing methodology for you and your business.

Microsoft Teams and Office 365

As Microsoft continues to develop and improve Office 365, a wide suite of tools have emerged in recent years. But one area stands out as their current priority, and it's all about team collaboration. It is well known that Microsoft is evolving Office 365 at a tremendous pace, with new features and updates arriving every month. While many of these are minor changes, there are some key themes that are coming through.

How does Office 365 know who I am? : The importance of identity management for migration planning

Now you have committed to move your organisation into the Microsoft cloud, your next decision is to think about identity management. But what exactly is this and what are the issues? In broad terms, identity management covers the method by which your users' accounts are managed, authenticated, and where that authentication takes place. Active Directory (AD) is at the core of most enterprise approaches to identity management, whether on-premise or in Azure.

Office 365 adoption : It’s not (just) about the training

As with the roll out of any new system, training for Office 365 is essential for users. But without close consultation on what training to deliver, we run the risk of it falling on deaf ears or missing the mark completely. By: Neil Thomas, Communications Services Director, Claranet

Office 365 Licensing: only pay for what you need

With 170 subscriptions available with Office 365, how can you be sure your organisation has taken out the right mix? Get this right and the potential for providing employees with the best tools for the job, at the most efficient cost, tells its own story. Interview : Stuart Rothwell, Collaboration Services, Claranet Stuart, where would you suggest someone starts when considering the move to Office 365?

The elastic business: three ways to right-size your digital estate

Right-sizing your tech is essential to ensure businesses have the resources they need at all times. Too little and your systems cave in under pressure. But too much will burn a hole through your budget.

Cloud Culture

Migrating to the Cloud is easy. Migrating to the Cloud effectively, not so much. There are two key issues that need to be addressed by businesses defining their migration: understanding the current position and defining what “good” looks like in the Cloud.

Inhibitors to Change: twelve reasons why Cloud migrations fail

Resistance to change, a lack of vision, legacy technology, financial constraints… There are many reasons why migration plans fail to deliver. Here are 12 key issues encountered by Cloud adopters, and how to overcome them. 1. People People present the number one inhibitor to every change project, including Cloud migrations. Why?

Destination Points: six ways to differentiate an application transformation project

Having completed a feasibility study and built a Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCoE) team, the next step is to define what will happen with each workload. The beauty of Cloud infrastructure is that you can mix and match services to meet the needs of your business and it’s customers. But it helps to understand the various approaches and how they might apply. To help classify these options, the Cloud industry uses the '6 Rs':

DevOps Exposed

DevOps approaches have become a fixture in most businesses. But integration with security operations is lagging behind.

The DevSecOps Mindset: a quick guide to "shifting left and shifting right"

As we review in DevOps Exposed, research suggests that whereas 88% of UK businesses have either adopted a DevOps approach or plan to in the next couple of years, only 19% are fully confident in their ability to integrate security into this philosophy. This underlines the work that needs to be done in many organisations to embed and automate security best practice into the entire DevOps lifecycle.

Tools of the Trade

In this long technical read Sumit (Sid) Siddarth, Director at Claranet's NotSoSecure, looks at how DevSecOps does not need to cost a fortune. As he explains, freely available open-source tools can be used for organisations to improve their software security posture.

Is your network fit for cloud?

Organisations often realise that their current WAN is not fit for hybrid cloud and multi-cloud computing too late - when they move workloads to IaaS, platform as a service (PaaS) or SaaS offerings. WAN architectures need to be revisited to be fit for cloud.<:strong> Through 2023, I&O leaders who actively manage and reduce technical debt will achieve at least 50% faster service delivery times Gartner, Nov 2019

Application Security For Developers

As web application vulnerabilities are on the rise, it’s essential that developers increase their awareness and response to the growing risk. Rohit Salecha, Black Hat Trainer and accredited Pen Tester, looks at the increasing need for application security and how developers can tackle these threats proactively. Includes guidance on best security practices and some real-world breaches and application vulnerabilities.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

Claranet Cyber Security have announced the launch of a new Endpoint Detection and Response service as part of its growing Managed Security Services portfolio for customers. Your most sensitive data lives on the endpoint and in the cloud. Fast reactions prevent potential breaches and require a combination of technology and resource.

The Secret of Cloud Cost Control

Liam Bennett, Claranet’s Cloud Practice Director, and Sandy Simcox, Head of Cloud Portfolio Management, discuss real-world examples of how you can quickly and safely save money now to help your organisation's bottom line when it needs it most.

Claranet | The Power of Cloud in uncertain times

In this ten-minute video, Mark Turner, Director of Cloud at Claranet, discusses some of his main conversations with customers in recent months. For many, he says, the current uncertainty has fueled an acceleration in cloud adoption and modernisation.

DevSecOps: What, Why, and How

Code gets shipped into a DevOps environment at a blazing speed, making it extremely difficult to address security at each new release. Rohit Salecha, Black Hat Trainer, and accredited Pen Tester discusses how to address security issues by automating security in a DevOps environment to obtain a better level of assurance. The video is ideal for DevOps engineers, security and solutions architects, system administrators and anybody who is looking to inject security aspects in their DevOps process.

Part 2: Cloud Economics - The details

In his previous blog, Danny Nicholson considered the challenges around cloud billing and cost management, especially for finance teams. In this second piece, he goes into more detail and presents reasons to chase cost savings, but also reasons to invest.

Part 1 : Cloud Economics - A definition 

In this brief article Danny Nicholson, Principal Cloud Specialist at Claranet, explores the need for all teams to work together closely to effectively manage cloud consumption and associated costs.

Claranet | Migrating SAP to AWS

Heron Foods ensures PCI DSS compliance with Sec-1

Founded in 1979, Heron Foods is one of the leading discount food retailers in the UK, with over 250 outlets located throughout Northern England and the Midlands. It primarily sells frozen food, but also offers a wide range of dry and chilled stock from named brands as well as several lines under its own brand. The company, which currently employs 2,500 staff, was acquired by B&M in August 2017 and has ambitious growth plans as it seeks to seize market share and capitalise on new trends and opportunities in the retail space.

Volo drives growth and supports expansion with Microsoft 365 and Claranet

Executive summary Challenge: Volo is an ecommerce company specialising in helping organisations overcome multichannel selling. It had ambitious growth plans but was hamstrung by its technical capabilities. Solution: Volo identified Microsoft Microsoft 365 as an all-encompassing suite which could fulfil all of its requirements within one system. Claranet went beyond a standard migration to help us turn Microsoft 365 into the hub of our organisation.

Funky Pigeon soars to new heights with Claranet’s AWS and DevOps optimisation

Funky Pigeon is a fast-growing UK-based online retailer of greetings cards, calendars, stationary and gifts, many of which can be personalised with an easy to use online editor. Funky Pigeon specialise in helping create a memorable keepsake, present or card for any occasion. The company was acquired by WH Smith in 2010 and now has four million active customers.