ASI stages Part 2 of tech update seminar on Cyber Security
Advance Solutions Inc (ASI) conducted the 2nd Part of its tech update seminar on Cyber Resiliency and Security on March 12, 2024 at Seda Vertis North in Quezon City. The seminar, entitled “Innovations in Cyber Security 2024” was held in cooperation with HPI, HPE, Microsoft, Intel and Fortinet. The aim was to update ASI’s stakeholders in the government sector on the current technology trends.
Progress in cyber defense programs brings benefits to everyone in today’s connected world. Everything from identity theft, to extortion attempts, to the loss of important data like family photos can be consequences of a cybersecurity attack. Living in today’s technology driven environment has made everyone to rely on critical infrastructure like power plants, hospitals, and financial service companies. Securing these and other organizations is essential to keeping our society functioning.
During the morning program, the following brand partners of ASI presented a thorough discussion on the subject matter of cyber security:
Intel Philippines’ Wendy Gurra, an Enterprise Technical Specialist, in her presentation said: Intel vPro® is built to address these advanced security challenges with integrated, multilayer security features designed for dispersed fleets.
“Available exclusively on Intel vPro®-based PCs, Intel® Hardware Shield adds out-of-the-box protections above and below the OS to help reduce the device’s attack surface, including AI-powered threat detection that actively monitors against attacks. Security integrated at the hardware level helps prevent malware injection, protect user log-in credentials, and keep applications and sensitive data secure; below-the-OS features help defend against firmware-based attacks,” she said.
“Additionally, PCs built on Intel vPro® Enterprise for Windows can be reached even if the OS is down, allowing your team to access devices that have been compromised regardless of where the device is located,” she added.
Furthermore, Ms Gurra said: “The security threat landscape is constantly changing. Additionally, the growth of the hybrid and remote workforce has introduced new complexities and potential attack surface vulnerabilities, making it more difficult for IT to protect PCs outside
an organization’s firewall.”
Microsoft Philippines was represented by Mr Hari Tharmakumar who is Director and Head of Channel Partners for ASEAN at Microsoft Asia Pacific. Hari joined Microsoft APAC in April 2020 where previously he was the Head of Channel for Toshiba Australia & New Zealand.
Mr. Tharmakumar informed the audience that Windows 11 PCs protect your identity by using advanced security methods for logging into your device. There are over 920 password attacks every second. That’s why Windows 11 innovated solutions that redefine login credentials. Windows 11 validates your credentials using either a device-specific PIN code, fingerprint or facial recognition—protecting you from phishing and other network attacks, including password leaks.
Mr. Tharmakumar also talked about “Phishing” — a cybercrime where malicious actors disguise
themselves as legitimate institutions or people you trust in order to steal your passwords and access your data. To combat this, look out for emails from unknown, unusual, or misspelled senders. Hover your cursor over links in emails to check if a different URL is embedded. Avoid using pirated software.
Mr. Tharmakumar further discussed the security features of Microsoft’s Windows 11 by identifying the following:
1.) Turnkey security for business Defend against cyberthreats with the latest safeguards for better peace of mind including a reported 2.8X fewer instances of identity theft.
2.) Safeguard business and personal information. Copilot in Windows 2 with commercial data protection shields business and personal information at no additional cost when you sign on with Microsoft Entra ID.
3.) Heightened business protection. Protect your valuable business information with hardware-backed, out-of-the box security including TPM 2.0.
4.) Enhanced phishing protection. Proactively shield employees through Microsoft Defender SmartScreen by warning them when they are entering their Microsoft credentials into a malicious app.
5.) Bolster application security. IT admins can add another layer of security by applying an App Control for Business policy3 to help ensure that only software they trust runs on PCs.
During the afternoon program, the following brand partners of ASI presented a thorough discussion on the subject matter of cyber security:
For HPE Server, Mr Kevin Villanueva, Solutions Engineer for HPE Compute from VST ECS Phils Inc. presented the HPE ProLiant servers which are engineered with a fundamental security approach to defend against increasingly complex threats. He said that they protect your infrastructure, workloads, and data with their full portfolio of both rack and tower servers.
Furthermore, they feature 360 degree security with the following attributes:
a) Secure supply chain with approved vendor list and server config lock
b) Silicon root of trust with integrated ILO chip and digital fingerprint that ensures uncompromised software
c) HPE secure runtime verification that authenticates integrity of system firmware when booted; notifies user of compromised features; allows customers to schedule scans; verifies malware within system
d) Automated recovery with single click recovery to known good state
e) Safe retirement which provides one-button secure erase
For HPE Storage, Mr. Gabriel Derilo, HPE ATP Certified Product Solutions Engineer at VST ECS presented their end-to-end data protection as facilitated by the acquisition of Zerto an industry leader in cloud data management and protection. He elaborated on the security features of Zerto storage by identifying the following:
1) Reduce the cost and impact of a ransomware attack with real-time detection and protection. Achieve ultimate ransomware resilience with Zerto Cyber Resilience Vault, an isolated, offline, zero trust architecture with immutable data copies that enables rapid air-gapped recovery when all else fails.
2) Ensure resilient, always-on apps with Zerto’s continuous data protection (CDP) and journal-based recovery. Take advantage of granular checkpoints every 5-15 seconds to rewind and restore entire sites, complete workloads, large enterprise apps, VMs, folders, and files.
3) Leverage Zerto’s comprehensive, technology-agnostic orchestration for seamless mobility between different hypervisors or to/from public cloud. Ensure flexibility and
enjoy easy migrations back to previous environments without being tied to a specific platform or cloud provider.
The last but not the least to present was Fortinet and represented by Ms. Marvs Gordo. She is a Product Support Engineer at VST-ECS Philippines with years of experience in IT nfrastructure and cybersecurity. Ms Gordo presented the FortiGate 6001F. She said: “This innovative next-gen firewall is designed to meet the changing infrastructure dynamic facing the modern data center, providing greater performance, protection, inspection, and concurrent sessions and connections across the board—at less than half the industry’s average price point.”
“The FortiGate 6001F, however, is just one piece of our comprehensive data center firewall portfolio, which includes the FG-1000F Series, FG-1800F Series, FG-2600 Series, FG-3200F Series, FG-3500F Series, FG-3700F Series, FG-4000F Series, FG-6300F Series, FG-6500F Series, and FG-7000F Series. Each of these models is engineered to provide top-tier threat protection and a multitude of ports to meet the unique demands of your data center,” she added.
Ms Gordo also informed the audience about The Fortinet Security Fabric which connects Fortinet solutions to achieve true end-to-end security – working together to create a broad, integrated and automated security solution. Weaving through the entire network―from the Internet of Things (IoT) to the cloud―the Fortinet Security Fabric provides superior protection against today’s sophisticated threats.
The whole day event was capped with a Q&A portion, where participants had the chance to interact with the speakers. The audience also had fun participating in games and in winning prizes in the raffle draws. But most of all, and for the second time, the event has brought a wealth of knowledge about the timely topic of cyber security.
