Many organizations include the review of Service Organization Controls (SOC) examination reports in their annual vendor due diligence activities; however, most are unsure of what they should be looking for in the report.  Determining what is relevant and knowing how to read a SOC examination report can help to ensure that organizations get the most value and assurance out of their review.

By now, it’s not a well-kept secret that IT security is an important consideration in the design and operation of an organization’s network. A lot of things can be centrally managed by your IT administrator, like maintaining current anti-virus software, delivering timely operating system security updates, and web content filtering.

The role of the Information Security Officer (ISO) varies based on the size and complexity of an organization. It may be a full or part-time position held by an employee having only ISO responsibilities or by an employee having other roles within the organization. A primary role of the ISO is to work with management to strengthen its information security program and to protect the organization’s information assets.

Microsoft has once again added Systems Engineering (SE) to the FY17 Small Business (SMB) Managed Partner List (MPL). According to Microsoft, SE has demonstrated a continued focus on cloud solutions and modernizing today's SMB business environments. 

Without contest, Microsoft Outlook has been the cornerstone of my professional development. It was not always that way; before breaking into the world of IT, I used Outlook indifferently within various jobs. I read and replied to internal company emails without much thought about what it could do for me beyond that.