Thanks to Penetration Testing, you don’t have to wait to find out what may be lurking in your network before it’s too late.

As brilliant as cloud computing may be, not only for allowing businesses of all sizes to easily adopt scalable, flexible ways of working while cutting down on overall costs, its rapid adoption over the last few years has also made more companies vulnerable to the threats of cybercrime.

When it comes to data breaches and the future of your company, the cliché of prevention being better than a cure has never been more apt.

According to our research, cyberattacks on businesses, especially SMEs, are increasing steadily year-on-year. It also takes most organisations about 280 days to identify and contain a breach costing R30 million on average.

Increasing digitisation, coupled with South Africa’s low investment in cybersecurity and immature cybercrime legislation mean our country is a prime target for cybercrime. Unfortunately, it doesn’t cost much to become a cybercriminal these days, with hacking software going for cheap on the dark web and botnets available for hire at a moment’s notice.

The Best Defence is a Good Offence – The Beauty of Pen Testing

When it really comes down to it, Penetration Testing is ethical hacking. It involves allowing a trusted party – like Armata – to take a deep dive into your networks and applications to systematically probe for vulnerabilities and find just the kind of thing a hacker might exploit before it’s too late.

This form of controlled pseudo hacking doesn’t cause any damage or disrupt valuable business hours, but rather provides a detailed report of where and how to prioritise your cybersecurity efforts.

Network tests focus on issues like access to servers, firewall strength, Wi-Fi security and other holes in the network, while application tests are meant to uncover any vulnerabilities in user input fields and access online. This could be the result of insecure session management or SQL injection opportunities. Pen Tests don’t have to be done internally either, they can happen externally too for a more accurate idea of how easily (or not) a data breach could occur.

This is also where social testing comes in. This involves testing employees’ cybersecurity knowledge and awareness of social engineering tactics like phishing mails.

Penetration Testing – The Armata Way

We first introduced our Pen Test offering towards the end of last year, one that includes eight comprehensive stages instead of the standard five:

• Information Gathering
• Administrative Interface
• Authentication and Access Control
• Configuration Management
• Input Validation
• Parameter Manipulation
• Session Management
• Business Logic

All of these stages follow industry frameworks to provide best practices for companies to better manage and reduce the risk of cyberattacks, internally and externally.

To read more about our belief in the importance of Penetration Testing and what could have an impact on its efficacy in the coming months, download the Armata Penetration Testing Whitepaper here.

Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it…

Truth be told, the Protection of Personal Information Act (and the feelings it evokes) can, at surface level, seem as interesting as a TED Talk by a member of congress (any member. It doesn’t matter). In truth, at first it seems like a lot of legal jargon and law speak, a mess of convoluted acts, policies and regulations that are seemingly for the benefit and protection of consumers, yet somehow doesn’t prevent Telkom from bombarding us with calls asking if we’d like to upgrade (we don’t).

A quick Google search of the term is, in fact, the greatest insomnia remedy known to man (just don’t tell our boss we fell asleep on the clock. Again). However, with a bit of deep diving (by this, we mean asking our lawyer friend to explain it to us in simple English), we’ve managed to distill it down into simple, easy to understand language – which may explain why it’s a bigger deal than you think.

You see, recent years have seen a lot of theft and misuse of people’s personal information (and no, we’re not talking about the content that made the Kardashian’s famous). Identity theft and cyber crimes are at an all-time high, which led to the need to set up regulations designed to protect your right to privacy (if only someone could explain this to the DA at election time). The PoPIA Act clearly defines the minimum standards required to access or process any individual’s personal information – this includes collecting, receiving, recording, organising, distributing, sharing, storing, or erasing said content (so goodbye to those annoying Mr. Delivery Emails – in theory, at least).

For a customer, this is great, as it means your chances of being spammed with unwanted content are vastly reduced. As a business owner, however, things get a bit tricky. You see, organisations (of any size) in a position to obtain, handle and store the info of a customer or individual must now adhere to the requirements and implement the mandatory steps required to safeguard them accordingly. This includes suppliers, customers, staff, service providers and databases – with non-compliance resulting in fines up to R10 million, 10 years in prison, or a combination of the two (insert joke about crime in South Africa here).

That last line is more sobering than a 2am phone call from your parents when you’ve snuck out to the club. In actuality, although the Act doesn’t exactly inspire feelings of unbridled excitement in society, it is a big deal – and one being taken very, very seriously by organisations and government alike.

So, let’s talk about where we come in…

Our PoPIA Advisory Services aim to help you understand what exactly you’re dealing with (you see, “I didn’t know” doesn’t hold up in court – just ask Oscar). The service does exactly what its name entails, allowing you and your business to operate at full efficiency without the ever-looming threat of breaching the Act, ending up in jail, or having to pay a fine the size of a medium meal at Nandos. Here’s how…

1. We aim to identify areas within your business which can and will be impacted by the new requirements and obligations under PoPIA. Unless you have the legal team of Shabir Sheik or are really, really clued up in Privacy Law (no, five seasons of Suits doesn’t count), chances are you’ll need to evaluate your organisation and establish where this Act affects you. That’s where we come in, only we simplify it to make compliance that much easier.
2. We then obtain a full analysis of the business Data Processing methods and Databases, which allows us to better understand where you could be going wrong with your vital information.
3. We can also identify how high your chances of processing incorrect or inaccurate personal Data may be, and in doing so allow you to take preventative measures so as to avoid incurring any breach or penalties.
4. Furthermore, we’re able to assess the methods in which you collect, use, store, transfer and discard personal information – anything non-kosher (or should we say non-compliant?) will be immediately identified and rectified.
5. Next up, we’re able to assist your business in evaluating the handling of Data subjects’ access and erasure requests (in simple terms, we can navigate who has opted in or out to your databases).
6. And, lastly, our team is ready, willing, and able to form a remediation plan, which in turn can help develop and implement a roadmap towards a PoPIA compliant journey.

We may not be Gerrie Nel (or, despite our best wishes, Harvey Spector), but we do know our way around all things PoPIA – which many organisations sadly don’t. It can be daunting, and there are many regulations and mandatory policies which your brand may not even know exist yet.

Our advice? Don’t overlook or underestimate the Act. The reputational damage alone is enough to cripple the biggest industry titan – then there’s also fines or possible (by which we mean probable) jail time. True, many of us would pay to see our boss in prison for a bit, but it’s no laughing matter when it’s the future of an entire business on the line.

Shop Wireless Deals

It’s just as fast as Fibre, and more widely available. Your business could be sleeping on an incredible connectivity solution…

Thanks to specialised equipment, wireless or microwave Internet delivers carrier-grade connectivity via encrypted high frequency radio waves over the ‘last mile’. Allowing you to enjoy Fibre-like speeds without the need for a Fibre line. It’s a pretty great alternative to what we consider the best broadband available. Especially as Wireless can have you up and running in almost half the time. We’re talking anywhere from two to eight weeks. Done.

It all starts with a Fibre connection at a PoP (Point of Presence). Specialised devices then beam out this encrypted Internet signal via a high-capacity radio link to its intended destination (your business) where it’s decrypted and instantly made available for use.

No cables, no trenching, no fuss.

There’s just one catch – for this solution to work properly, a clear line of sight is needed between both points to ensure connectivity. It’ll be up to the professionals installing the service to make that call before installation can happen, so there’s really nothing to lose.

It’s Faster and More Reliable Than Fibre

Here’s the thing about Wireless, or Vox Wireless. It never goes down. Well, almost never. With a 99.5% guaranteed uptime SLA (Service Level Agreement), you’re pretty much assured high-speed, reliable Internet all the time. It’s the dream. And now it’s real.

As brilliant as Fibre is – let’s face it, we wouldn’t have great Wireless without it – it relies on cables underground. Cables made from thousands of delicate strands of glass, vulnerable to damage by roadworks, neglect, or good old fashioned theft. Sure, Fibre cables aren’t highly sought after, but copper cables are… And all those cables basically look the same from the outside until someone mercilessly chops through one.

So, if your Fibre were to go down, this is definitely the best choice for a backup plan for giving you all the same functionality in an instant – but more on that later.

Let’s talk speed. How can Wireless be faster than Fibre? It comes down to latency. Wireless has a little bit lower latency than Fibre. Sending data over radio waves is slightly faster than sending it through cables. Often because it’s able to travel directly through air and over shorter distances. If time is money – and, when it comes to business, it is – then this lower latency could make all the difference.

It’s Not All Created Equal

Let’s just say, there’s wireless, and then there’s Vox Wireless. Our offering features duplex, allowing you to transmit and receive data simultaneously, effectively doubling your speed. Now that’s efficient. All of our Wireless data is symmetrical – which means you can send data as quickly as you receive it. Which is another massive time saver.

Our scoping and deployment are also key to ensuring you receive the absolute best experience from your solution. Depending on your needs and budget, we also offer the choice between Licensed Spectrum and ISM services, either via broadband (shared) or dedicated formats. We give you the choice of sharing your radio band or keeping it all to yourself.

But You Can Have It All

And you should. Vox Wireless offers more than just reliable, high-speed connectivity. Because this is the perfect medium for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), our solutions are bundled with a free 2Mbps VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) for optimal routing of your Vox Voice connections. It all comes down to that low latency. Which, when you’re using the Internet to make and receive important calls, is a game changer.

Depending on the package you choose, you could also enjoy free uncapped Vox Voice along with your high-speed connectivity too.

Like Fibre, Wireless is easily scalable and able to grow as your business needs do, with an upgrade no more than a phone call away. For all the reasons listed above, Wireless is also the perfect complement to an SD-WAN network, and, when combined with Fibre, offers the best redundancy solution for critical application delivery. Which is to say, with Wireless and SD-WAN, you can still work from anywhere without having to sacrifice on must-haves, like Internet speed, crystal clear Voice calls and availability.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

Shop Wi-Fi Routers

Sad but true, your router has an expiry date. If you’re battling to get the most from your Internet plan, it might be time for a refresh.

There’s no point denying it. Whether it’s via Fibre or LTE, we’re all looking to make a secure, reliable connection. When it comes to our home networks, we’re usually looking to make multiple connections from various devices at the same time… Having a Wi-Fi router that can cope with the demands of modern life will make all the difference.

Speed

They may seem like the same thing, but Wi-Fi and Internet are two parts of the same whole. The greatest router in the world isn’t going to make your 25Mbps Fibre line magically jump to 50Mbps if 25Mbps is what you’ve signed up for in the first place.

What a router CAN do is help you enjoy that speed to its full potential. And it really matters if you’ve sprung for a Fibre line in 1GBps territory, because the last thing you want to do is pay for speed you’re not getting.

Again, Wi-Fi is a tricky beast to master – so, if you really need that 1Gbps, you’re better off connecting your most important devices directly to your router or access point via Ethernet cable. So, choose a router with at least one or two Ethernet ports capable of supporting the speed you need.

As with all things tech, it helps to know what those weird-looking numbers and acronyms mean. For speed, choose a router that supports the latest Wi-Fi protocols.

Both the 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) and Wi-Fi 6 operate over the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies simultaneously, allowing you to split your usage across each and make the most of the speeds and signal strength available.

The 2.4GHz band is usually the most congested (which means slower), but provides coverage over a larger area, while the 5GHz band gives you faster speeds, but without the range. Get you a router that can do both. It’s called dual-band, baby.

Last, but not least, look for a router that offers MU-MIMO (Multiple Users, Multiple Input, Multiple Output).

MU-MIMO technology allows your router to connect to a lot of devices at the same time without causing congestion and slowing down the speed for everyone.

Coverage

So, it’s fast. That’s great! But it doesn’t really matter how fast your Wi-Fi is if it can only reach certain areas of your home, leaving the rest in the cold. In the early days of Wi-Fi, routers would send out signal in every direction, diluting your signal.

These days, our new routers are built a lot smarter than that. It’s all thanks to a little something called Beamforming. It’s one of the few Wi-Fi innovations that isn’t an acronym (thankfully), but it still sounds like something out of Star Trek. What it actually means is that your router will focus and lock onto your devices and send signal directly to them, making that signal stronger.

If you live in a medium to large house, Beamforming is a definite must for improving your signal strength.

As mentioned earlier, Wi-Fi is finicky at the best of times. Is your house more than one storey? Do you live in a block of flats? Are the walls made of concrete instead of brick? Is there a microwave or fish tank sitting in-between you and your router? Then say hello to some of your home’s most notorious signal blockers.

Don’t panic. Wi-Fi Mesh is the perfect solution here. Because the idea is to place them throughout your home to create a seamless blanket of beautiful signal, they’re also pretty easy on the eye from a design perspective.

Mesh Wi-Fi isn’t just for Fibre either. If you find yourself struggling with your LTE signal, our range of TP-Link Decos will come in handy there too. Simply connect your LTE router to one of the Decos in access point mode and add more Deco units around your home where needed for better Wi-Fi coverage.

Control

Not only does updating your router help you enjoy faster speeds or better coverage, you’ll also be able to take comfort in the fact that it includes enhanced security protocols and possible built-in Antivirus to keep your network safe from intruders.

If you choose to future-proof your network with a Wi-Fi 6 compatible router, you’ll automatically enjoy enhanced security on all your Wi-Fi 6 compatible devices with WPA3 security, which features robust password protection and 256-bit encryption algorithms already built in.

TP-Link Deco makes set up a breeze thanks to step-by-step instructions via its Android and OS compatible app – but this app also includes enhanced controls that allow you to monitor your network usage, set up personal profiles for each member of your household and, crucially, set time limits for and block inappropriate content from all of your kids’ devices over the network.

Step out of the router dark ages and into the light.

Your Vox Wi-Fi Router Quick Guide

Ah, Archiving.

It may sound like a shoe store in Sandton or evoke memories of those pictures in your gallery you didn’t want anyone to see (you know the ones), but in the context of Vox, it’s a lot more PG (or at least we hope so).

You see, contrary to popular belief, we at Vox offer a variety of services that don’t just include Home and Business Wi-Fi you can complain about on Twitter. You’ve probably heard of some of them; from Cyber Security to Cloud solutions, to that Weather channel you doubted at first but grew on you after the first episode. Another one of these, which gets less spotlight than the rest, is Archiving – which is why we’re here today.

At first glance, the topic of Archiving seemed as entertaining as one of our “Family Meetings” – so much so that this author needed four coffee breaks, one trip to the Archive store (for research purposes) and a quick browse through Takealot (as well as a prayer that their boss doesn’t read this) while writing the intro alone.

Surprisingly, however, a little bit of research goes a long way (who would have thought?) and, upon finding out more, we realised that Vox Archiving is actually pretty cool.

In a nutshell, Vox Archiving provides an easy path to affordable Cloud Storage.

Remember those annoying “no storage space” messages you’d get which forced you to delete 1 000 selfies with the dog filter only to free up 1MB? Imagine having to do that for your business files. Sounds about as fun as being a contestant in Squid Game – except, you know, there’s no quick ending.

Storing your Data can be expensive, and finding the time to Archive it can be similarly disruptive (as well as drive a poor intern to the brink of sanity). When done correctly, however, tiering and archiving your information can save you up to 70% on storage, backup and Data Recovery costs.

Vox Archiving means your business can store your valuable info in a secure, practical manner that allows you to know what’s cutting. It also means no costly licenses (or SABC ads reminding you to pay them), no disruption, no changes to users and access as well as no hardware to deploy. We analyse, we move, we manage your file or object Data at scale and in the process save you money. It’s like buying a Bat-cave. And Alfred. And then some.

Okay, cool pitch, but why should I or my business care?

Actually, there are an abundance of reasons, from the ability to upgrade your filing system from those used pre-Cold War to one more relevant to businesses this side of the century. But, in case that’s not enough, here are four practical reasons your business should consider Archiving.

1. Can I speak to the Management?

Easy there, Karen, not that kind of management. We’re talking the ability to analyse, move and store your Data at scale while cutting up to 70% of your storage and backup costs. So rather than having to “speak to the manager” every time you can’t find a file, you can circumvent the process altogether and just find what you need, when you need it.

2. More Mobile than a Gupta with a tender

In the current Hybrid world, the importance of accessing your Data any time can’t be underestimatedYou can migrate, archive (naturally), tier and move the right Data to the correct (and affordable) storage solution at exactly the right time.

3. Is there an Archive in your glasses? Coz you’re Insight.

Get insights on Petabytes (yes, that’s a thing) of Data to make smarter investment decisions (Ka-Ching). Know your Data before you buy more storage, backup or Cloud infrastructure – meaning you don’t need to waste money on resources you don’t need right now (did someone say, “Christmas Bonus?”)

4. Leave the disruptions to Eskom.

Unlike everyone’s favourite service provider, Vox Archiving is designed to not stop your business in its tracks. You can tier “cold” Data to our Vox Cloud Storage without interrupting user access and, unlike other providers, there are no additional costs when downloading these files from the Vox Cloud.

Essentially, if your business needs to store its valuable information without investing in a safe room and an ADT guard to sleep during his night shift, Archiving is a solution for you. It’s an inexpensive way to use the Cloud to keep, access and manage all your Data without stressing about finding more room. Not only is it fully redundant, but we also keep two copies in case of disaster while being ISO27001 compliant (no, that’s not a brand of Terminator). Our audits (unlike your accounting firm) will provide you with the perfect solution for you, you need no third-party tools to access your information and, if the Apocalypse does happen in the near future, you can at least know your business information is safely stored.

Now, if only we could invest in bunkers…