Trends in Information Technology are continuously changing and, as a result, organizations are having to adapt to those changes. Let's look at the most prominent IT trends that are showing up today.
I spent a lot of time early in my career solving complicated problems related to security. In the late 1990's, I consulted as a civilian for the NSA to help automate the 'need-to-know' access of their internal web infrastructure and documentation. I followed that with some time as a Reserve Information Operations Officer for the U.S. Army, and then working for financial services companies including VISA during the birth of the PCI standards. Needless to say, the security field is one with overwhelming depth and it can be challenging for companies to make an iterative, incremental plan to become more secure.
Cloud-Based Modern Desktop
Many organizational networks are now cloud-based, allowing end users to connect from literally anywhere at any time, and with any device. Businesses who look towards enabling employees with a "Modern Desktop" environment typically want to meet these objectives:
- Empower staff through collaboration
- Enable business productivity without interruption
- Enhance security posture
Systems Engineering has a long history with the University of Southern Maine (USM), particularly in support of workforce development within the realm of technology and STEM. As such, the company elected to donate $10,000 to support scholarships for Maine students majoring in Information Technology and related fields.
Today, most businesses have some form of a wireless network in place. Aside from being convenient for employees with mobile devices looking to access the internet, wireless access is imperative for businesses whose employees regularly move throughout the office.
Each month, employees at Systems Engineering have the opportunity to wear jeans and contribute money towards a designated non-profit organization. All contributions are 100% matched by the company.
It seems like just yesterday that we wished our 2018 interns "good luck" before sending them off to their final year of school, and yet, here we are welcoming in a new class of interns. Our 2019 program includes five members joining us from a variety of schools including University of Southern Maine, University of Maine, Lehigh University, and the University of Alabama.
Systems Engineering is paying special attention to a Cisco IOS XE Software Web UI Command Injection Vulnerability that was announced earlier this week. Also known as "ThrangryCat Vulnerability," it is serious enough to get the attention of the press. As quoted on ZDNet, "This vulnerability allows hackers to plant persistent "backdoors" on Cisco gear, even over the Internet, with no physical access to vulnerable devices."
A bug in Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Services has been discovered. The vulnerability allows an attacker to take over a Windows PC if it’s connected to the internet and is operating with an out-of-support operating system. Not all machines are vulnerable, but the number of exposed machines makes it likely that somebody will come up with a worm.
The promises of productivity in the cloud continue to ring true. Access to your data from anywhere, at any time, with the ability to collaborate in real-time, is truly revolutionary and is providing a competitive advantage for organizations in every industry. However, access from anywhere means that without sufficient protections, the wrong people can gain access to your data by easily hacking usernames and passwords.
