Think Software Booklet 2017 | Issue 5 Volume 2

ISSUE

05 VOL 2

JULY 2017

PRIVATE SECTOR FOCUS

CASE STUDY: MARINA PHARMACY THINK SS’ IT TRANSFORMATION VISION CASE STUDY: NOVO HEALTHCARE

DRIVING SUCCESS THROUGH IT TRANSFORMATION ACCELERATING THE RATE OF YOUR DIGITAL EVOLUTION

CAPEX vs OPEX MILESTONE SURVEILLANCE SOLUTION STAY SECURE WITH CIS 20 Published by

THINK SS PARTNERS

DEEPAK VERMA CEO & Founder Tel: +971 (0)4 4288388 Email: deepak@thinkss.com

ASHU VERMA Director – Accounts Tel: +971 (0)4 4288376 Email: ashu@thinkss.com

THINK SS KEY CONTACTS 2

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RAHUL MATHUR Chief Commercial Officer Tel: +971 (0)4 428831 Email: rahul@thinkss.com

FAHEEM SIDDIQUI Director of Technology Consulting Services Tel: +971 (0)4 4288327 Email: faheem@thinkss.com

MOHIT SHARMA Product Manager Tel: +971 (0)4 4288324 Email: mohit@thinkss.com

KAVITHA ADVANI Marketing Manager Tel: +971 (0)4 4288345 Email: kavita@thinkss.com

INTRODUCTION

ORGANISATIONS CAN NO LONGER RESIST INCLUDING THESE TECHNOLOGIES IN THEIR BUSINESS MODELS.” Deepak Verma, CEO & Founder

SOFTWARE-DEFINED EVERYTHING

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he world of technology as we once knew it is changing. Vendors that were previously hardwareheavy will no longer be at the forefront of the revolution. Instead, it is the software providers – the AWS, Azures and Googles of this world – that will take the lead in strategic vendor relationships, and ultimately push organisations forward in their digital transformation journeys.

According to Gartner, 30 percent of vendor relationships will have shifted from hardware-focused to softwarefocused by 2020.

Today, more and more conversations in the private sector centre around how and where companies are going to store their data. We recently had a conversation with one of the local banks when they came to visit our data centre space, and the discussion we had was not about how much space they could buy, but it was instead focused on services.

In line with these discussions, Think SS is also transforming. We’ve recently launched four services, with a fifth expected to go live soon. Among them include our backup-as-a-service and firewall-as-a-service solutions; both ref lecting the changes in attitudes

we’re seeing in the market towards relying on a software-defined network with applications in the cloud, as opposed to hosting hardware boxes within an office’s four walls.

Look at the hype surrounding the Internet of Things, the excitement around virtualisation and the software-defined ‘everything’ era we now find ourselves in. Organisations can no longer resist including these technologies in their business models.

The more traditional way of doing business by acquiring various bits of hardware and putting them in your data centre is on its way out.

This digital revolution began way back in the nineties with a slow initial uptake of technologies including QR codes and open-source initiatives. Now, more than ever, we’re being exposed to how technology is transforming the day-to-day lives of business leaders.

From a corporate standpoint, it’s all about the consumption story, and I believe the contents of this issue will demonstrate our proactive attitude towards this theory.

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FEATURE Education and BFSI

AT THE FOREFRONT TECHNOLOGY IS INCREASINGLY CHANGING HOW PEOPLE AND ORGANISATIONS FUNCTION FROM THE WAY STUDENTS LEARN IN THE CLASSROOMS TO THE WAY ENTERPRISES SECURE CRITICAL DATA. THINK SS AIMS TO DELIVER THE LATEST IT INNOVATIONS TO HELP BUSINESSES TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TOOLS AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET.

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ver the recent past, technology has gradually proliferated the education sector with devices like laptops, tablets and smart screens, transforming how students learn and interact within the classroom. At the same time, growing security concerns have made IT’s role in bringing enhanced security and protection to the banking and financial services and insurance (BFSI) space more

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important than ever. Suffice to say, the advancements during the past two decades have had an unprecedented effect on the way organisations in these sectors function.

As part of its vision for the rest of the year, Think SS aims to leverage its capabilities to aid educational and BFSI firms take advantage of the latest tools and applications in the market.

“As part of the company’s vision for the rest of the year, we aim to focus

on bringing our turnkey services and solutions to the education and BFSI industries,” says Faheem Siddiqui, Director, Consulting Services, Think SS. He explains that the region’s view of education systems is ever-evolving, and this is largely driven by the way that its young population interacts with technology.

“The UAE government has defined a clear vision that harnesses the power of technology to drive the country’s

AS PART OF THE COMPANY’S VISION FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR, WE AIM TO FOCUS ON BRINGING OUR TURNKEY SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS TO THE EDUCATION AND BFSI INDUSTRIES.” educational agenda,” he says. “We believe that this initiative pushes us to think outside the box and look at how we can incorporate our own capabilities and innovations to promote smart learning.”

New initiatives are currently being launched at all educational levels in the UAE. A key area of focus has been the transformation of K-12 programmes, to ensure that students in the nation are fully prepared to attend universities around the world and compete in the global marketplace.

Students today have numerous devices at their disposal to help them have a better learning experience.

Subsequently, teachers have never had a wider choice of tools and platforms to enable them to deliver better learning outcomes.

“As part of our vision to focus on the education space, we aim to work with our customers to redefine the strategies for the K-12 curriculum,” says Siddiqui.

He adds, “Both the Abu Dhabi Education Council and Dubai Education Council require educational firms

to integrate various innovations into classrooms, without impeding students’ learning experience. That’s what we aim to help foster.”

Think SS is working with Microsoft in delivering a range of the firm’s technologies, including One Note, Teams and Skype for Education, all of which strive to make classes more interactive and immersive.

“Moreover, we are also working with Microsoft on an Innovative Educator Programme, where we can work with the teachers and bring them the best tools from around the world, and deploy them within the classrooms, fast-tracking the cycle of innovation,” Siddiqui says.

Meanwhile, on the BFSI side, Siddiqui believes that developing solutions and services for this segment is a natural transition for Think SS. “We started the company with the main focus on information security,” he says. “Over the years, we believe we have matured in this area. We believe that we now have enough of our own knowledge base to bring

transformative value into this sector.”

Siddiqui adds that based on Think SS’s experiences in working with large banks, they aim to develop and introduce a holistic network of data loss prevention (DLP) technologies.

“The recent breaches and ransomware attacks that made headlines have made security and data protection more imperative than ever, especially for BFSI firms who handle sensitive customer data,” Siddiqui says. “In line with this, Think SS has partnered with McAfee to design a framework that will bring a ‘hyper-secure’ environment to defend against data breaches and data loss.”

He adds that while there’s no such thing as being 100 percent secure, the partnership will enable them to ensure that their customers achieve the optimum levels of security possible. “Furthermore, our strategic collaboration with McAfee means we can bring the full life cycle of DLP, including data classification, data floor mapping and technology deployment and governance among others, to our customers here in the region.”

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FEATURE Transformation vision

A NEW APPROACH

THINK SS CEO AND FOUNDER DEEPAK VERMA EXPLORES HOW TECHNOLOGY IS EXPERIENCING A PROFOUND TRANSFORMATION, WHICH IS SEEING HARDWARE BECOME INCREASINGLY OBSOLETE AND INTELLIGENT CONSUMPTION MODELS LEADING THE WAY FOR THE FUTURE.

Deepak Verma, CEO & Founder

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ver the years in the Middle East, businesses with archetypal technology infrastructures have been prominent.

Customers have always prioritised the acquisition of IT assets within their organisation, whether they’re in the public or private sector. However, it’s reached a point where everyone owns more than enough hardware boxes. The world is now moving forward, and Software-as-a-Service and softwaredefined everything – whether it’s hardware, storage or backup – is the direction that things are going in, with virtualisation and cloud playing a key role in this journey.

The proliferation of IT assets has become increasingly difficult for organisations to manage, both in terms of talent and their own technology.

Customers today – especially in the private sector – are beginning to realise that IT transformation is here to stay, and that they need to think about the ways they can move their organisation forward. The private sector needs to make the most of certain advantages it possesses, namely the lack of legislation surrounding things such as data governance, to go full steam ahead in initiating technological change. By the same token, the public sector needs to set the standard for how economies should be shaped by technology.

The reality, however, is that capital expenditure on hardware leaves many organisations backed into a corner.

Technology lifecycles are becoming shorter, and that spend will often not go as far as it should. Customers now need to take a different approach as to how they develop their IT roadmap, and a much better alternative over to phasing equipment out over two or three years is finding a partner who can drive your transformation story.

Innovation and disruption have been part of humans’ evolution

THE ANSWER TO TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGY PROBLEMS IS BUYING IT ON A CONSUMPTION MODEL.” throughout history. Thousands of years ago, hunting and agriculture were our essential tools for survival.

This then progressed into the industrial revolution, where power plants were crucial components within society.

The next major shift was the advent of information technology around the 1960s, which transformed the way businesses were run. Mobile phone networks began to gain traction in the 1980s, and the dot-com boom had its day in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Until the mid-2000s, approaches to technology in the enterprise were largely device-centric – this is now becoming more cloud-centric.

This has been proven in a recent IBM study of 5,000 C-suite figures in 70 countries, 63 percent of whom said that cloud computing and services would be “particularly important” in the next 3-5 years – the highest level of the technologies included in the survey.

We now find ourselves – and have done since 2010 – in the thick of the rise of nano and virtual technologies, which are guiding us into the digital revolution. Businesses move in chunks, and they are now moving away from

the consumption of hardware into models that are dependent on nano and virtual technology. A whole host of technologies and trends will redefine how we live our lives and how business is done, including the Internet of things, wearable devices and artificial intelligence. This all adds up to real-time decision-making, but the reality is that these technologies are extremely difficult to handle from a corporate standpoint.

That’s why the answer to these problems is buying technology on a consumption model. The world’s biggest technology providers as we know them will be totally different by 2020. There are a whole host of vendors who are currently enjoying huge success because of the popularity of their hardware products, but they will be forced to evolve amidst increased demand for digital products and services.

It’s reaching a point where simply acquiring various bits of hardware and putting them in your data centre is not an option; software is defining everything and is becoming agnostic.

A large number of customers in the Middle East already understand that technology success won’t necessarily be determined by the products that you buy, but rather the services that you can acquire.

As hardware becomes increasingly commoditised, companies in the Middle East will increasingly realise that agonising over which vendors to partner with, and – worse still – focusing purely on boxes rather than services, will ensure they are left behind.

Capital expenditure can be converted into funds that can be spent on a range of services that can open up possibilities for any business. It’s imperative that organisations learn from the past to ensure they don’t take the hard route going forward.

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CASE STUDY Marina Pharmacy

PREVENTION AND CURE FALLING VICTIM TO A CYBER-ATTACK IN DECEMBER 2016 WAS ENOUGH TO KICKSTART MARINA PHARMACY’S MANAGING PARTNER DR AHMED ABDUL RASHEED INTO ACTION. DETERMINED TO AVOID A REPEAT OF THE SITUATION, HE ENLISTED THINK SS TO ENSURE THE COMPANY WOULD HAVE THE MEANS TO PROTECT ITSELF FROM MALICIOUS THREATS IN THE FUTURE.

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Dr Ahmed Abdul Rasheed, Managing Partner, Marina Pharmacy

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hen Dr Ahmed Abdul Rasheed graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Pharmacy alongside his wife in 1978, the pair set their sights on launching a pharmaceutical business that could develop into one of the UAE’s most prominent medical outlets.

Established in 2000, Marina Pharmacy now has 21 branches across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and employs over 200 members of staff. Customer convenience is a vital aspect of maintaining a high standard of business, says Dr Rasheed, now the company’s managing partner. “We have situated our branches in the most convenient locations across the two emirates, with two branches in Dubai Metro stations at Burj Khalifa and Deira City Centre,” he explains.

Alongside the physical branches, Marina Pharmacy runs a 24-hour call centre, which allows customers to request for certain medicines to be delivered directly to their door. “This is where technology becomes a crucial component in our operations,” he says. “We use a barcode scanning system that tracks the entire journey of these products, from the moment the call is made until it is successfully delivered to the customer.”

This data allows Dr Rasheed and his

team to benchmark factors that need to be processed in order to ensure a seamless, efficient service is delivered directly to customers. “If this system was to fail us, we’d be paralysed,” he explains.

“Technology is our air.”

However, in December 2016, Marina Pharmacy’s IT network at the head office branch in Al Quoz, Dubai, was the victim of a major cyber-attack. “During our last working week in the office before the festive break, our network was hacked and many vital files were destroyed,” says Dr Rasheed. “We had previously been using an external hard-drive to manually back up files at weekends, but the technical files changed so frequently and this meant that a lot of progress was lost during the attack.”

Dr Rasheed admits that while technology is not necessarily his forte, the attack kick-started him into taking measures to ensure the same thing could not happen again.

After seeking recommendations from market players, Marina Pharmacy were pointed in the direction of Think SS to implement a variety of services – starting with establishing a new firewall architecture within the company.

However, Dr Rasheed could appreciate that while firewalls and their architecture are a critical part of sound network security, they are only the first steps in creating a secure network.

With this in mind, a VPN was assigned to the company which could be accessed across all branches. A managed services package from Think SS also allows Dr Rasheed’s IT department to monitor, manage and report on all activities happening within the network.

Ensuring data protection is of the upmost importance, as Marina Pharmacy’s call centre houses personal details of over 40,000 customers.

In addition, precautions have been put in place to block malicious sites that pose a threat to the network, and any attempts

THE STAFF WE HAVE WORKED WITH FROM THINK SS ARE ALWAYS HUMBLE, AVAILABLE AND ON-HAND TO PROTECT AND HELP OUR BUSINESS GROW.” to access these sites are noted in the report to the IT department.

The company has also opted to transfer its data to the cloud as a backup solution with Think SS, which is done on an automated, regular basis - leaving staff to focus on enhancing the business’ operations, rather than worrying about IT concerns. The data is also stored locally

in a nearby Equinix data centre as part of this service.

“Working with Think SS has made us feel much safer in knowing that we have these solutions in place,” says Dr Rasheed. “Since we began this project at the beginning of 2017, we have seen marked improvements in the network performance across branches.”

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CASE STUDY Marina Pharmacy

THE SUCCESS AND LIVELIHOOD OF ANY ORGANISATION IN THIS DIGITAL AGE IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON A STRONG AND RELIABLE IT SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE.” A major plus for the company has been the ability to hold an increased capacity of emails due to the larger inhouse storage capabilities provided by Think’s solutions. “We are now able to maintain quick access to our emails, even when we are running a promotional offer and experiencing a high volume of emails and communication,” he says. “So regardless of our traffic levels, our access to the network is not hampered.”

Tareq Abdulrasheed, the firm’s business development manager and Dr Rasheed’s son, speaks particularly highly of the account manager that handled this project on behalf of Think SS. “The success and livelihood of any organisation in this digital age is highly dependent on a strong and reliable IT security infrastructure,” he explains.

“Ultimately, we’re in the medical field, and don’t claim to be technology experts,” admits Dr Rasheed. “However, our account manager was very patient in explaining and educating us on the best

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Tareq Abdulrasheed, Business Development Manager, Marina Pharmacy

IT services to suit our requirements, and provided us with cost effective solutions that have resulted in an improved performance across the business.”

He adds, “The staff we have worked with are always humble, available and on-hand to protect and help our business grow, and a vital part of their help has involved educating our 220 members of staff on what to look for to ensure that this type of attack doesn’t happen again.”

In addition to the work Marina Pharmacy has done with Think SS, the company is also looking to launch a mobile app in Q3 this year, which will be the “the UAE’s first pharmaceutical app,” according to Dr Rasheed.

“The app will be able to deliver medicine directly to our customers’ door within 30 minutes of the request

being made,” he explains. “Alternatively, customers can schedule the delivery for a time that suits them later in the day, maintaining our vision to remain a convenient and efficient service.”

Dr Rasheed isn’t stopping there in terms of driving Marina Pharmacy’s use of technology to create further business benefits. “Technology is always growing,” he says. “We have to reflect this evolution in the work that we do in order to stay competitive, and I am open to investing in technology as and when it comes around to keep up with other players in the market.”

With three children, who Dr Rasheed claims are all “far more tech-savvy” than himself, he’s confident that with the help of pioneering technology, this family business will comfortably see another 17 years of trade.

Time to

Renewal WHY THINK SS?

Think Software Services has a market-leading technology, capable of managing thousands of corporate customer contracts and licenses in a single repository.

We help the customer to have a complete renewal visibility & control and increase efficiency and productivity.

A PASSION FOR PERFECTION Call +971 4 4288300 | 380 sales@thinkss.com www.thinkss.com

We offer end-to-end capabilities from the initial notification through out to completion of the transaction and expiration notification along with a streamlined renewal process.

We provide timely support to clients to ensure no gap in license compliance as well as provide 30-60 days advance notification and renewal quotations.

FEATURE

CAPEX vs OPEX

BUY OR LEASE?

BUSINESSES TODAY ARE UNDER ENORMOUS PRESSURE TO INNOVATE FASTER TO STAY COMPETITIVE. HOWEVER, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, THEY HIT A BRICK WALL WHEN IT COMES TO FINANCING IT INVESTMENTS. RAHUL MATHUR, THINK SS’ CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER, GIVES HIS TAKE ON HOW IT LEASING CAN HELP TO OVERCOME THESE HURDLES.

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eplacing or updating technologies can be a headache.

Organisations need to consider a whole host of factors before taking action. First, they need to look at how the update will improve processes within the business. Then they need to figure out if their current infrastructure is capable of supporting a new solution. They also need to assess factors such as how much downtime and user training.

However, most impor tantly, they have to consider if they act ually have the budget to make the changes they want.

“Current market conditions and fast movements in the technology landscape are pushing many organisations to

devise ways to optimise their costs,” says Rahul Mathur, Think SS’s Chief Commercial Officer.

He also believes that as organisations adopt more complex technolog y in order to meet the needs of their customers, IT purchase decisions are becoming more intricate as well.

Traditionally, IT expenses fall under an organisation’s Capital Expenses (CA PEX). However, with the ever changing technolog y and cost pressures, many organisations are looking at shif ting some – if not all – of their IT expenses to operational expendit ure (OPEX).

Purchasing hardware and infrastructure with an organisation’s CAPEX means the business owns the

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asset. However, while IT hardware continues to run without issue until well after its anticipated lifespan with careful maintenance, owning the asset also means the company is stuck with it even if something better comes along or even if its not being fully utilised.

This can be a bottleneck for businesses that want to leverage new and emerging technologies.

IT leasing is the best approach to address this issue, according to Mathur. “The question to be asked today is, ‘W hy do you need to own a piece of hardware when the world is moving towards sof t ware-def ined hardware?’ Owning a hardware is a game of the past and CIOs should star t looking at IT spend ing as business enabler and not a cost.”

IT leasing, a model that falls under the umbrella of OPEX, means that businesses don’t actually own IT assets, but they have the freedom of not being locked into using hardware that may quickly become obsolete.

W hile IT leasing is not a new concept, organisations here in the region have just star ted to consider this kind of model, says Mathur. “Organisations like HP and Dell have already introduced their IT f inancing offerings in the region. They are being gradually

recognised by regional companies, especially SMBs.” Mathur also highlights that Think SS, through its IT leasing par tners, offers similar ser vices to their customers and have already embedded such model into their business. “We have tied up with an IT leasing f irm (Grenke) to help suppor t our customers in their growing IT needs,” he says. “We work with them on a transaction by transaction basis. We introduced this ser vice in Q4 2016, and we can see that more and more customers are recognising its benef its and are opting for this kind of model.

We obviously need to explain and make our customers understand its

advantages and ROI. As par t of the par tnership, we require a customer who’s interested in the ser vice to submit credentials like a trade licence and f inancial and their credit histor y. We then submit it to our leasing par tner, who conducts their due diligence and once ever ything checks out they approve the f unding to purchase a hardware or sof t ware through Think SS.” Mathur says this presents a winwin sit uation for all par ties, with the burden of paying for a product outright removed from clients.

“We, of course, charge our standard margins on top of purchases like any other transaction, and our leasing par tner charges a small

amount of interest. But, instead of paying a substantial amount out-right, they can instead pay for it in installments on a periodic basis. It also helps our customers accelerate their cash f low, and at the same time have the option of keeping their technologies fresh.

Customers also have a choice at the end of the term to either continue paying a lower amount of lease, refresh its technologies or sell it.”

The ser vice is open to all Think SS customers, adds Mathur. “We believe this is a value-add offering, therefore, whenever we meet a customer we inform them that this option is available for them.”

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FEATURE Private cloud

PRIVATE ADVANTAGE FAHEEM SIDDIQUI, THINK SS’ SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR DIGITAL CONSULTING SERVICES, EXPLAINS WHY PRIVATE CLOUD IS THE IDEAL ENVIRONMENT FOR ACHIEVING A FUTURE-READY BUSINESS.

Faheem Siddiqui, Senior Director, Digital Consulting Services

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he term ‘digital transformation’ has become more than just a buzzword today. Companies across multiple industries are increasingly recognising its importance, are investing in the latest technologies and are realising unprecedented benefits. However, a key factor to remember is that the power of digital transformation lies in first in strategy then technology. Also, the success of a digital strategy lies in clearly analysed scope and objectives.

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For many organisations, cloud is an integral part of their IT strategies, and a major step in their digital transformation journey.

Organisations in the region are quickly embracing the cloud because they are aware that it will help them survive the upheaval of extreme business disruptions brought on by the changing realm of IT. In the UAE, cloud adoption is maturing at a fast pace within the private sector, while the government

has also rolled out mandates that push various departments to adopt cloud technologies in one form or another.

Concerns about the security of applications and data are the first things that come to mind when organisations look at shifting to the cloud. With this in mind, organisations have grown more inclined to adopt private cloud because of the security, performance, price, control, and data protection that the model can offer.

A private cloud is an on-demand, service-oriented and shared IT infrastructure that typically operates within the walls of a company’s own data centre. The desire to rid themselves of certain pain points is a key driver for private cloud adoption. These can include historical instrances of: • manual data centre maintenance processes that led to unplanned IT outages • manual changes to systems that were slow and error prone (e.g. IT provisioning of servers, storage, etc.)

What private cloud offers is an opportunity for automation, while cutting out manual processes to that resulted to IT outages due to human error.

Reducing lag times between units of the IT lifecycle approach is another major plus.

What private cloud offers an opportunity for organisations to remove multiple ITIL processes through automation and orchestration. It improves the efficiency and manageability of

production environments by leveraging automation components of the cloud solutions while ensuring compliance with the existing OS, hypervisor, middleware and database architecture standards.

Beyond efficiency, private cloud also brings benefits such as data sovereignty and control, which allows businesses to keep their data on-premise while enjoying most of the advantages that public cloud offers.

In addition, it brings consistency.

It allows organisations to leverage the infrastructure components they have invested in over the last two to three years and convert that into a private cloud model.

What Think SS offers Think SS has long time strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as Dell and Microsoft, and we utilised those to offer the most economical but best-of-breed, private cloud framework.

The framework enhances the functionality of the cloud solution with increased self-service capability.

It also provides additional platform/ application offerings based on current industry standard configurations of servers, storage and network hardware.

It also enables organisations to build a private cloud model that integrates a highly converged infrastructure with complete automation of virtual machines, storage, SDN, file services, web services, email services and active directory services provisioning.

How we do it To help organisations shift to private cloud, Think SS starts with a current state assessment which involves three aspects: 1. We identify the software and applications that the organisation is using. It also involves determining where their data resides and if it is separate from their intellectual property/confidential information. This is crucial as IP requires more security controls when it is shifted to cloud.

2. We assess if applications or data exist that can go to the public cloud without jeopardising the firm’s confidentiality policies or the integrity of their data.

This is because, at its core, public cloud is still a more economical option while considering OPEX as a primary mode of investement. Therefore, we ensure that our customers are informed about all the choices that are at their disposal.

3. Lastly, once the customer has decided to move their systems and applications to the private cloud we inform them of the timelines and processes that will be followed during the migration.

Securing private cloud environments and CIS 20 One main advantage of private cloud infrastructures is that they are usually more secure than their on-premise alternatives, since the organisation’s data is tightly secured and controlled on servers that no other company has access too.

BEYOND EFFICIENCY, PRIVATE CLOUD ALSO BRINGS BENEFITS SUCH AS DATA SOVEREIGNTY AND CONTROL, WHICH ALLOWS BUSINESSES TO KEEP THEIR DATA ONPREMISE WHILE ENJOYING MOST OF THE ADVANTAGES THAT PUBLIC CLOUD OFFERS.

However, many organisations undermine the value of setting up governance rules around their cloud environments. Determining who will have access to certain systems is a crucial element to keeping the firm’s assets secure, an aspect that is often overlooked.

To address this issue, Think SS offers security information and event management (SIEM) services to bring full cloud governance to customers.

With a managed governance model, Think SS can bring organisations full visibility over their systems. This involves an executive dashboard that helps maintain the confidentiality and integrity of their data.

Laying out a cloud governance framework helps demonstrate proficiency in defining, establishing and further evolving governance controls and processes. This is especially important for cloud-based IT resources and platforms that support organisational and technological operations while giving assurance to businesses that their information in the cloud is well-protected and primed for 24/7/365 availability (always, all year round). Through the governance model, IT departments can easily determine who should have access and/or control on a particular piece of information, establish best practices and guidelines for security departments that are necessary for defending internal systems or mobile devices against attackers and get through internal compliance or UAE regulatory audits (NESA IAS, ISR etc), in a breeze.

Moreover, through our consulting services, Think SS performs a gap analysis based on the ISO27017. This standard guides organisations on the information security aspects of cloud computing. It also recommends and assists with the implementation of cloud-specific information security controls following the ISO 27002 standards.

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FEATURE Managed Services

AT YOUR SERVICE THINK SS’ TEJVIR SINGH DISCUSSES WHY MANAGED SERVICES ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY APPEALING TO MIDDLE EAST BUSINESSES, AND WHY SECURITY IS A PARTICULARLY ATTRACTIVE OPTION IN THE GROWING MODEL.

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t doesn’t always make sense to hire internal resources for every IT function. Quite often, organisations end up paying the price because IT departments take on more than they can handle in some of their business-critical areas.

Sometimes, it makes sense to relieve some of that pressure.

Managed Services offer opportunities for organisations to slash their capital expenditure, and make payments on a regular rather than up-front basis. Once all things are considered, it’s possible to make savings as high as 30- 40 percent by shifting to a managed services model. That constitutes a huge portion of an IT budget, and represents potential for spend in other areas that could have been pipe dreams beforehand.

Managed Security Services are now seeing particularly high demand. Given the way in which security issues have gained such exposure in recent years across the globe, this really isn’t surprising.

Every customer has different demands, and faces a different kind of threat depending on the industry in which they operate.

What is deeply concerning is how more and more organisations are finding that they have inadequate resources to cope with the diversity

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and severity of cyber-attacks which have now become so commonplace.

Unfortunately, the reality is that senior management teams of companies across the world are only just beginning to take cybersecurity seriously. For years, cyber-defences have been inadequately funded, and the situation has been exacerbated by the global shortage of IT security professionals. Those who do stay in their jobs are often demoralised

MANAGED SERVICES MODELS PROVIDE SKILLED STAFF WHO WORK AROUND THE CLOCK, AND WHO ARE PURELY DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING YOUR ORGANISATION.”

when their employers continually fall victim to attacks; they realise that to a certain extent, they are fighting a losing battle.

This major hurdle to cybersecurity success can easily be circumvented by opting for Managed Services models, where skilled staff work around the clock, and who are purely dedicated to supporting your organisation.

Managed Services providers already possess the assets needed to combat threats, so you don’t need to own them.

Getting started with Managed Services models – and not just in terms of security – isn’t difficult either. These services are enabled with industry best practices, which help getting the ball rolling as soon as an organisation is ready to opt in. This means that learning curves that may exist with other technology models are not as pronounced with Managed Services.

Chief information officers who harbour concerns around opting for Managed Services should be reassured about the ways in which internal controls are guaranteed by providers. A lot of the risks that were previously associated with Managed Services are no longer applicable; most services are product or manpower-driven,

Tejvir Singh, Assistant Vice President – Pre Sales, Think SS

and Think SS is well equipped to deliver services in both realms.

Nowadays, OEMs work to ensure that security concerns are addressed in terms of the hardware on which Managed Services are deployed, with products enabled for multitenancy. Compliance standards have already been addressed for multitenant products, with processes around Managed Services already

ensuring that customer information/ data is protected.

Organisations in the private sector, in particular, should now be looking at which aspects of their technology infrastructure that they can put into a Managed Services model. One of the key reasons why Managed Services are so effective is because, by its very nature, the technology space is full of different products, as well as

vast complexity and unpredictability.

Quite simply, it’s not realistic to expect an organisation to have the requisite skills to effectively manage every technology within their infrastructure.

I am an advocate of Managed Services adoption across industries, but of course this is not always as straightforward as one might hope.

Naturally, in certain verticals, compliance obligations may prove to be an inhibitor, but regulations are constantly evolving and I am confident that companies will look to adopt Managed Services once they are able to. What is encouraging, though, is that in the last six months I have seen particular traction in the financial services industry, with a lot of demand from customers who are keen to adopt Managed Services models.

There are a whole host of other industries that would benefit from this kind of adoption. Any company that that has offices and IT assets spread across sites would be a prime candidate for change. This includes the likes of the hotel industry, education and healthcare. The Middle East is ripe for Managed Services uptake, and in the coming years I expect as much as 30 percent of IT operations to be deployed in Managed Services models.

Think SS offers a range of Managed Services, including those for security, infrastructure, cloud, backup and disaster recovery. This includes log analysis for firewalls and DNS controllers, as well as an anti-virus suite, encryption and ransomware services.

We have qualified, certified resources spread across the UAE and India that are experienced across a range of fields, and are committed to making your experience with technology as easy as possible, and putting your mind to rest around how your IT is run.

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CASE STUDY Novo Healthcare

A PICTURE OF HEALTH

WITH A GROWING NETWORK OF CLINICS, PHARMACIES AND DIAGNOSTICS CENTRES, NOVO HEALTHCARE IS QUICKLY ESTABLISHING ITSELF AS A MAJOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IN THE UAE. IN ORDER TO CONTINUE THE COMPANY’S COMMITMENT TO ENHANCING PATIENT EXPERIENCE, GROUP HEAD OF IT NAYEEM AKHTAR OPTED TO TEAM UP WITH THINK SS TO REVAMP THE FIRM’S IT INFRASTRUCTURE.

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ovo Healthcare is one of the “fastest growing” integrated healthcare providers in the UAE. With a total of 17 pharmacies, six clinics, one diagnostics centre and one store, Nayeem Akhtar, the Group Head of IT, has a major task on his hands in managing the IT operations across all facilities.

“We aim to be at the forefront of healthcare technology, and bring the latest medical practices for the benefit of UAE residents,” he says. “IT has the potential to give doctors and medical care providers a much more complete picture of the patient in front of them. At the same time, it enables patients with a much easier way to access their medical history in a quick and efficient manner.”

Before joining forces with Think SS, Novo was operating its record management system in a more traditional fashion. Most of the firm’s functionalities were duplicated and manually maintained,

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which meant the time taken to enter, process and search for patient records was creating delays for both Novo’s employees and patients when trying to access the required services.

Working alongside Think SS has enabled Novo to implement VMware technology to revamp and virtualise the company’s entire infrastructure, as well

WE AIM TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY.”

as setting up a centralised storage facility.

“Previously, we had servers in various locations, which meant a lot of my time was incurred in physically travelling to these locations in order to support the end users,” explains Akhtar. “This project has been very critical for me, as it has meant I now only need to focus on one centralised location, and the sheer volume of resources and administration work from my side has been cut by approximately 50 percent.

This has meant I can put more focus on creating user and business enhancements through technology.”

The centralised database containing patient records can now be accessed from any of Novo’s 6 clinics, which has drastically improved the time management of healthcare professionals working within the firm. Using this efficient and easy to access system, doctors are now able to diagnose and refer more patients in a shorter space of time.

The implementation process was a

THE TEAM AT THINK SS ALWAYS PROVIDE A PERSONAL TOUCH TO THE PROJECTS, AND THEY ARE MORE LIKE A FAMILY TO US.”

Nayeem Akhtar, Group Head of IT, Novo Healthcare

fairly simple one from start to finish, says Akhtar. “As we share a common understanding with Think SS, we didn’t face many issues during the brainstorming stage of the project. We were very quickly able to establish what it was that we required, and the team were able to come up with a solution that could cater for our specific requirements while remaining cost effective when it comes to scalability.”

Akhtar and Think SS have a history in working together on projects similar to this. “I have worked in close contact with the team at Think SS for the past 8 years,” he says. “We collaborated on

projects together in my previous jobs, and this particular implementation is the third where Novo and Think have worked together during my seven months in this position.”

The pair have previously collaborated on implementing Think SS’ firewall and antivirus solutions at all of the company’s facilities.

Akhtar has particular praise for Think SS in the way they conduct such projects. “When working with the team, I believe we’re all on the same page and we all ultimately want the same outcome,” he explains. “They always provide a

personal touch to the projects, and they are more like a family to us. They are a collection of experienced professionals who continue support and update us on a regular basis, even after the project has been completed.”

Akhtar intends to continue this positive relationship through collaborating on further projects in the future. “Our entire infrastructure is now managed through Think SS’ managed services solution, so any projects we plan to implement will either directly or indirectly involve them,” he says.

“We are hoping to potentially create a disaster-recovery (DR) platform with them in the future.”

While DR is not something that Novo Healthcare currently have in place, Akhtar is hopeful that once the product environment is stable, they will look to replicate this using Think’s services.

“With a futuristic approach and innovative outlook, I believe we are all set to make breakthrough developments in the UAE’s healthcare landscape,” he adds.

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FEATURE Milestone

MILESTONE:

WATCHING OUT FOR YOU DEEPAK VERMA EXPLORES HOW THINK SS’ MILESTONE SURVEILLANCE SOLUTION HAS THE POWER TO GIVE ORGANISATIONS UNIQUE BUSINESS VALUE THROUGH THE USE OF ANALYTICS AND THE MONITORING OF CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR.

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he UAE is renowned for the importance it places on the safety of its residents and visitors. World Economic Forum research has ranked the country as the world’s second safest for tourists and businesses – behind Finland – and that is testament to the security measures and technologies implemented by this country’s leadership and private sector.

The country has gained a reputation for hosting large events – including New Year’s Eve fireworks celebrations at the Burj Khalifa – as well as boasting one of the world’s safest and most efficient airports. This culture of security makes people feel safe, which is one of the UAE’s main selling points for prospective residents and those looking to set up businesses.

While the UAE’s government has already set the standard for the kind of security infrastructure that is needed to help people sleep at night, the private sector needs to follow suit.

With the surveillance world moving from an analogue to an ITbased approach, the CIO is now tasked with managing this aspect of an organisation’s infrastructure.

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This means that factors including the ROI of a product, the value-add to the organisation and the business applications that it could interact with must all be considered.

Where possible, it makes sense to anticipate events through the use of CCTV cameras. Embedded analytics

THE MARRIAGE OF SECURITY SYSTEMS AND ANALYTICS OPENS UP A WHOLE HOST OF POSSIBILITIES IN MANY INDUSTRIES.”

can provide a path to enforcing the prevention of problems, rather than a cure. Security analytics bring refreshing possibilities which allow us to use findings to revise schedules, rebuild urban spaces, reallocate resources and make security an invisible, unseen hand. It can help us identify physical threats that are miles and hours away, and make the world safer.

Milestone forms a crucial part of Think Software Services’ portfolio.

Focused on setting up surveillance systems in and across campuses, Milestone supplies, installs and runs a variety of security systems – including cameras, sensors, alarms, servers and storage devices.

The marriage of security systems and analytics opens up a whole hosts of possibilities in many industries, including retail, construction, entertainment and hospitality.

Our business analytics help clients in retail and hospitality to generate footfall and increase consumer spending, which allows them to anticipate in-store customer behaviour rather than be led by it, which enables our clients to develop better relationships with their customers.

We aim to create a sense of trust with our clients, while we also maintain a symbiotic relationship between the sales and services teams of Milestone. We have a clear chain of communication, which ensures better results for customers. Our highly skilled team of technical and installation experts provide 24/7 customer service.

Our focus is not driven by mere box selling, and we are very much driven by value rather than volume.

Milestone already boasts a number of clients who have reaped the benefits of our services. These include the Ajman Department of Economy, Canadian University in Dubai and Repton Schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Milestone is registered with

Dubai Protective Systems and Dubai Police, while we strictly adhere to the Abu Dhabi Monitoring Control Centre (ADMCC) guidelines, which strive to create a secure and intelligent city.

Milestone’s main advantage is that it understands technology, data and networking; and with the right kind of knowledge at its disposal, the company can help the customers to develop truly game-changing solutions.

Looking forward, Milestone plans to scale up its research around CCTV and delve into some of the most important areas of technology that are already influencing the Middle East. We are trying to ascertain how the Internet of Things can influence CCTV and assess its impact on the

surveillance industry, and provide solutions based on that understanding.

In terms of analytics, meanwhile, we want to look at how we can interpret information generated through CCTV. In a retail outlet, for example, Milestone can already analyse behavioural patterns of customers and study fastmoving items to provide relevant solutions to the customer.

The CCTV market is dominated by low quality products, but that’s something we’re committed to changing. We want to create a much more robust system that’s reliable, can be scaled up and adds value to the clients. Most importantly, we want the people of the UAE and the GCC to feel safe on their own streets.

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CASE STUDY Think Consulting

CHANGE OF PLAY

THINGS ARE CHANGING FAST AT THINK CONSULTING. RAHUL MATHUR, CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER, EXPLAINS HOW THE BRAND IS EXPANDING ITS PORTFOLIO OF SERVICES BEYOND THAT OF GRC FRAMEWORKS TO PROVIDE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE ADVISORY PACKAGE FOR ORGANISATIONS EMBARKING ON THEIR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEYS.

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Rahul Mathur, Chief Commercial Officer

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ince the inception of Think Consulting in February 2016, our primary focus has been creating GRC frameworks that enable businesses to use innovative technology to adapt to change, while tackling regulatory compliance challenges head on.

However, in order to get to the stage where a GRC solution is necessary, a business has to have first reached the point where it has substantial resources to monitor, and this often involves undertaking a whole host of changes in various departments.

With this in mind, we have expanded our offering beyond GRC frameworks. It is clear that there is a bigger picture to be seen from an advisory perspective, and digital transformation comes at the forefront of that vision.

A central theme that has driven this expansion is the high level of security concerns in the market. As long as these continue to persist – in this age, data is an organisation’s most powerful asset – then many firms are prepared to move away from

hardware-heavy models within their offices’ four walls.

A major factor in this thoughtprocess is the huge resource demands involved in providing the physical space, cooling, and manpower to support data centres within offices. While Think Consulting is not in the data centre business as such, we have instead tied up with Tier III data centres in the region, such as Equinix, to provide companies with space to store their data. A large portion of our advisory services go into advising organisations in data centre migration and transformation.

Another part of our expansion has involved our services and organisations becoming NESA (National Electronic Security Authority) compliant. Gradually, NESA compliance is becoming a mandatory factor across the board for IT organisations. Customers claiming to have changed their passwords and conformed to a variety of security frameworks are not doing enough. A vital aspect in remaining compliant is self-assessment, and companies must ensure they have the correct technology in place to assist this process. Businesses that don’t conform to these compliance mandates leave themselves wide open to a range of potential attacks and security breaches.

Where a lot of businesses go wrong is believing that filling out the paperwork to align with these regulations actually enforces them. The most important factors to think about are the processes you are putting in place within the organisation to fulfil these

THE MOMENT YOU BECOME A GENERALIST, YOU STOP SUCCEEDING IN WHAT YOU ORIGINALLY BEGAN AS A SPECIALIST IN.” mandates, and who is auditing your actions. The question being asked by companies now is no longer “why” do they have to align themselves with these regulations, but “how” they can we ensure they’re doing so in the most efficient way possible.

Ultimately, everyone has a domain they want to protect.

Large organisations, such as retail or e-commerce businesses, are focusing on digital transformation.

During this process, security is paramount.

Small businesses, however, are being beaten by ransomware on a daily basis, and our services aim to combat this increasingly pervasive threat.

The market has seen various developments of late; Blockchain is one, and with VAT coming next year, we intend to offer advisory services on how we can assist companies in putting the VAT process together through the use of technology.

The UAE government has been particularly proactive in hosting seminars to educate organisations

on the impact of VAT, and large firms such as PwC building up huge teams here in the region that are purely focused on VAT advisory.

Seventy-five percent of this market is run by SMBs – all of whom will be impacted by VAT, and we’re looking at focusing on how technology can help these organisations. With six months to go until the anticipated VAT implementation date, there is still ample time to figure out what needs to be done to ensure that this process is as smooth as possible for regional firms.

While there are more factors in the market that we could look to explore, I’m an advocate of the mantra that you can’t do everything. The moment you become a generalist, you stop succeeding in what you originally began as a specialist in. GRC will remain a staple component of our portfolio, but we’ve transformed in our own right from being an advisor on a single tool, to encouraging transformation stories and then advising organisations from there.

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FEATURE CIS 20

TAKING SECURITY

CONTROL

IN THE FACE OF INCREASING REPORTS OF DATA LOSS, CYBER-ATTACKS AND THREATS TO USER PRIVACY, ORGANISATIONS TODAY ARE FACED WITH A GREAT DEAL OF PRESSURE TO ENSURE THAT THEIR CORPORATE AND USER DATA REMAIN SECURE.

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s cybercriminals adapt to new security measures and take advantage of our systems’ vulnerabilities. the threat landscape continues to evolve and grow.

For security professionals, this makes prioritising security measures an ongoing conundrum.

While there’s no silver bullet for security, organisations can reduce chances of compromise and mitigate potential attacks by implementing a risk management approach that helps them establish control over their critical data assets.

Implementing the Centre for Internet Security’s (CIS) Top 20 Critical Security Control, previously known as SANS Top 20 Critical Security Control, is an ideal way to build a strong foundation for your security strategy.

“CIS 20 can help organisations transform threat data into prioritised and actionable ways to protect them from the most common cyberattack,” says Faheem Siddiqui, Senior Director, Digital Consulting Services, Think SS. In the UAE, the National Electronic Security Authority

WE AT THINK SS HAVE BEEN A LONG-TIME PROPONENT OF THE SUPERIORITY OF CIS 20 FOR GUIDING SECURITY STRATEGIES OF OUR CUSTOMERS, WHICH ULTIMATELY HELPS THEM CONFORM WITH ISO 27001 CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.” 24

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(NESA) has established a number of key policies and standards that can help organisations in the country direct and align their strategies with national cyber-security efforts.

Siddiqui believes that the specificities of NESA’s guidelines provide a proven formula that enterprises can trust in their bid for secure and compliant systems.

“NESA IAS has about 188 control objectives, and ISO 27001: 2013 about 148,” he says. “This includes extensive sets which gives the option of ‘statements of applicability’ within your particular business environment, so that only applicable controls are considered for your needs.”

He also says that apar t from keeping critical data safe, the NESA I AS also aims to enable businesses to detect, respond, and ultimately recover from potential cybersecurit y incidents, while reducing its impact on the societ y and economy of the UA E. At the same time, it puts signif icant focus on increasing cybersecurit y awareness among the national workforce and fostering collaboration at sector and national levels.

NESA IAS has done a similar demarcation of controls

CIS 20’S UNIQUE ADVANTAGE IS ITS ABILITY TO SET GROUND RULES FOR AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY IN DEALING WITH INCREASINGLY TOXIC THREATS.”

Faheem Siddiqui, Senior Director, Digital Consulting Services

prioritisation into four categories, P1-P4. It also follows most control objectives as highlighted within ISO 27001:2013.

However, simply being NESA compliant is not enough to mitigate probable attacks and protect your critical information.

The alarming proliferation of ransomware within the enterprise has caused a number of chief information officers to wake up to the reality of its severity and scale.

Siddiqui believes that CIS 20’s unique advantage is its ability to set

ground rules for an effective strategy in dealing with the increasingly toxic threat.

“The advantage of CIS 20 is its currency,” he says. “For example, ransomware is a prime threat and has been for over a year with WannaCry, Cryptolocker, Locky and the likes making headlines of late. CIS 20 is the only guidance document that describes actionable ways to guard against this threat. In its v6.1 released in August 2016, it assigns Cryptolocker risk within Top 10 and classifies it as ‘foundational’ control

while describing ways to mitigate it.

So, currency and adequacy are what set this series of guidance apart from others.”

Large swathes of IT and business communities across the globe are beginning to realise that they were ill-prepared for the effects of ransomware.

In May this year, WannaCry disrupted IT systems of over 200,000 organisations in 150 countries. It crippled organisations of all shapes and sizes across multiple industries including healthcare, with UK’s National Health Services being reported as the biggest victim of the attack.

Another cyber-attack then took place in late June, this time by another ransomware dubbed as ‘GoldenEye,’ a rumoured strain of the Petya virus. It hit organisations in several parts of Europe, US, and Asia. Among those hardest hit was Ukraine’s nuclear power plant Chernobyl, which was forced

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FEATURE

CIS 20

to operate manually during the incident.

Like many other modern threats, the indecision and lack of protocols in place surrounding them enabled ransomware to prevail.

These incidents were really an eye opener for many organisations to find ways on what can be done immediately, and over the longer term, to prevent and mitigate ransomware infections. More than that, they were strong reminders of the importance of understanding the different cyber risks and the crucial role of having the right security controls in place.

Siddiqui advocates the optimisation of CIS 20, as it offers clearly defined guidelines of how to react in the event of an organisation being hit by such an attack.

“We at Think SS have been a longtime proponent of the superiority of CIS 20 for guiding security strategies of our customers, which ultimately, helps them conform with ISO 27001 certification requirements, an extension that we offer should the customer desire, at no extra costs.”

Think SS’s methodology for protecting a company’s digital assets is based on these guidelines.

“This includes 20 key actions that an organisation should take to block or mitigate known attacks,” Siddiqui says. “The actions may or may not involve extra expenditure,

IT’S IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT SECURITY INVESTMENTS ARE FOCUSED TO COUNTER THE MOST DAMAGING CYBER-THREATS. WHERE POSSIBLE, IT’S IMPORTANT TO MAXIMISE THE USE OF AUTOMATION TO ENFORCE SECURITY CONTROLS, SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING THE RISK OF HUMAN ERROR.” 26

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as often the chances are that existing investments are enhanced or re-designed for efficacy.

The recommendations give nononsense, actionable strategies for cybersecurity, written in language that’s easily understood by IT personnel.”

He adds that being able to prioritise the severity of threats that are likely to hit an organisation will be crucial in their mitigation.

“It’s important to ensure that security investments are focused to counter the most damaging cyber threats,” he says. “Where possible, it’s important to maximise the use of automation to enforce security controls, significantly reducing the risk of human error.”

Finally, Siddiqui notes that should organisations be unable to follow all CIS 20 critical controls, they need not worry. “It’s still an ideal set of guidelines that can be used as and when we update our security strategies,” he says. “It can be implemented in phases as previous deployments stabilise and yield desired results.”

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