Bring your own device (BYOD) to work? Not only are companies looking the other way but some organizations are actually giving the go ahead. Interestingly enough, federal agencies seem to be leading the way.

Veterans Affairs CIO Roger Baker, predicted that it will be within 2 years that federal agencies embrace a BYOD strategy. According to Baker, this means employees will be able to use their own devices to connect to the internal network,  FierceGovernmentIT. So if the feds are doing it…surely companies worldwide will begin to allow the seepage of personal devices in the workplace.

But what could be motivating this sudden acceptance of personal devices?  Thanks to a recent survey by Citrix, we’ve got some insight into this.  For instance: more than 90% of companies polled said some employees are already using noncompany-issued computing devices for work-related tasks (I can almost see steam coming from our IS Director’s head now!). So other than ”if we can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” here are the top 10 motivators that are moving the private sector to adopt this new strategy:

1. Ease of working off-site.
2. Employees have relevant equipment.
3. Attract and retain top talent.
4. Decrease device management costs.
5. Attract and retain younger workers.
6. Attract and retain other worker types (such as home-based).
7. Reduce training and on-boarding costs.
8. Enable self-service IT.
9. Bolster business continuity.
10. Best way to handle proliferation of devices.

But whoa…wait a minute! What about security? What about all of the sensitive docs that will be floating in and out of secure environments?

Yes, it’s all fine and dandy until someone gets an eye poked out (I mean until this causes a major security breach). IT folks have had a hard time securing data even with systems that are securable. The evidence is in the multitude of breaches that have happened in the past year alone. Adding personal devices to the mix is a whole other level of security risk.

But don’t worry; we’re working on having a solution for this very problem. You may have heard that we’ve added TappIn to our family of products.

Simply stated, TappIn allows sensitive data to be shared on any device (iPad, iPhone, Android, laptop, desktop, etc) in a secure manner without having to upload and store data in the cloud! So even though convenience may be pushing you to accept outside devices being used sooner that you’d like, you’ll have an easy option to manage this in a way that keeps sensitive data secure.

I’m so delighted to be able to tell you that we’ve announced today that we’ve acquired the mobile file sharing company, TappIn.  I’ve put together a few thoughts as to why “going mobile” is critical to GlobalSCAPE:

Much is being written about the “blurring” of personal technology and business technology.  Maybe it’s really a societal statement that more and more of our work  is done on smartphones, tablets and home PC’s.  It’s then a natural extension to ask the IT organization in your company to use them as they see fit.  We have already heard a number of stories that suggest that if IT isn’t ahead of this curve, then users will find a way to do it quite possibly outside the established boundaries and policies. 

We agree that employees should be allowed to leverage the tools that make them most productive.  The productivity improvements alone make this a compelling argument.  And, with remote employees and increasing numbers of contract employees on board, it’s mandatory that they be allowed to collaborate where and how they deem convenient.

This shift is commonly referred to as BYOD, as in “Bring Your Own Device”!  Companies will have to deal with these myriad of devices coming to work by day to connect to your network…and leaving with that access to go home or on the road at night.  For IT organizations who are in the habit of controlling the devices and the configurations, this consumerization of IT will be thought of as a security nightmare. 

They are right.  It will be a challenge. 

This consumerization will require expanded security measures. We’ve heard these smart devices referred to as WMD’s (weapons of mass destruction), given the damage they can do if used improperly.  If you thought passwords and encryption and quarantining information was difficult before this, you haven’t seen anything yet. 
But, the freedom to choose and the productivity gains will rule.   Cisco Systems annual Visual Networking Index Forecast says that by 2015, there will be more than 15 billion network-connected devices, which is more than two for every person on the planet. 

It will be a wise move to work with software providers who realize the importance of this freedom being provided to your employees, with a high degree of security in mind.  We, at Globalscape, take both these perspectives very seriously in everything we do.

How about you?  If you had to choose which to have to deal with…would you pick a divorce or going through a data breach?  If you chose divorce, then you agree with most people.  This revelation came from a recent study asking people to rate the stress levels of specific situations that happen in life. The results were pretty interesting.

Most people said that dealing with a data breach at work would beat out a divorce or getting fired in terms of stress levels! This study was done by Dynamic Markets who polled 1,000 IT managers and 1,000 non-IT employees in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

Almost three quarters of those polled agreed that simply keeping data protected is more stressful than divorce, managing debt or being in a car accident. Wow…that’s a lot of stress! But here’s where this poll becomes more troubling: 34% said they would not report accidentally compromised data to their boss.

These results are not as surprising when you really think about what’s all involved if a company’s data is breached. Hefty fines, bad press, damaged reputation, angry customers, employees getting fired…well, you get the point.

That’s why there are companies like GlobalSCAPE. We’re the experts in keeping data secure. So why try to do everything on your own? We can wipe away much of the stress surrounding keeping data secure. If you’d like more information, we’re simply a phone call away at 800-290-5054 or you can go to the main GlobalSCAPE website for more info.

• Moving your managed file transfer to a hosted solution
• Letting someone else manage your managed file transfer solution
• Moving to an enterprise solution but can’t find the budget for the upfront cost

On this live webinar, you’ll discover how to:

• Maintain the highest levels of security
• Easily be compliant (HIPAA, PCI_DSS, Sox, etc) without lifting a finger
• Afford a full enterprise solution suite without astronomical up-front costs
• Set-up even the most complex automated transfers
• Be up and running in record time
• And more!

Webinar details:

Date:     October, 19, 2011
Time:    3:00-4:00 cst

So if you’re curious about moving managed file transfer to the cloud but aren’t sure if it’s the right solution for you, this webinar will answer all of your questions. Just click the link below to register today.

Register Now…Register Now…Register Now…Register Now…Register Now…Register Now…

When are health care companies going to learn that they must comply with the latest laws and regulations? HIPAA and HITECH were passed for a reason but time-after-time we see data breaches happening due to violations.

The latest debacle happened right here in San Antonio, TX. Tricare, a provider of health care services to active and retired military personnel, disclosed that a 3rd party technology contractor lost backup tapes containing sensitive patient health information while transferring them between Federal facilities. Well, lost may be the wrong word.  The tapes were actually stolen…out of a car. And of course the data is not encrypted.

So in today’s world of advanced technology and strict regulations, we continue to see these data breaches happen. Approximately 4.9 million people were affected. Names, addresses, social security numbers and more data (no direct financial data, however) are on the backup tapes for those who visited a military treatment center in San Antonio from 1992 to September 7, 2011.

Tricare is going to be out a lot of money for this mistake. The sad part is this type of archaic handling of data happens everyday. People load up sensitive data on USB sticks and Fed Ex them. They send data through non-secure email programs. They store data on unencrypted servers. The list goes on-and-on.

If you’re wondering if your company is handling its data properly or fully complying with HIPAA, HITECH or other such regulations but you aren’t sure, call us.  If your data security system is out of date or a homegrown solution that may not be up to today’s standards, call us. If your company has outgrown its current solution and you need to add advanced features like automation, call us. It’s much better to prevent the breach than dealing with bad press, huge fines and angry customers. 

You can reach us at 800-290-5054 or you can get more information about our data security solutions for managed file transfer here.

Remember back when the Internet really started to take off? Online stores began to pop-up and we were presented with an interesting dilemma. On one hand, we wanted to take advantage of the new and convenient way to shop and do business. But it was so new, we weren’t sure we could trust our credit card information would be safe online. But we eventually came around and online business has been booming.

However, the tide is starting to turn. Trust is an issue again.

All of the recent data breaches we’ve been hearing about have a great deal to do with the break down of trust. But it goes much deeper now. With all sorts of data having gone digital, even our most private medical data is at risk.

Now much of our personal data is open to a breach by no choice of our own. A recent survey commissioned by an Austin-based software company found that most consumers in the U.S., Australia and the UK have lost confidence in how companies have handled personal data.

The problem here is not that the technology does not exist to prevent these breaches but the real issue is that companies aren’t always putting current technology in place to battle the bad guys.  Once companies begin to take this digital battle seriously and implement security measures on a widespread basis, they may be able to start earning back the trust of consumers worldwide.

Financial services companies beware: You are the main target for today’s hackers! Companies in the financial services industry move the world’s money from place to place. Business has gone global and money is moved digitally. Enter hackers…the modern versions of the masked train robbers of the old West. They’re after the money, plain and simple.

Of course it’s not just the financial services companies hackers target. Every company is at risk, no matter the industry or size. Just look at the staggering cost of cyber-crime. According to Brian Tillet, the chief security strategist at Symantec, the annual cost of cyber-crime is around $388 billion. This number includes money and time lost and surges past the cost of the global black market trade in heroin, cocaine and marijuana…by $100 billion.

Compounding the problem is another interesting fact brought to light by the FBI’s assistant director, Gordon Snow.  Snow says that cyber-criminals’ capabilities are at an all time high. And U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R.-W.Va) said the threats were “especially acute” in the financial services industry.

As our new digital world makes things easier for us, it also opens up new opportunities for criminals to get their hands on your money-right from the comfort of their own homes. But it’s not a lost cause. There are ways to fight these modern train robbers. Instead of sheriffs and guns, we can fight back with technology. Fight fire with fire, as the saying goes.

Part of your arsenal should be a solid data security system. It’s critical to stay one step ahead of those who want your data. If you’re curious about how GlobalSCAPE can help keep your data safe with our managed file transfer software, we’re simply a phone call or click away.  We’d be happy to chat with you about your needs. Call us at 800-290-5054.

Todd Doerr, Mayor Julián Castro, Iñigo Arzac

South Texas makes a huge leap forward. TechCon2011 San Antonio, is the hot place (yes, literally hot with it forcasted to be 104 degrees today) for Texas technology companies to showcase their goods.  And of course, GlobalSCAPE is at the conference, heading the way.

The convention focuses on technology manufactured and developed in Texas, but it also recognizes products sold in Texas from around the world. Those products also enrich our lives and businesses and those who sell such technology products are also welcome to exhibit. Exhibitors include GlobalSCAPE, Google, Rackspace, AT&T and Texas Instruments, just to name a few.

The featured speaker today is Mayor Julián Castro. Mayor Castro has made growing business, especially in the tech industry, here in San Antonio a top priority. We look forward to working with the Mayor to be a part of the tremendous growth of technology in San Antonio.

And another one bites the dust.  This time Yale University is eating data breach crow. 43,000 students, faculty and staffers were recently notified that their personal information, including social security numbers, were breached.

Breached how? Well, specifically, the information was made publicly available on Google. People’s names, addresses and social security numbers were out there for anyone to see for a period of 10 months. And of course, Yale  has offered the victims identity theft insurance and free credit monitoring services for 2 years. That sounds expensive!

So how in the world does a private database full of sensitive data show up on Google searches anyway? Yale IT Services Director, Len Peters,  is saying the information was stored on an FTP server that was mainly used for open source material. In September of last year, Google made a change that allowed the search engine to find and index information on FTP servers…hence the Yale data becoming searchable.  Oops.

It’s easy to understand how an oversight like this would happen. But…it would have been even easier to prevent. The data on the FTP server was being stored unencrypted with no password protection.  Again, data security 101: encrypt and password-protect sensitive data. Remember, Yale was not a victim of a sophisticated hacking scheme; it was the victim of poor data security.

So instead of heading this problem off on the front-end (procuring a secure file transfer system), Yale has a bad PR situation to deal with  and a huge bill to pay. 

The main point here is to learn from others’ mistakes. Know where your sensitive data is stored and make sure it’s protected. If you need to learn more about how we can help you avoid this type of situation, we’re a phone call away.  Call us at 1-800-290-5054 or learn more about our managed file transfer solutions.

Have you heard of it? It’s being called the biggest data breach in history. This rat has been quietly sniffing its way around the databases of governments and economic institutions around the world since 2006! We’re talking military databases, the United Nations, the International Olympic committee and many more institutions, totaling 72.

So what’s going on here?  Is this…could this be the work of a small group of hackers? Nope. According to employees from McAfee, the company that discovered the breach, this is much bigger. They are saying that Operation Shady Rat is a government-sponsored effort. One nation is behind this but they aren’t spilling the beans.

Even so, most security experts are focusing in on one country: China. “Everything points to China. It could be the Russians, but there is more that points to China than Russia,” said Jim Lewis, a cyber-expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, pointing out hackers targeted data of particular interest to China.

Of course China is denying responsibility; they’re claiming to be the victim of hacking themselves. At this point we don’t know if China really is the culprit. It’ll be interesting to find out who did it when (or if) McAfee decides to expose the rat.