MSP, MSSP & IT Industry Notes

Sponsored by

October 15th, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client.

Spinnaker Support Unveils Services Update to Further Enhance Third-Party Software Support and Managed Services Offering for Enterprises

• announced a significant update to its services portfolio
• Spinnaker Shield, Spinnaker Intelligence, Spinnaker Link
• Spinnaker Support provide an extensive services portfolio of third-party support, managed services, consulting, and state-of-the-art security to optimize clients’ software ecosystems

CGI expands its presence in Miami with acquisition of Momentum Consulting Corp.

• announced the acquisition of Momentum Consulting Corp., a Miami-based IT and business consulting firm specializing in digital transformation, data analytics and managed services
• strengthens CGI's position in the key U.S. growth market of Miami
• Momentum Consulting Corp., a Florida-approved vendor and minority-owned business founded in 2002, brings more than 175 highly skilled consultants to CGI

Mythics Wins 2023 Oracle North America Cloud Technology Partner Award

• won the 2023 Oracle North America Cloud Technology Partner Award
• annual Oracle Partner Awards celebrate partners that have shown exceptional innovation, entrepreneurial success, and dedication to customer
• won this award for the business impact of its Cloud Migration Platform

Cybersecurity Notes

• The federal government published new HIPAA fine regulations:
• • Minimum fine is now $187 per instance
  • Maximum fine is now $2,067,813 for penalty year cap
• The FBI sent out a published warning to the healthcare industry in the USA about new ransomware attacks that can lead to destruction of all PHI for victims
• Cascade Family Dental Clinics of Washington notified an over 2,500 number of patients that their PHI was exposed after hackers stole 130GB of data from network
• Garn Mason Orthodontics of Arizona notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
• GI Medical Services of New York notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Community First Medical Center of Chicago, IL notified 216,047 patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• MNGI Digestive Health of Minnesota notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
• Pain Care Specialists of Oregon notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Eastern Connecticut Health Network notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
• Mount Graham Regional Medical Center of Safford, Arizona, notified unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
• McLaren Health of Michigan notified 2.5 million patients that their PHI was exposed after ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware attack.
• Brooklyn Premier Orthopedics of New York notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after 126GB of data was stolen by ransomware gang
• Faquier County Public School District of Virginia notified an unknown number of students that their info may have been exposed after ransomware attack
• Hinds County government in Jackson, Mississippi admitted it paid hackers a $300,000 ransom to gain control of its network, where ransomware exposed the info on an unknown number of citizens
• Rock County government of Wisconsin notified an unknown number of citizens that their info was exposed after ransomware attack
• Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital of Ohio stated that it had a “internal hardware failure” which caused a network disruption this past week
• LA Care of California agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle allegations of negligence after a breach that exposed PHI of 2.7 million patients
• Blackbaud agreed to pay $49.5 million to settle HIPAA lawsuit that impact patients in all 50 states  after a huge data breach
• 23andMe may be forced to notify a large number of its DNA testing customers after a ransomware attack
• Facebook had its own account hacked and fake headlines were posted
• MGM Resorts and Casinos in Las Vegas claim that unlike Caesars, they did NOT pay ransom to the hackers. However, getting system back up and running cost $110 million
• St. Peter’s Health of Montana notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI may have been exposed by a former consultant
• CarePointe ENT of Indiana was sued by the state alleging negligence after a breach exposed the PHI of 45,000 patients

ecoprintQ to now also offer Print Tracker Pro

ecoprintQ is best known as one of two distributors of Papercut solutions

• now also offering Print Tracker Pro to its dealers
• cloud-based solution gathers printer/MFP device description and:
• • IP address
  • Serial number
  • Device location
  • Page count
  • Toner levels
  • Service alerts
• Claims it can also collect page counts from local USB connected devices

SutiSoft Introduces its eSignature Platform to Redefine the Enterprises' Contract Creation ...

• announces their eSignature platform
• platform is configurable with greater flexibility, enabling everyone to create, sign, and store documents securely from a single interface
• three core components
  • Contract Lifecycle Management
  • eSignature Solution
  • Document Management Solution

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• ARCOA, data security is a critical part of what we do
• every item received, we adhere to NIST 800-88 procedures
• strict protocols to overwrite information render all data permanently removed and unrecoverable

Konica Minolta Named to MSSP Alert’s 2023 List of Top 250 MSSPs

• announced it ranks among the Top 250 MSSPs for 2023, according to MSSP Alert, a CyberRisk Alliance resource
• The 2023 Top 250 reported 2022 revenue about 47 million
• Honorees from 23 different countries
• 87% of MSSPs surveyed expect to be profitable for fiscal year 2023
• 67% have in-house SOCs, 23% are hybrid, 8% completely outsource their SOCs, and 1% are reevaluating their SOC strategies
• most frequent attacks targeting MSSP customers in 2023 include phishing (95%), vulnerability exploits (91%) and ransomware (86%)
• Larger MSSPs were more likely to run their SOC entirely in-house (85%)
• larger MSSPs (90%) provided 24/7 security event monitoring and response for threat detection use cases on their own

Document Management System Market revenue to exceed USD 42.22 Billion by 2035, says ...

• slated to expand at ~ 14.9% CAGR between 2023 and 2035
• poised to garner a revenue of USD 42.22 billion by the end of 2035, up from a revenue of ~USD 7.14 billion in the year 2022
• Around 92% of businesses are currently involved in initiatives and according to 88% of senior business leaders digitalization is a key priority

O'Brien Communications Group Signs Rhodian Group

• O’Brien Communications Group (OCG), a B2B brand-management and marketing-communication firm, signed Rhodian Group
• Rhodian is a provider of managed IT, support, cybersecurity, and compliance services
• as a client, effective October 1, 2023

ClearDATA's CSPM Software, CyberHealth™ Platform, Now

• announced that its healthcare-native cloud security posture management (CSPM) solution, the CyberHealth™ Platform, will be available this quarter as a Software as a Service (SaaS)
• ClearDATA is the only provider of cloud security and compliance software and services purpose-built for healthcare, enabled by the powerful CyberHealth™ Platform

Zyston Announces Blue Lava Acquisition

• announce its acquisition of Blue Lava, a Security Program Management SaaS solution designed collaboratively with the CISO community
• acquisition of Blue Lava marks a strategic move to further enhance its Cybersecurity  Performance Management (CPM) offering by integrating Blue Lava’s capabilities into Zyston’s industry leading CyberCAST security program maturity software

Printers/MFPs may be unprotected endpoints

• report published by Forrestar Consulting
• 72% of companies have hybrid working model
• 75% say shift to remote work has magnified IT security issues
• 60% have issues with managing security on remote endpoints
• 55% struggle managing firmware on remote devices
• 42% schedule firmware updates annually
• 50% say they have inadequate solution to manage security on remote devices
• 54% admit that encrypting hard drives is insufficient

MSP, MSSP & IT Industry Notes

Sponsored by

October 9th, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client.

Hamilton acquires Computers on the Run

• announced Monday that they have finalized an agreement whereby Hamilton will acquire COR Managed Services
• Hamilton a technology company located in Aurora
• COR offers managed IT services in Grand Island

Lumifi Acquires Castra to Deliver Next-Generation Managed Detection and Response

• announced its acquisition of Castra Managed Security
• Castra offers enterprise-level MDR, specializing in Exabeam
• Exabeam is a security information and even management (SIEM) platform
• Lumifi is a provider of managed detection and response (MDR) services

The 20 MSP Acquires Key Player in Managed IT Services, Continues Rapid Expansion

• announced the acquisition of 3i International
• 3I International offers managed IT services in Houston and Dallas areas
• Acquisition marks the 24^th for The 20 since last year
• The 20 is a consortium for Managed Service Providers (MSP) for the IT industry

Magna5 Expands Managed IT Services and Cybersecurity Coverage in the Mid ..

• has acquired Advanced Network Systems, a Virginia-based cybersecurity and managed IT services company
• acquisition provides Magna5 additional scale in the Mid-Atlantic region
• Magna5, provides managed IT services, cybersecurity, private and public cloud hosting, backup and disaster recovery
• Advanced Network Systems specializes in helping small and mid-sized organizations implement the right security and networking technologies

Cybersecurity Notes

• CommonSpirit Health, headquartered in Chicago, IL, claims that the recent cyber attack cost the IDN at least $160 million.
• The FBI sent out warning that the BlackTech hacking group of China has successfully penetrated Cisco router firmware
• PurFoods, aka Mom’s Meals, notified 1,237,681 patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack
• City of Dallas admitted it has spent $8.5 million to restore its network after a ransomware attack
• Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee Health Care Service Corp (HCSC) of Chicago, IL was sued for alleged negligence regarding a breach that exposed PHI of 192,231 patients
• Salud Family Health Inc. of Colorado agreed to pay millions to settle a lawsuit regarding a breach that exposed the PHI of 427,540 patients
• Sony Corp. notified an unknown number of subscribers to its Playstation Gaming system that their info may have been exposed after ransomware attack
• Broomfield Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center of Colorado agreed to pay an unannounced amount of money to settle a lawsuit filed after a breach exposed PHI of 677 patients
• Baccarat Hotel of New York City, NY notified an unknown number of customers that their info was exposed after ransomware attack
• University of Vermont Medical Center admitted that recent ransomware attack cost the hospital a total of $65 million to repair
• Nuance Software, a division of Microsoft, maker of Dragon voice to text solutions, notified 1.2 million patients across the U.S. that their PHI may have been exposed after data breach
• IBM and Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems were sued for negligence regarding a recent data breach that may have exposed PHI of up to 1.16 million patients
• Baruch College of New York City, NY notified an unknown number of students that their info may have been exposed after recent FERPA breach
• Johnson Controls Corp. notified an unknown number of customers that their info may have been exposed after recent ransomware attack, and hackers are demanding $51 million

Epson Invites Startups and Developers to Join its Third "Innovation Challenge"

• Epson is expanding its third Innovation Challenge, held Oct. 26-Nov.
• Will welcome innovative developers and startups from the United States, Canada and Mexico
• Applications are open now through Oct. 15
• third hybrid hackathon "Innovation Challenge" event invites innovators from U.S., Canada and Mexico to leverage “Epson Connect” cloud service for scan and print workflows
• developers can find more information on the Epson Innovation Challenge website

Lexmark Named 2023 Managed Print Services Leader by Quocirca

• announced it has again been named a leader in Managed Print Services (MPS) by global print and market insight research firm Quocirca
• marks the 11^th consecutive year in which Lexmark has earned this recognition
• Quocirca highlights Lexmark's industry expertise, deep sustainability focus, and comprehensive security approach
• recognizes Lexmark's small and medium businesses (SMB) MPS offering which was expanded in February 2023 with the launch of MPS Express
• MPS Express is a solution for SMBs to streamline their document management processes and free them from day-to-day printer management

CrowdStrike Introduces Next Generation of the CrowdStrike Falcon Platform to Unlock the ...

• new ‘Raptor’ release of Falcon gives customers the petabyte-scale, lightning fast data collection, and search and storage
• Rolling out to all CrowdStrike Falcon customers over the next year with initial upgrades starting in late September 2023
• • First AI-powered Incident Creator with Charlotte AI Investigator
  • XDR for All
  • XDR Incident Workbench
  • Collaborative Incident Command Center
  • Lightning-Fast Search

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• ARCOA, data security is a critical part of what we do
• every item received, we adhere to NIST 800-88 procedures
• strict protocols to overwrite information render all data permanently removed and unrecoverable

Konica Minolta Named to MSSP Alert’s 2023 List of Top 250 MSSPs

• announced it ranks among the Top 250 MSSPs for 2023, according to MSSP Alert, a CyberRisk Alliance resource
• The 2023 Top 250 reported 2022 revenue about 47 million
• Honorees from 23 different countries
• 87% of MSSPs surveyed expect to be profitable for fiscal year 2023
• 67% have in-house SOCs, 23% are hybrid, 8% completely outsource their SOCs, and 1% are reevaluating their SOC strategies
• most frequent attacks targeting MSSP customers in 2023 include phishing (95%), vulnerability exploits (91%) and ransomware (86%)
• Larger MSSPs were more likely to run their SOC entirely in-house (85%)
• larger MSSPs (90%) provided 24/7 security event monitoring and response for threat detection use cases on their own

Managed IT services spend to grow

Cisco report - Sector to expand by 12.7% to reach $472 billion in 2023

• 56% expect spend on cybersecurity solutions to rise

Sourcepass Announces Their 9th and 10th Acquisitions, CompuWorks and A.D.B. Services. Inc.

• announces its acquisition of two nationally recognized Managed IT Services Providers
• CompuWorks and A.D.B. Services, Inc.. Based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, CompuWorks is the ninth acquisition made by Sourcepass since March 2022, with A.D.B. Services Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia it's tenth in eighteen months

CloudScale365 Acquires Firefly IT Services, Inc.

• announced at Kaseya DattoCon its acquisition of Firefly IT Services, Inc
• Firefly IT Services offers technology solutions in Sacramento, California
• CloudScale365 offers managed IT cloud migration security disaster recovery and business continuity
• Firefly IT Services is a network and systems management company located in Northern, California

Somerville rebrands to Atturra Managed Services

• will be rebranded to Atturra Managed Services following its acquisition by technology services advisor Atturra
• Somerville established in 1982
• 40 years saw Somerville invest in millions of dollars into its network infrastructure to deliver services to clients

Laserfiche achieves new security certification

Headquartered in Long Beach, CA, is provider of ECM (enterprise content management) solutions

• Announced it has achieved the ISO/IEC 27001-2022 certification for information security management systems

Printers/MFPs may be unprotected endpoints

• report published by Forrestar Consulting
• 72% of companies have hybrid working model
• 75% say shift to remote work has magnified IT security issues
• 60% have issues with managing security on remote endpoints
• 55% struggle managing firmware on remote devices
• 42% schedule firmware updates annually
• 50% say they have inadequate solution to manage security on remote devices
• 54% admit that encrypting hard drives is insufficient

75% of Companies Struggling with IT Operational Challenges in a Hybrid World

• conducted by Forrester Consulting, highlighting the need for companies to adopt always-on endpoint management to cater for increasingly dispersed global workforces
• survey of 312 IT and security decision makers shows that companies are struggling to balance asset management, user experience assurance, and risk management
• 72% of companies surveyed currently have a hybrid working model
• 75% of respondents reporting that the shift to remote and hybrid working models has magnified IT operational challenges.¹
• The top challenges companies face when managing remote endpoints are ensuring data security (60%); keeping software on remote devices up to date (55%); and maximizing the accuracy of asset databases (55%).
• Just 42% of companies perform firmware updates annually, 23% update every two years or less, and 12% only update “when essential” – putting firms at risk of security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues.
• Two-thirds (67%) of respondents say ensuring secure and continuous communication with remote endpoints is a major concern for their company’s IT department.
• IT is having to rely on subpar protection, with 50% citing inadequate endpoint security solutions as an obstacle to addressing security and management challenges. Meanwhile, 54% believe full-disk encryption provides substantial protection for endpoints but acknowledge it can be insufficient. For example, if the attacker has physical access to the device

MSP, MSSP & IT Industry Notes

Sponsored by

August 21st, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client.

StrataNorth introduces IT Managed Services Provider (MSP) capabilities

• announces the public release of new Advisory, Implementation, and IT Managed Services
  • Technology Consulting
  • Technology Implementation
  • Cybersecurity & Compliance
  • Managed Services for Small IT Teams
  • Managed Services for Large IT Teams
• StrataNorth is an IT Advisory Consultancy and leading Technology Solutions Provider

Papercut Print Manager Flaw Let Attackers Perform Sophisticated Attacks

• PaperCutNG Mobility Print 1.0.3512 application has been identified to have a cross-site request forgery vulnerability
• The cross-site request forgery vulnerability that leads to sophisticated phishing attacks
• A cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attack pushes authenticated users to send requests to Web applications that they are already authorized to access
• Reported on cybersecuritynews. Com

CrowdStrike Announces the 2023 Customer Excellence Award Winners

• announced the winners of its 2023 Customer Excellence Awards at Con 2023
• awards program recognizes organizations and business leaders who have elevated the role and impact of cybersecurity in their respective organizations and amongst their customers and communities
• Protector of the Year: Salesforce
• Hero Award: The State of New York
• Falconer Award: Mattel
• Innovator Award: Target

What Is Desktop as a Service (DaaS)?

• data as a service is a cloud-based software tool used for working with data, such as managing data in a data warehouse or analyzing data with business intelligence
• DaaS not only provides the benefits of virtualization but also saves on the cost and effort of hosting virtual desktops in privately owned mainframes and servers
• article explains the meaning and working of DaaS and its importance in today’s organizations and modern enterprise settings
• reported on www.spicworks.com

CrowdStrike one of Highest Rated in 2023 Gartner Peer Insights™ Report

• announced it has been recognized as a Customers’ Choice in the 2023 Gartner Peer Insights™ Voice of the Customer for Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP)
• report for across North America, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and Asia-Pacific
• recognized with an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 out of 499 verified customer reviews as of June 2023

True Zero Technologies Professional and Managed Services

• recognized as one of Inc. Magazine’s 2023 Best Places to Work
• The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider^®, today announced that True Zero Technologies has been added to Carahsoft’s National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) ValuePoint contract
• True Zero Technologies is a veteran-owned small business and is recognized as a market leader in the design, implementation and operation of cybersecurity services and solutions
• Tanium, the industry’s only provider of converged endpoint management (XEM), is the reference platform of choice to manage complex security and technology environments

StrataNorth introduces IT Managed Services Provider (MSP) capabilities

• announces the public release of new Advisory, Implementation, and IT Managed Services tailored to help businesses of all sizes make smarter technology decisions
• StrataNorth’s IT Managed Services offerings include:
  • Technology Consulting
  • Technology Implementation
  • Cybersecurity & Compliance
  • Managed Services for Small IT Teams
  • Managed Services for Large IT Teams

• Cybersecurity Notes MGM properties & Caesars properties on Las Vegas Strip see effects of “Scattered Spider” & “ALPHV” cyberattacks:
• • roller coaster and arcade were closed
  • over 48,000 hotel rooms would not accept hotel room key cards
  • many guests had canceled their reservations
  • slot machines were shuttered
  • unknown number of guests had their info exposed
• Caesars admitted that it paid a multi-million dollar ransom to hackers
• The Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center is warning U.S. healthcare facilities of new ransomware attack named “Akira”, demanding ransoms up to $4 million apiece
• IT Governance Solutions reported results of research:
• • From 1/1/23 to 8/1/23 there were 694 publicly reported cyberattacks worldwide involving 612,368,642 breached records
• Largest breach was Twitter (kna “X”) were 220 million records exposed
• OrthoVirginia announced that it did NOT pay the ransom after it was hit by hackers, and after 18 months, has recovered all of its data
• Microsoft announced it issued updates to fix 98 different security vulnerabilities in its software
• Prospect Medical Holdings apparently has already lost $1.3 million after its 16 hospitals were hit with Rhysida ransomware
• Police arrested Nora Avila in Laredo, TX after she allegedly impersonated a nurse for several home health agencies in the area, illegally accessing the PHI of an unknown number of patients
• Maksim Galochkin was arrested for his alleged involvement in the ransomware attack on Scripps Health of San Diego, CA.
• Box Butte General Hospital of Nebraska notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack
• LA Care of Los Angeles, CA paid $1.3 million to settle HIPAA violation charges after breaches exposed almost 2,000 patients’ PHI
• Kaiser Permanente Health agreed to pay $49 million to settle HIPAA violation charges with State o California after it was found to have illegally disposed of PHI in dumpster

CrowdStrike Introduces Next Generation of the CrowdStrike Falcon Platform to Unlock the ...

• new ‘Raptor’ release of Falcon gives customers the petabyte-scale, lightning fast data collection, and search and storage
• Rolling out to all CrowdStrike Falcon customers over the next year with initial upgrades starting in late September 2023
• • First AI-powered Incident Creator with Charlotte AI Investigator
  • XDR for All
  • XDR Incident Workbench
  • Collaborative Incident Command Center
  • Lightning-Fast Search

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• ARCOA, data security is a critical part of what we do
• every item received, we adhere to NIST 800-88 procedures
• strict protocols to overwrite information render all data permanently removed and unrecoverable

High Wire Networks Named to MSSP Alert's 2023 List of Top 250 MSSPs

• ranks among the Top 250 MSSPs (https://www.msspalert.com/top-250) for 2023, according to MSSP Alert
• Key findings include:
  • MSSP Revenue Growth & Financial Performance
  • Geography
  • Profits
  • Security Operations Centers
  • Cyberattack Trends

etherFAX announces new partnership

Announced new partnership with AIROS, a provider of healthcare IT solutions

• “We are proud to partner with AIROS and provide healthcare organizations with AI-powered data extraction technology to solve data challenges and improve patient outcomes”
• (besides traditional cloud fax, etherFAX also offers ability to send interoperable documents)

Cloud fax solution market growth

Report published by Industry Research Inc.

• Global cloud fax market valued at $729.93 million in 2022
• Will grow to $1.5 billion by 2028
• CAGR (cumulative annual growth rate) of 12.8%

Konica Minolta named a 'Leader' in Quocirca Managed Print

• announced it has been named a ‘Leader’ in Managed Print Services (MPS) by Quocirca for a third consecutive year in its Managed Print Services, 2023 report
• industry analyst has identified cost, security and sustainability as the top print management challenges
• Quocirca refers to the trend toward organizations wanting more IT services from their MPS providers, such as workplace productivity and collaboration tools, as well as cloud print

Seramount Names Lexmark a 2023 Top 10 Company for Executive Women

• named to the Seramount 2023 Top 75 Companies for Executive Women list
• the fourth time that Lexmark has been named to the ranking (2019, 2020, 2022)
• "We take great pride in this recognition as a leading company for executive women," said‥Tonya Jackson, senior vice president and chief people officer, Lexmark. "At Lexmark, we are committed to promoting gender equality, fostering leadership skills, and providing flexible work arrangements that empower our employees to reach their full potential and create an inclusive environment that embraces new ideas at all levels”

Microsoft ends Windows Update driver install

In the coming years, printer and MFP makers may no longer distribute their print drivers via the Windows Update function

• Instead will use the default Microsoft IPP Class Driver using Mopria platform
• Mopria Alliance members include Konica Minolta, Xerox, Canon, HP, etc.
• Currently more than 6000 models support the new standard
• Timeline of new policy:
• • 2025 = may not publish new printer drivers to Windows Update
  • 2026 = Microsoft modifies ranking order to new platform
  • 2027 = 3rd party printer drivers may no longer use Windows Update

Sponsored by

August 21st, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client.

International Council condemns Ninestar

Press release published by the well-known International Imaging Technology Council in response to announcement from the U.S. federal government about Ninestar using forced labor for some of its products.

• Asks its members worldwide in print industry to “ensure that products are not produced using forced labor”
• “Let us work together to eradicate such unethical practices from our supply chains”
• Ninestar (headquartered in China) is the “third largest printer and printer cartridge manufacturer in the world, and trades under dozens of brand names” (including Lexmark, of which it owns controlling interest)
• “It is disheartening that these products continue to be sold”
• “by allowing such sales to persist, buyers are supporting an industry that profits from modern-day slaver

Konica Minolta Achieves VMware Cloud Verified Status

• announced it has achieved VMware Cloud Verified status
• Cloud Verified badge signals to customers that Konica Minolta offers a service running on top of the complete VMware Cloud infrastructure
• Cloud Verified partner services, customers attain access to the full set of VMware Cloud Infrastructure capabilities including integration and interoperability, cost optimization and flexibility

Quantiphi Launches TotalCare Strategic AWS Workload Managed Services

• announced the launch of TotalCare™
• specialized managed services solution to help organizations manage the IT and tech infrastructure on Amazon Web Services (AWS) workloads
• Quantiphi offers services in regulated and non-regulated markets under the AWS TotalCare™ umbrella

Kroll Responder Named as Overall Leader in The KuppingerCole Leadership Compass for Managed Detection and Response Services

• named an “Overall Leader” in the 2023 KuppingerCole Leadership Compass for Managed Detection and Response Services for Kroll Responder
• recognition demonstrates the continual investment Kroll has made into Kroll Responder
• KuppingerCole identified Overall Leaders based on a combined rating which analyzes the strength of products, market presence and the innovation of vendors

Cybersecurity Notes

• The IRS has lost track of millions of sensitive taxpayer records after a watchdog group found empty boxes at an IRS document storage facility in Ogden, Utah that were supposed to contain 168 microfilm cartridges with images of millions of records.
• Prospect Medical Holdings, headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, updated the list of healthcare facilities that were affected by cyber attack:
• • Bellflower Behavioral Health of CA
  • Foothill Regional Medical Center of CA
  • Los Angeles Community Hospital of CA
  • Norwalk Community Hospital of CA
  • Southern California Hospitals of Culver City and Hollywood
  • Van Nuys Behavioral Health of CA
  • Manchester Memorial of CT
  • Rockville General of CT
  • Waterbury Hospital of CT
  • Crozer Chester Medical Center of PA
  • Delaware County Memorial of PA
  • Springfield Hospital of PA
  • Taylor Hospital of PA
  • Roger Williams Medical Center of RI
  • Our Lady of Fatima Hospital of RI
• The federal Department of Health & Human Services published a warning about a new ransomware hacking gang, named Rhysida, which is aiming its attacks on the healthcare industry in the U.S.
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital of Massachusetts notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.
• The Colorado Department of Higher Education notified an unknown number of students and teachers that their info was exposed after cyber attack.
• Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart Law Firm of Miami, Florida notified an unknown number of clients that their info was exposed after cyber attack
• Crown Point School District of Indiana notified an unknown number of students that their info was exposed after cyber attack
• Johns Hopkins Medicine of Baltimore, Maryland notified 310,405 patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack
• Precision Anesthesia Billing of Tampa, FL notified 209,200 patients that their PHI was exposed after a cyber attack
• Life Management Center of Northwest Florida notified 19,107 patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack
• Discovery at Home notified senior patients in Florida and Texas that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack
• Bi-Bett Corporation of California notified 4,722 patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack
• Jefferson County Health Center of Oklahoma notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack
• Oregon Sports Medicine notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack
• The New Haven School District of Connecticut is reporting that it lost more than $6 million after a cyber attack
• Florida Healthy Kids Insurance notified an unknown number of parents that their children’s records were exposed after cyber attack

Fax solution vendor offers new features

• Most driven by hacking groups in Russia
• Clop ransomware alone may have reaped $100 million in ransom payments
• Median ransom payment = $190,424

LiquidText Announces Integration With iManage Tools for Seamless Document Analysis and ...

• announces its strategic integration with iManage Work
• leading work product management platform for law firms, corporate legal departments, and other professional services firms
• brings together the best of LiquidText’s advanced reading, document analysis and annotation capabilities with iManage’s robust document and email management competencies

Computerease IT Support of Chicago Sets the Standard for Efficiency and Affordability

• offers a comprehensive spectrum of relevant services. Its specialty areas encompass a wide array of solutions, including but not limited to Cybersecurity, co-managed IT services, cloud solutions, work-from-home solutions, IT Consulting, VoIP services, data back-up and recovery, IT help desk, virtualization, and vCIO services

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• ARCOA, data security is a critical part of what we do
• every item received, we adhere to NIST 800-88 procedures
• strict protocols to overwrite information render all data permanently removed and unrecoverable

Huntress Announces Partnership With Darkhorse Tech to Protect the Dental Industry from Cyber Attacks

• announced a new partnership with Darkhorse Tech, a leading provider of IT solutions for dental practices
• offers managed security platform for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and the managed service providers that support them

High Wire Reports Revenue of $16.1 Million in First Half of 2023

• provider of managed cybersecurity and technology enablement, reported results for continuing operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023
• First half 2023 revenue increased 32% to $16.1 million
• Monthly recurring revenue exceeded a record $1 million
• Total contract value (TCV) for Overwatch managed cybersecurity services totaled $6.0 million at quarter end, up from $5.1 million at the end of the previous quarter (see TCV defined below).

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Modern Document Management Systems

• Reported on Fagen Wasanni
• integration of AI into these systems has revolutionized the way businesses handle their documents, leading to increased efficiency and productivity
• AI can automatically classify and sort documents based on their content, making it easier for users to locate specific documents

Fujifilm to offer optional endpoint security

Announced new solution named “MPS Guardia”, to protect its MFPs, printers from cyber attacks

• Also offers protects data stored on MFP hard drive
• Granted ISO 2700 and 9001 certification
• Web portal allows customer to view, managed and control security settings
• Three different levels of features; Lite, Essentials and Enterprise Plus versions

Less productive working from home?

• Research published by MIT and UCLA
• • Workers were 18% less productive when working from home as compared to when they worked in office
  • Part of project used cameras built into worker’s laptop computers and took low resolution photos every 15 minutes
• Microsoft also announced that research showed that working from home resulted in 25% reduction in time spent collaborating across groups

Cyber Security Managed Services Market Size to Surpass USD

• global cyber security managed services market size was valued at USD 14.48 billion in 2022
• projected to grow from USD 15.78 billion in 2023
• to USD 32.68 billion by 2030
• CAGR of 11% during the forecast period reported on globe newswire

Sponsored by

August 8th, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client.

Envision Welcomes Microsoft Sales Expert Matthew Aghedo

• announced the addition of industry expert Matt Aghedo
• 20 years in technology sales, Matt will become an immediate contributor to Envision’s new National Account Acquisition Team

What is serverless architecture?

• Posted on CROWDSTRIKE.com
• Serverless architecture is a software development approach in which developers can run applications without managing the underlying infrastructure
• Serverless is event based, which means functions are triggered by events from sources like HTTP requests, database modifications, or file uploads

Renowned Managed IT Services Provider in Worcester, MA to Continue as Worcester Railers' Trusted Partner with Extended Contract

• announce the extension of its partnership with the Worcester Railers
• Trivium Technology to continue its role as the trusted managed IT services provider for the Worcester Railers Organization and the players' house

MPSA Announces Newly Elected Board of Directors and Executive Committee

• Managed Print Services Association, a not-for-profit, volunteer-led association to help further Managed Print, is pleased to announce its new Executive Committee and Board of Directors
• Elections were held in June, with two-year terms beginning August 1, 2023
• You can view the new executive committee here

Cybersecurity Notes

• 1st Source Bank, headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, notified 20 million customers that their account info may have been exposed after ransomware attack from Clop hackers from Russia
• American Airlines, headquartered in Dallas, TX, notified an unknown number of flyers that their info may have been exposed after ransomware attack
• Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union of Pennsylvania notified 141,000 customers that their info may have been exposed after ransomware attack
• Athene Annuity and Life Company of Iowa notified 70,412 customers that their info was exposed after ransomware attack
• Massachusetts Mutual Life Co. notified 242 customers that their info was exposed after ransomware attack
• AMD announced it has released patches for its Zen 2 computer processor to fix vulnerability that could allow a hacker to access sensitive data from computers using the processor
• CardioComm Solutions, maker of heart monitoring technology, notified an unknown number of customers that their info may have been exposed after cyber attack
• Rush Health of Chicago, IL, was sued by patients affected by alleged illegal sharing of PHI with Google
• Norton Healthcare of Kentucky was sued by patients over alleged negligence related to PHI exposure after cyber attack
• UT Southwestern Medical Center of Dallas, TX notified 98,000 patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
• Family Vision of Anderson, South Carolina notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
• LifeWorks Wellness Center of Clearwater, FL notified 17,000 patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
• UC Davis Health of Sacramento, CA notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI may have been exposed after email phishing attack
• Paramedic Billing Services of Elmhurst, IL notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI may been exposed after cyber attack

Ransomware attacks on the rise - Report published by NCC Group

• Attacks up 221% in month of June, 2023, YoY
• Most driven by hacking groups in Russia
• Clop ransomware alone may have reaped $100 million in ransom payments
• Median ransom payment = $190,424

Cloud fax solution market growth

• Report published by HTF Market Intelligence
• Will increase $486.2 million by 2028
• CAGR of $6.4% (cumulative annual growth rate)
• In 2023, market is $1.082 billion
• Growth being driven by removal of FCC rules, allowing POTS lines to increase in cost, and decrease in line quality, creating demand for fax via cloud

Conceal Unveils MSP Community Program

• announced the launch of its Conceal MSP Community Program
• highlight of this initiative is the offer of a free NFR license for Managed Service Providers (MSPs)
• To join the MSP Community and get your free NFR of ConcealBrowse, sign up here today!

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• ARCOA, data security is a critical part of what we do
• every item received, we adhere to NIST 800-88 procedures
• strict protocols to overwrite information render all data permanently removed and unrecoverable

Konica Minolta Launches Upgraded Cloud-enabled MFPs

• announced the debut of its cloud-enabled bizhub multi-function printers (MFP)
• models include special offers for licensing Dispatcher ScanTrip Cloud, a simple and efficient way to digitize documents that can enable small- to medium-size businesses to advance their digital transformation
• available Konica Minolta MFPs with Dispatcher ScanTrip Cloud
• wide variety of cloud connectors including Box, DropBox Business, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Google Drive, Email and more

Fax solution vendor offers new feature for HC

etherFAX, headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey, is provider of fax solutions for the healthcare vertical

• announced new email fax feature for Google Workspace users
• provides HIPAA compliant solution
• announced new slogan; “off ramp from fax, the on ramp to interoperability”
• pricing not announced

M-Files Named IT Cloud/SaaS Silver Winner in the 2023 Globee® Disruptor Company Awards

• announced that the company has been honored as a Silver Winner in the Information Technology Cloud/SaaS category of the 3^rd Annual Globee® Disruptor Company Awards
• Globee Awards for Disruptors recognize and celebrate organizations and individuals who have made significant contributions in driving disruptive innovation across various industries
• M-Files is a global leader in information management

Sponsored by

July 24th, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client.

PEI Named Top U.S. Managed Services Provider for the Third Year in a Row

• Cloudtango, named PEI a top Managed IT Services Provider in the United States
• Third time for PEI
• PEI secured a top ten spot on Cloudtango's Top 100 Managed Service Providers list

Asia Pacific Sees Rising Demand for Managed Services as Cloud Spending Continues to ...

• Asia Pacific ISG Index™, which measures commercial outsourcing contracts with annual contract value (ACV) of US $5 million or more
• shows second-quarter ACV for the combined market (both cloud-based XaaS and managed services) fell 18 percent versus the prior year, to US $4.0 billion, dragged down by a sharp and continuing decline in the XaaS segment

River City Data Announces Affordable Document Digitization and Storage Solutions For ...

• announced a range of document management services tailored to meet the needs of small businesses and public entities
• offers cost-effective solutions for document scanning, data storage, and retrieval
• Introducing DocGPT: Revolutionizing Document Management and AI Integration
• River City Data is an independent business service bureau based in New London, Minnesota

Introducing DocGPT: Revolutionizing Document Management and AI Integration

• web application that marries advanced AI capabilities with a robust PDF editor and secure document cloud
• users can ask any question, generate unique content, and enjoy an innovative chat functionality, all centered around their PDF documents

Cybersecurity Notes

• Gates Corporation, headquartered in Denver, CO, a fluid power transmission manufacturer, notified 11,090 people that their info was stolen after a ransomware attack
• The Town of Jackson, Ohio, notified an unknown number of citizens that their info may have been exposed after a cyber attack
• Microsoft published warning that Russian hackers are actively exploiting security vulnerabilities in Windows and Office software
  • Possible remote code execution to launch ransomware
• Politico magazine is reporting that the number of patients who have had their PHI exposed as of today, is as many as the entire year of 2022, or over 52 million
• edgeMED Healthcare Software of Boca Raton, FL, provider of revenue cycle management solutions, notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack
• Limbach Facility Services, headquartered in Warrendale, PA, a construction/engineering firm, notified 1,392 current and former employees, that their info was exposed after cyber attack
• Johns Hopkins Health System of Baltimore, MD has been hit by large lawsuit, alleging negligence after PHI was stolen during ransomware attack
• Partnership Health Center of Missoula, Montana notified 8,331 patients that their PHI was exposed after email phishing attack
• South Suburban Surgical Suites of Munster, Indiana notified 5,340 patients that their PHI was exposed after email phishing attack
• LockBit ransomware gang claims to have stolen PHI from:
  • Panorama Eyecare in Colorado
  • Eye Center of Northern Colorado
  • Denver Eye Surgeons of Colorado
  • Cheyenne Eye Clinic & Surgery Center of Wyoming
  • 2020 Vision Center of Colorado
• Kansas Medical Center notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack
• Lansing Community College in Michigan notified 757,832 students that their info was exposed after a FERPA cyber breach
• D’Youville University of Buffalo, New York notified an unknown number of students that their info was exposed after FERPA cyber attack
• QuickBlox, a provider of telemedicine solutions, headquartered in Holburn, England, notified millions of patients in the U.S., that their PHI may have been exposed after a cyber attack
• East Houston Medicine and Pediatric Center of Texas will be notifying an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after 200 boxes of printed paper medical records were left behind in a storage unit that was sold

Use a tax prep firm? You may be exposed

• A US Congressional probe, led by US Senator Elizabeth Warren, is accusing 3 firms of exposing personal financial info of “tens of millions” of taxpayers in the U.S.
• “On a scale from 1 to 10, this is a 15”; stated David Vladeck, former consumer protection chief at the FTC
  - Firms involved are:
• • H&R Block
  • Tax Act
  • Taxslayer

Malware in MS Office Documents

Fortinet Security published warning about the LokiBot hacking gang embedding malicious macros within Microsoft Office documents

• The macros drop the LockBot ransomware onto victim’s systems
• Allows hackers to control and collect sensitive information

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• ARCOA, data security is a critical part of what we do
• every item received, we adhere to NIST 800-88 procedures
• strict protocols to overwrite information render all data permanently removed and unrecoverable

Verinext Named Commvault Managed Services Partner of the Year

• named Verinext Commvault Managed Services Partner of the Year for 2023
• award recognizes Verinext for being the fastest growing Metallic SaaS managed service provider (MSP) of 2023
• award was presented during the Commvault Partner Summit where the company unveiled Commvault's 2023 Americas Partners of the Year awards
• Verinext delivers transformative business outcomes through technology and services

Fax solution vendor offers new feature for HC

etherFAX, headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey, is provider of fax solutions for the healthcare vertical

• announced new email fax feature for Google Workspace users
• provides HIPAA compliant solution
• announced new slogan; “off ramp from fax, the on ramp to interoperability”
• pricing not announced

Conterra Networks Launches State-of-the-Art Managed LAN Service Powered by ..

• announce the launch of its state-of-the-art Managed LAN service, fortified by a strategic partnership with Fortinet®
• collaboration combines the expertise of both Conterra Networks and Fortinet to deliver networking infrastructure that prioritizes performance, security, and scalability
• Conterra Networks is one of the largest remaining independent broadband infrastructure companies in the United States based on its optical fiber and fixed wireless network assets and annual recurring revenues

Ricoh partners with Cisco for MFP security

sign strategic alliance to “empower digital workplaces”

• will jointly develop solutions that deliver simpler and more secure environments across three layers (cloud, network and device) to promote digital transformation and improve productivity
• Ricoh MFP Smart Integration and Cisco's cloud security solutions will connect using Cisco Meraki, a cloud-based network management solution
• Will include Cisco's information leakage prevention/detection and other advanced authentication features
• will support processes that require higher levels of security

IT Solutions Consulting Acquires Umbrella Managed Systems, Leading Midwest IT Solution Provider

• announce the acquisition of Umbrella Managed Systems. Based in Kansas City, Missouri
• Umbrella is a managed service provider (MSP) renowned for its IT support, cybersecurity and cloud solutions and healthcare sector expertise
• addition is IT Solutions' seventh acquisition and third within nine months

directprint.io adds new functionality to its SaaS platform

• Cloud ISV directprint.io has added advanced printer monitoring capabilities to its serverless print management platform

• new feature, which is available as an optional extra, is designed to reduce printer downtime and help admins stay ahead of print-related support tickets

• io is a feature-rich, transparent SaaS offering that allows users to quickly and effectively deploy, secure, control and track print management

MSP, MSSP & IT Industry Notes

Sponsored by

July 10th, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client.

IT professionals required to do more with less as security threats remain major concern

• Recent Logicalis 2023 CIO Survey
• 2023 Challenges
  • 47% of respondents identify security threats as their biggest challenges in 2023
  • 46% of technical skills and resourcing
• Outsourcing IT and managed services
  • 74% expect to increase spending this yea
• Economy concerns
  • 36% cite budgetary pressure
  • percentage of respondents expecting a decrease in their IT budgets has risen from 16% in 2022 to 25% in 2023

Rackspace Technology Partners with C2C Global, the Largest Online Google Cloud ...

• announced that it has entered into a new partnership with C2C Global
• C2C Global is the largest worldwide community of Google Cloud users
• The C2C community is the most sought-after space for Google Cloud customers to find connections, generate leads, and expand their relationships with customers and Googlers

Node4 Acquires ThreeTwoFour to Strengthen its Cybersecurity Offering and Expand In the Finance and Banking Sector

• announced the acquisition of ThreeTwoFour
• ThreeTwoFour is an information security and technology risk management service provider
• Node4 fully owns its own a network of data centres, points of presence

Cybersecurity Notes

• American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have both notified thousands of their pilots that their personal info was exposed after cyber attack on vendor, Pilot Credentials
• Microsoft published warning about hackers aiming their efforts at devices running Linux systems that have Internet access
• Joseph James O’Connor, aka PlugwalkJoe, was given a 5 year prison sentence for his involvement in a hacking group that netted $794,000 from TikTok users.
• Suncor Energy notified an unknown number of gas stations that customer info may have been exposed after cyber attack.
• Community Health Systems (CHS), headquartered in Franklin, TN, is facing another lawsuit claiming negligence, regarding a breach that exposed PHI of 1 million patients across the U.S.
• The C10p ransomware group claims to have stolen info from:
• • Shell Oil
  • Siemens Energy
  • Schneider Electric
  • UCLA
  • Sony Corp.
  • Ernst & Young
  • PricewatersCoopers
  • Cognizant
  • Kirkland & Ellis Law Firm
  • K&L Gates Law Firm
• iHealth Solutions of Louisville, Kentucky received a $75,000 HIPAA fine for exposing the PHI of 267 patients after a breach.
• The Atrium, aka Senior Choice Inc. of Johnstown, PA notified an unknown number of residents that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.
• Beacon Ridge Senior Living of Indiana, PA notified an unknown number of residents that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.
• The Patriot Senior Living of Somerset, PA notified an unknown number of residents that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.
• The Williamsport Home Senior Living of PA notified an unknown number of residents that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.
• Coachella Valley Collection Services of Palm Valley, CA notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Kansas Joint & Spine Specialists notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Mount Desert Island Hospital of Maine notified 24,180 patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Barrow County government of Georgia notified an unknown number of residents that their info may have been exposed after cyber attack.

OneNeck IT Solutions Ranked on Channel Futures 2023 MSP 501

• named as one of the world's premier managed service providers in the prestigious 2023 Channel Futures MSP 501 rankings
• Identifies OneNeck as a Best-in-Class Business Growing Via Recurring Revenue and Innovation
• Channel Futures MSP 501 survey examines organizational performance based on annual sales, recurring revenue, prnologieofit margins, revenue mix, growth, innovation and supported techs

Zayo Ranked Top 10 on Channel Futures 2023 MSP 501—Tech Industry's Most Prestigious ...

• named as one of the world’s premier managed service providers in the 2023 Channel Futures Managed Service Provider (MSP) 501 rankings
• Zayo delivers critical managed edge, connectivity, cybersecurity and voice-and-collaboration services to the largest and most innovative organizations
• Channel Futures MSP 501 survey examines organizational performance based on annual sales, recurring revenue, prnologieofit margins, revenue mix, growth, innovation and supported techs

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• ARCOA, data security is a critical part of what we do
• every item received, we adhere to NIST 800-88 procedures
• strict protocols to overwrite information render all data permanently removed and unrecoverable

Align Ranked in Top 100 of the Channel Futures 2023 MSP 501 List—Tech Industry's Most ...

• named in the top 100 of the world’s premier managed service providers in the 2023 Channel Futures MSP 501 rankings
• placing number 60 out of 501 other firms
• Align is a premier global provider of technology infrastructure solutions
• Channel Futures MSP 501 survey examines organizational performance based on annual sales, recurring revenue, prnologieofit margins, revenue mix, growth, innovation and supported techs

CrowdStrike Wins Best Endpoint Security for SC Awards Europe 2023

• announced that the company took home top honours as the Best Endpoint Security winner in the SC Awards Europe 2023
• second consecutive year CrowdStrike’s technology has been recognised as a SC Excellence Awards
• CrowdStrike (Nasdaq: CRWD), a global cybersecurity leader

HP wants to move to subscription model for all

HP Inc.’s CEO, Enrique Lores, was recently interviewed by Wall Street Journal

• Subscriptions would bundle printers, MFPs, supplies, paper and PCs, as well as other technology
• Move will put a dent in retail sales of their products in retailers and dealers
• Claims that future of HP is “being a digital company” over one that sells products in retail stores
• “I think it is the desire to be more relevant to our customers. We can offer a much stronger value proposition to customers with, rather than a product, a full service. It is all about engaging with customers in a more permanent way”
• “we need to change how we connect with customers”

Y Soft launches new solutions

Headquartered in Brno, Czech Republic

• “Pure Cloud Terminal”, which is compatible with Y Soft SAFEQ Cloud, a secure print release solution in the cloud
  • Integrate printing and scanning
  • Users connect directly to the cloud without software
  • Secure connection
  • Currently on works with HP, Ricoh and Fujifilm-made devices
• “Multi-Vendor Scanning” includes optical character recognition
  • Documents edited or found through keyword search and metadata
  • One touch workflows
  • Hosted in Y Soft public cloud
  • In later version will support private cloud and on-premise customers
• “OMNI Bridge” is an edge device to integrate with SAFEQ Cloud and SAFEQ Managed
  • Connects printers to cloud

IT not confident that printers/MFPs are secure

Survey results published by Quocirca Inc.

• Only 19% of IT professionals are confident that their printers and MFPs are protected from hacking
• 61% experienced a data loss due to unsecured printing
• 39% say it is becoming harder to keep up with printer/MFP security
• Average print-related breach cost is now $947,000
• 70% of businesses are very dependent on print
• 86% are increasing their spend on printer/MFP security solutions

M-Files Named IT Cloud/SaaS Silver Winner in the 2023 Globee® Disruptor Company Awards

• announced that the company has been honored as a Silver Winner in the Information Technology Cloud/SaaS category of the 3^rd Annual Globee® Disruptor Company Awards
• Globee Awards for Disruptors recognize and celebrate organizations and individuals who have made significant contributions in driving disruptive innovation across various industries
• M-Files is a global leader in information management

Announcing DocuWare Version 7.8: Collaborative Work, Automatic Calculations New On-the-Go Functions

• introduces the latest version of its DMS, DocuWare Version 7.8
• new features support collaborative working, simplified calculations and make it easier to work from mobile devices
• DocuWare Forms, users can now easily build forms with real-time calculations. Index tables can be viewed on mobile devices and the user interface is truly global in nature as it is available in 24 languages - Slovenian and Vietnamese are the newest additions
• DocuWare is a leading provider of document management and workflow automation solutions

MSP, MSSP & IT Industry Notes

Sponsored by

June 11th, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client.

Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Acquires ACP Technologies: A Strategic Move for Greater Success!

• recently acquired ACP Technologies, a provider of managed IT and cybersecurity services
• amount for which Atlantic has acquired ACP Technologies remains undisclosed
• Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office was founded in 1959 as Atlantic Photocopy
• ACP Technologies was founded in 1997 with its headquarters located in West Seneca, New York
• Reported on compsmag.com

Options Named Microsoft Solutions Partner for Security

• announced its achievement of Microsoft Solutions Partner designation for Security
• Options Technology is the No. 1 provider of IT infrastructure to global Capital Markets firms, supporting their operations and ecosystems
• In 2019, Options received investment from Boston-based Private Equity Firm Abry Partners

Oosha rebrands as Access Managed Services and announces plans to grow team by a fifth

• UK legal IT managed service provider Oosha, has rebranded Access Managed Services and announced that it is set to grow its team by a fifth
• Also announced that it is set to grow its team by a fifth
• was acquired by Access Legal in 2021

Cybersecurity Notes

• Albany ENT & Allergy Services of New York has notified 224,486 patients that their PHI may have been exposed after ransomware attack.
• Cleveland Clinic notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after one of its medical billing vendors, MedInform of Ohio, was hit by ransomware.
• Idaho Falls Community Hospital notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Mountain View Hospital of Idaho notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Managed Care of North America, aka MCNA Dental, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Sports Warehouse, an online sporting goods retailer, will pay $300,000 to settle lawsuit alleging negligence after a breach exposed info on 1 million consumers.
• Marshall Information Services, aka Primary Solutions Inc. of Ohio, notified 7,456 patients that their PHIP was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Anchorage School District of Alaska notified all employees that their PHI was exposed after a laptop computer was stolen.
• Enzo Biochem of Farmingdale, NY, notified 2,470,000 patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.
• Medford Radiology Group of Oregon notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.
• Clarke County Hospital of Osceola, Iowa notified 28,003 patients that their PHI was exposed after recent cyber attack.
• Vascular Center of Intervention in Fresno, CA notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.
• Toyota notified 260,000 car owners that their info was exposed after cloud storage data leak.

Kinetik Information Technology offers an array of IT and Managed Services to elevate businesses

• announces that they offer a comprehensive range of IT and managed services.
• Microsoft partner since 1993

CyberCatch Announces Sales Distribution Partnership with Lanetco, Leading Canadian ...

• Announced a a sales distribution partnership with Lanetco, a leading Canadian Managed Services Provider (MSP)
• Lanetco specializes in serving small and medium businesses, not for profit organizations and trade associations and provides a full suite of IT services
• CyberCatch Holdings, Inc. (TSXV:CYBE) is a cybersecurity company that provides a proprietary, artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that enables continuous compliance and cyber risk mitigation

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• ARCOA, data security is a critical part of what we do
• every item received, we adhere to NIST 800-88 procedures
• strict protocols to overwrite information render all data permanently removed and unrecoverable

US Dept of Homeland Security bans the import of Lexmark

• U.S. has blocked the import of goods made by Chinese laser printer maker Ninestar, majority owner of U.S.-based Lexmark International
• over the company’s alleged use of forced labor tied to China’s Xinjiang region
• Goods from Ninestar and eight Zhuhai, China-based subsidiaries will be restricted from entering the U.S. as of Monday because of the “companies’ participation in business practices that target members of persecuted groups” including Uyghurs, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said

Lead for ManagedIT Services (50 workstations) (click link)

• The Organization is soliciting proposals from qualified firms and proprietors for the management of information technology services to sustain and enhance the operations and services of the Organization
• Vendors are encouraged to provide as much detail as possible in this proposal regarding their capability and
• expertise, scope of services, and approach to protecting and securing the technology used by Organization
• users

High Wire Promotes Susanna Song to Chief Marketing Officer

• has promoted Susanna Song from VP of marketing and communications to the new position of chief marketing officer (CMO)
• she will oversee all corporate communications for driving brand awareness and lead generation
• coincides with the company’s launch of a new digital marketing and brand awareness campaign to be led by Song
• Song is the creator, producer and co-host of The Cybersecurity Simplified Podcast, which last year logged more than 100,000 downloads, drew listeners from more than 100 countries, and ranked in the top 5% of most podcasts shared globally on Spotify. She is also co-host of The Working CEO Podcast

M7 Services Selected by N-able as a Super Elite Partner

• has been selected as a Super Elite Partner by N-able, the purpose-built technology partner for managed services providers (MSPs)
• new designation distinguishes M7 Services as an MSP leader in the global IT channel
• To select MSP Super Elite members, N-able carefully evaluated thousands of its MSP partners worldwide on a range of criteria, including: a company's overall size and service model; its consecutive growth and profitability; the number of IT devices proactively being managed using RMM; the productivity of a company's technicians, and its ability to deliver exceptional business value to its customer base
• M7 Services is a provider of managed IT services and solutions for the hospitality industry

New CRITICALSTART® Managed XDR Reduces Cybersecurity Risk Through Improved ...

• announced the release of its new Managed Extended Detection and Response (XDR) offering
• unifies Critical Start's award-winning MDR service with a cloud-delivered collection, storage, and search platform for security-relevant log sources
• new service provides proactive defense that reduces the risk of a breach by bringing together threat prevention, detection, and response to thwart and mitigate threats before they cause damage

directprint.io to showcase the benefits of cloud print management at ISTELive 23

• announce it is attending ISTELive 23, which takes place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, between June 25 to 28
• io education strategy team will be on hand at the Edtech event of the year, to demonstrate how easy it is to remove reliance on cost and energy-intensive print servers and instead leverage a serverless infrastructure to centrally manage printing devices and printing
• io is a Chrome Enterprise Recommended partner, and specializes in print management for Chromebook

Pacific Office Automation Named 2023 MSP Partner of the Year by Arctic Wolf

• has been named Arctic Wolf’s Managed Service Provider Partner of the Year for 2023
• recognizes the company’s commitment to improving its customers' cybersecurity posture through a strategic partnership with Arctic Wolf
• Arctic Wolf is a leader in security operations and the pioneers behind one of the largest cloud-native security operations platforms in the world
• Pacific Office Automation (POA) is a privately held office technology company headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon

Kodak Alaris increases scanner distribution

• Announced that it has signed up CoCre8 Technology Solutions
• Will distribute scanners, capture software and professional services

Square 9 Softworks Releases Guide to Master OCR to Strengthen Document Capture Investment

• recently released a guide for those considering OCR and Document Capture solutions for their organization
• “Your Guide to Mastering OCR” aims to provide insightful strategies for capturing documents based on an organization’s needs
• You can view Square 9’s OCR Guide for yourself here: https://info.square-9.com/ocr-guide

PrinterLogic has security issues

Security Week magazine published article how researchers at Seek of Australia found multiple security vulnerabilities in PrinterLogic’s enterprise management printer solution

• The 18 vulnerabilities supposedly cloud allow hackers to:
• • Bypass authentication
  • Inject code
  • Expose credentials

MSP, MSSP & IT Industry Notes

Sponsored by

June 5th, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client.

Work from home changing MFP/printer market

• Published on CRN Magazine (Computer Reseller News)
• “Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic made remote work a staple for many people, consumers andorganizations have increased their expectations around how printers should work at home”; stated Sue Richards, head of home print hardware at HP

• • “Enterprises want to ensure the home work environment is as productive as your work environment”
  • “printers need to become more reliable and enable better productivity”
  • “Now the expectation is it is just there and it just works and it is integrated seamlessly in your environment”
  • Regarding security, “There is always going to be more work to do because people do not immediately think of a printer as being a conduit it (for hackers), but we know it is, so I think that is something we will continue to drive”
• “If you look at what historically ratios of printers to employees may have been or deployment strategies, people now are looking at it differently”; stated Chris White, executive director at Lexmark, a division
  Ninestar of China
• “This is opening new opportunities for vendors and their channel partners to perform assessments and help customers figure out the best way to tackle needs for printing, scanning, copying and faxing in
  modern office environments”; stated Bob Burnett, director at Brother.
• • “assessments can address several facets, including size of workforce, how often they are in the office, how many pages they print on a regular basis and whether there is an increased need for scanning due to a larger emphasis on scanning”
  • Regarding security, “surprisingly some organizations have not realized it until you have the conversation with them and then they start to say ‘Oh my god’”
• “It is important for organizations to get printer layouts done correctly to ensure knowledge workers are not spending too much time walking long distances to a printer or trying to find where a printer is located”; stated Elliot Williams, director at Epson.
  • “Security it something that you just cannot ignore, whether you are a mom-and-pop all the way up through an enterprise”; stated Tracey Koziol, CPO at Xerox
  • “Most enterprises and even small businesses have not necessarily taken a big print (security) policy of managing those devices. And what they have seen is that they have unauthorized devices that could be a security risk”; stated Scott Dabice, VP at Ricoh.

High Wire Networks Aims To Quadruple Cybersecurity Sales This Year

• Reported on CRN
• CRN's Managed Service Provider 500 list recognizes the top technology providers and consultants whose forward-thinking approach to providing managed services is changing the landscape of the IT channel.
• Demand For MSPs Is At An All-Time High: The 2023 MSP 500
• Here Are The Fastest Growing Managed IT Services In 2023, According To MSP 500 Executives
• Here Are The Emerging Technology Areas That MSP 500 Execs See Offering The Biggest Opportunities In 2023 >
• Here Are What 20 MSP 500 Executives See As The Biggest Challenges To Their Businesses In 2023

CrowdStrike Introduces Charlotte AI to Deliver Generative AI-Powered Cybersecurity

• introduced Charlotte AI, a new generative AI cybersecurity analyst
• democratizes security and helps every user of the CrowdStrike Falcon platform — from novice to security expert — become a power user
• Charlotte AI lets customers ask natural language questions – in English and dozens of languages – and receive intuitive answers from the CrowdStrike Falcon platform
• Blog post: Introducing Charlotte AI
• Blog post: CrowdStrike Advances the Use of AI to Predict Adversary Behavior and Significantly Improve Protection
• Blog post: Introducing AI-Powered Indicators of Attack: Predict and Stop Threats Faster Than Ever

Sourcepass Announces their 8th Acquisition, machineLOGIC

• announces the successful completion of its eighth acquisition with machineLOGIC
• machineLOGIC is a renowned managed IT service provider that specializes in offering Cloud, Security and Automation solutions to small and mid-sized companies
• • machineLOGIC offers highly talented individuals in the fields of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Marketing

Cybersecurity Notes

• The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) unleashed the Volt Typhoon cyberespionage malware attack on US government infrastructure on the island of Guam
• • “Microsoft assess with moderate confidence that this CCP campaign is pursuing development of capabilities that could disrupt critical communications between US and Asia region during future crises”
• Cadwallader Wickersham and Taft Law Firm of New York City, NY notified 93,000 clients that their info may have been exposed after cyber attack.
• Apria Healthcare, headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, notified 1.8 million patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• PillPack, a division of Amazon, notified 20,000 patient customers that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• San Diego Unified School District of California notified an unknown number of students that their info was exposed after cyber attack.
• DraftKings sports betting site admitted that a teen hackers was able to break in and steal $600,000
• TikTok’s parent, ByteDance of China, admitted:
• • Chinese engineers write source code for app
  • Could not guarantee that the code does not offer “back door” access to Chinese Communist Party government to access US customer information

Kinetik Information Technology offers an array of IT and Managed Services to elevate businesses

• announces that they offer a comprehensive range of IT and managed services.
• Microsoft partner since 1993

CyberCatch Announces Sales Distribution Partnership with Lanetco, Leading Canadian ...

• announcea a sales distribution partnership with Lanetco, a leading Canadian Managed Services Provider (MSP)
• Lanetco specializes in serving small and medium businesses, not for profit organizations and trade associations and provides a full suite of IT services
• CyberCatch Holdings, Inc. (TSXV:CYBE) is a cybersecurity company that provides a proprietary, artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that enables continuous compliance and cyber risk mitigation

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• ARCOA, data security is a critical part of what we do
• every item received, we adhere to NIST 800-88 procedures
• strict protocols to overwrite information render all data permanently removed and unrecoverable

ThinPrint Launches ThinPrint 13 to Set the Standard in

• launched ThinPrint 13, the latest version of its ThinPrint Engine solution
  • on-premise and private cloud print management software for remote and virtual desktop environment
  • ThinPrint 13 makes it possible for ThinPrint Hubs to be managed in the Microsoft Management Console to replace expensive print servers

Kyocera hit by ransomware attack

RedPacket Security published article detailing that a division of Kyocera was hit by LockBit 3.0 ransomware

• Division affected was AVX, which makes electronic components

Lead for Serverless Printing aka Cloud Print (click link)

IT, MSP & MSSP Industry Notes

Sponsored by

May 21st, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client.

Ricoh-Toshiba deal driven by pandemic-era telecommuting and more

• Reported on Nikkei
• announced plans Friday to combine production of printers, copiers and other office machines
• cited declining demand and the rise of remote work
• preventing the outflow of cutting-edge technology to China might have also factored in
• Ricoh and Toshiba Tec will own 85% and 15% of a joint venture to be formed in 2024

CrowdStrike Ranks #1 Globally for Managed Detection and Response Market Share in ...

• announced that it ranked #1 for revenue for a second consecutive year in Managed Detection and Response (MDR) in the new Gartner^® report: “Market Share: Managed Security Services, Worldwide, 2022.”
• 88% of the top 25 vendors by market share have built their MDR services on top of CrowdStrike’s CrowdStrike Falcon platform
• CrowdStrike, a global cybersecurity leader, has redefined modern security with one of the world’s most advanced cloud-native platforms for protecting critical areas of enterprise risk – endpoints and cloud workloads, identity and data.

NeoSystems Announces Executive Leadership Progression

• Brad Mitchell will take the helm as President and CEO
• Brad succeeds Michael Tinsley, who will become Chairman of the Board
• Under Tinsley's direction, NeoSystems has grown from a two-person shop to a $42 million business with more than 160 employees and 600 plus customers across the United States

TEKUMO ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADING IT MANAGED ...

• announces a partnership with Balincan USA Inc., the largest third-party Managed Services provider to the Retail Industry
• Balincan USA, Inc (OTC: BCNN) is an alternative reporting publicly held company that wholly-owns Tekumo LLC

Cybersecurity Notes

• Blackberry Research report:
• • 12 malware attacks per minute
  • U.S. is most targeted of all countries
  • 60% of all attacks are finance/healthcare/grocery industries
  • Top malware attack on healthcare from:
  • • Emotet, RedLine, BlackCat, Royal, Cobalt Strike and Mallox
• Critical Insight research published:
• • PHI stolen up 35%
  • 28 million patients impacted in last 6 months of 2022

• BakerHostetler report published on breaches:
• • 45% of incidents started with network intrusion
  • 17% of incidents involved insider-caused breaches
  • 11% caused by unpatched vulnerabilities
  • 28% of hacks ended with ransomware deployments
  • 24% of all breaches in healthcare vertical (#1 target)
  • 67 days = average amount of time from discovery to notification of breach
  • $90,355 = average cost to investigate network instruction
  • $600,688 = average ransom paid
  • • $1,562,141 = average ransom paid by health system
    • 40% = of all vertical market organizations pay the ransom

Lead for Managed IT Services (click link)

• Server Management
• Information Technology Helpdesk
• Desk-side End user support
• Computer Equipment Lifecycle (Installs, Moves, Adds, Changes)

Lead for IT Services for 62 Workstations (click link)

• The Organization is soliciting proposals from qualified firms and proprietors for the management of
  information technology services to sustain and enhance the operations and services of the Organization.
• The original period of this contract will be for one year from the date of the signed contract.
  This contract may be renewed by the Organization upon written agreement of both parties for up to four successive
  one-year periods, under the terms of the current contract, and at a reasonable time (approximately 90 days) prior to the
  
• SEALED PROPOSALS WILL BE RECEIVED UNTIL: June 27, 2023, 2:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time

SoftwareOne Acquires Beniva Consulting Group Inc. a Leader in IT Operations

• announced that it has agreed to acquire Beniva Consulting Group Inc, a leading provider in ServiceNow, Configuration Management Database (CMDB), IT and Operations Management (ITOM), Cloud Advisory and Application Services
• acquisition adds deep process automation and service management specialization to SoftwareOne’s existing market-leading IT Asset Management (ITAM) services

NexusTek and New York-based ICCS Join Forces

• NexusTek, has joined with ICCS & Co., LLC (ICCS), based in New York City
• NexusTek, is a provider of managed IT and technology consulting services
• ICCS & Co., LLC (ICCS), is a regional managed IT services provider

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• ARCOA, data security is a critical part of what we do
• every item received, we adhere to NIST 800-88 procedures
• strict protocols to overwrite information render all data permanently removed and unrecoverable

What Is Container as a Service (CaaS)? - CrowdStrike

• is a cloud service model that offers a managed environment for deploying, scaling, and managing containerized applications
• guide will explore containerization’s key role in modern application development and deployment

Zain KSA Signs Agreement with Netcracker for Cloud-Based Managed Services

• announced today that Zain KSA has extended its partnership with Netcracker by adding cloud-based Managed Services to its deployment of Netcracker Digital BSS, Digital OSS and Customer Engagement
• Zain KSA to leverage Netcracker’s extensive managed services offerings to support its existing deployment of Netcracker and third-party solutions
• Netcracker Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation
• Zain KSA is a digital service and solutions provider in Saudi Arabia

HP top executive resigns

Ron Guerrier, CIO of HP Inc., announced he has left the firm

• Originally appointed to role in 2020
• Was also a proponent of DEI programs at company (in 11/2022, the company announced it would cut 6,000 workers by end of 2025)

Kyocera plans $3bn in chip spending to meet AI demand

• Kyocera will invest 400 billion yen ($2.9 billion) in semiconductor-related production facilities through March 2026,
• betting big on cutting-edge chips for artificial intelligence and other fields
• unveiled by President Hideo Tanimoto as part of its medium-term business plan, represent a 130% increase over the previous three-year period

Managed Network Services Market to Surpass USD 112.45 Billion by 2030 Owing to Global ...

• Managed Network Services Market reached a value of USD 59.42 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 112.45 billion by 2030
• compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.3% during the forecast period from 2023 to 2030
  
  

IT, MSP & MSSP Industry Notes

Sponsored by

May 5th, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client.

Canon to resell cybersecurity solutions

• Announced that it will resell solutions and services from ESET in the country of India
• ESET provides multi-layer protection, such as behavior-based detection and cloud based analysis
• Security alerts, notifications, anti-spam, anti-phishing, anti-theft
• Unknown if Canon will resell in the U.S.

Top 10 Digital Transformation Companies in 2023

• Reported on readwrite.com
• Digital transformation can help businesses stay competitive, improve efficiency and productivity, and provide a better experience for customers.
• ESparkBiz
• ONE12th Consulting
• Creativos
• MMT Digital
• HatchWorks
• Evolut
• Resultant  
• Next Consult
• MagRabbit
• Elevant

Konica Minolta's IT Services Division Moves Up on 2023 CDN TOP 100 Solution Provider Ranking

• Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd., (Konica Minolta) today announced its IT Services Division, IT Weapons was named on the Top 100 Solution Provider list by ITWC Research and the Channel Daily News (CDN) for 2023
• list celebrates the achievements of IT leaders
• Channel Innovation Awards are important recognition for companies, regardless of size, who develop breakthrough solutions, seek niche opportunities, and break new ground in serving partners and customers

Cybersecurity Notes

• The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department of California notified an unknown number of citizens and employees that their info may have been exposed after cyberattack
• The Jackson Public School District and Hillsdale Public School District of Michigan notified an unknown number of students that their info was exposed after ransomware attack
• The Elk Grove Public School District of California notified an unknown number of students that their info was exposed after cyber attack
• McLaren Health of Michigan is being accused of leaving boxes of paper PHI behind in its now closed Pennsylvania and Greenlawn campuses
• Methodist Hospital of Memphis, TN reported that 5 former employees have pleaded guilty in court to illegally accessing and selling PHI
• NewBridge Services of New Jersey notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.
• John Muir Health System of San Francisco, CA notified 821 patients that their PHI was exposed after a Microsoft Excel document was inadvertently left on public Internet access

Lead for IT Services aka Managed IT (click link)

• Board of County Commissioners are accepting sealed competitive proposals from all interested
  and qualified Contactors to establish a contract

Lead for Managed IT Services in Iowa (click link)

• deadline for the submission of proposals is Tuesday May 30
• Subscription-Based Information Technology

15 Canadian MSPs Become One: MSP Corp, Groupe Access Merge With Eye On U.S. Acquisitions

• Reported on THE CHANNEL COMPANY
• MSP Corp, a company that has acquired 10 MSPs which remain independently run while sharing common back-office systems, has itself been acquired by two private equity firms
• The acquisitions, MSP Corp now includes a core of 15 MSPs across Canada, making it one of Canada’s largest MSPs and giving it the scale to grow in that country and soon into the U.S., said Ravi Ramharak, co-founder and CEO of MSP Corp and now chief merger and acquisition officer of the merged company

BT Customers to Benefit From New Global Identity Security Managed Service Powered by CyberArk

• announce the launch of BT’s global Privileged Identity Security managed service
• Built on the CyberArk Identity Security Platform, this first-of-its-kind service for BT customers delivers scalable and effective cybersecurity risk reduction
• CyberArk is the global leader in Identity Security

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• ARCOA, data security is a critical part of what we do
• every item received, we adhere to NIST 800-88 procedures
• strict protocols to overwrite information render all data permanently removed and unrecoverable

Palo Alto Networks Unfurls Managed Firewall Service for Azure

• reported on securityboulevard.com
• Palo Alto Networks launched a managed firewall service for Microsoft Azure environments
• next-generation firewall (NGFW) can be accessed via a console running on the Microsoft cloud platform or in an on-premises environment using the company’s Panorama console for managing firewalls

What is Application Whitelisting?

• Reported on crowstrike.com
• Application whitelisting is the approach of restricting the usage of any tools or applications only to those that are already vetted and approved
• Application whitelisting uses the Zero Trust principle
• Blacklisting² is a less restrictive approach to whitelisting

Breaches involving print increasing

• Research published by Quocirca
• Average cost of a print related breach has risen to $924,000, up from $783,000 in 2022
• Only 19% of IT decision makers are completely confident that their printers and MFPs are protected from cyber attacks
• • 70% say they are dependent on print
  • 68% expect growth in print volumes
  • 42% suffered cyberattack in past year
  • 61% experienced a data loss because of unsecured printing
  • 39% cannot keep up with print security demands
  • 79% are increasing spend on security solutions for printers and MFPs

TeraSky to Become a VMware Cross-Cloud Managed Services Provider

• announced it has begun the process of becoming a VMware Cross-Cloud Managed Services Provider
• already acting as a design partner for VMware Cross-Cloud managed services and is working toward achieving the Managed Services Specialization and earning the VMware Cross-Cloud managed services badge
• TeraSky, a global provider of multi-cloud, cloud-native, and modern IT innovative technology solutions

“Juice jacking” is new cyber attack threat

          Report from the FCC

• Hackers now using free USB charging outlets in shopping centers, hotels and airports
• Are able in some cases to plant malware and monitoring software onto smartphones and tablets that use the USB charging stations
• Reports of infected USB cables given away as promotional gifts

Lead for IT Consulting Services (click link)

• The term of the Agreement is July 3, 2023, or upon approval (whichever is later) for a duration not to exceed one (1) year
• You are invited to review and respond to this RFO for Information Technology (IT) Consulting

Conceal Partners with Moruga Inc. to Promote Zero-Day Protection

• announced their partnership with Moruga Inc., a technical solutions provider offering Managed IT and Cybersecurity
• cybersecurity bundle combines a Zero Trust Application IT Protection and Browser Extension with Antivirus/AntiMalware/EDR and comprehensive End User training to prevent Phishing, Malware, and other risky links from being executed at the desktop

IT, MSP & MSSP Industry Notes

Sponsored by

April 23th, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client

New Blackpoint University Educates, Empowers Managed Service Providers to Grow

• announces the launch of Blackpoint University, a learning platform to empower MSPs to mature their core business operations
• will offer sales and technical cybersecurity training, with instruction by leaders from the military, intelligence, and business communities
• Blackpoint Cyber offers a world-class, nation-state-grade cybersecurity ecosystem serving the MSP community

Ricoh Europe strengthens IT Services capabilities with PFH Technology Group acquisition

• reached an agreement to acquire PFH Technology Group (PFH), a provider of IT infrastructure, cloud and managed workplace services
• Founded in 1985, PFH is a leading integrated digital infrastructure and managed services company in Ireland
• Through its workforce of over 750 employees, it supports more than 1,000 customers with IT and communications technology needs

APAC demand for cloud and managed services rebounds

• Reported on channelasia
• Demand for cloud-based XaaS and managed services in the Asia Pacific region has bounced back in the first quarter of 2023
• APAC ISG Index – which measures outsourcing contracts with annual contract value (ACV) of US$5 million or more – found that ACV in Q1 for the combined market of XaaS and managed services rose 4 per cent from the previous quarter to US$4.1 billion

CrowdStrike Announces Managed XDR: Closing the Cybersecurity Skills Gap

• introduced CrowdStrike Falcon Complete XDR, a new Managed eXtended Detection and Response (MXDR) service from the MDR and endpoint security
• Built on the CrowdStrike Falcon platform, CrowdStrike Falcon Complete XDR unifies human expertise with AI-powered automation and threat intelligence across security
• According to an Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) report¹, 47% of organizations believe they don’t have adequate skills for security operations

Cybersecurity Notes

• The Pentagon announced that an IT worker and Air National Guard airman was allegedly responsible for leaking top secret documents regarding the war in Ukraine
• NBC News reported that a printed document was found on the street in Belfast, Ireland detailing the itinerary of President Biden’s visit to the country
• IBM reports that time to execute ransomware has dropped 94% over last few years
• Bitdefender published report that says 42% of IT professionals have been told by their upper management to keep a security breach under wraps
• Tesla Corp. admitted that some of its employees have illegally captured images recorded by its customers’ car cameras.
• Chippewa County Human Resources of Wisconsin notified 842 employees that their info was exposed after laptop computer was stolen
• The federal government is warning the US Healthcare industry that the North Korean government is ramping up ransomware attacks in order to fund their weapons programs
• Mount Nittany Health of State College, PA hit by lawsuit claiming negligence after a breach that exposed PHI of an unknown number of patients

Lead for IT Services (click link)

• Request for Proposals for Information Technology Services for the Housing
  Department

Lead for Managed IT Services (click link)

PC sales are down double digits

Research published by IDC

• For last quarter, total worldwide shipments down 29% from 80.2 million to 56.9 million YoY
• HP sales of PCs down 24.2%
• Apple sales of PCs down 40.5%
• Lenovo of China sales of PCs down 30.3%

Sharp and ConnectWise Announce Strategic Collaboration

• announced a strategic collaboration to deliver upon their shared vision of providing secure and efficient managed services through their extensive channel partner networks
• first deliverable is a managed Print Security Service that offers unique visibility into print security for Sharp devices
• the new Print Security Service for Sharp MFPs and printers will elevate print security event management to be a full partner in the IT stack, as it captures and analyzes a comprehensive range of event logs, and alerts customers to potential threats using ConnectWise SIEM, which will be monitored 24/7 by ConnectWise's Security Operations Center

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• customer has a staggered refresh cycle, the value of the equipment can be issued in the form of a credit growing over time
• identifying assets that are usually passed over and often have significant value

D2iQ Launches Kubernetes Management Program for Managed Service Providers

• announced its new Managed Service Provider (MSP) Program
• to harness the power of the D2iQ Kubernetes Platform (DKP) and D2iQ Kubernetes expertise to deliver the benefits of cloud-native computing to their customers
• D2iQ is the leading provider of state-of-the-art cloud platforms that enable organizations to embrace open-source and cloud-native innovations while achieving production-ready Day 2 operations

Forcepoint Launches Global Managed Security Service Provider Program for Forcepoint ONE SSE

• Managed service offerings based on Forcepoint ONE SSE platform simplifies Zero Trust security, provides a fast ramp to Data-first SASE for partners
• MSSPs and distribution partners benefit from flexible consumption of Forcepoint converged, cloud-delivered security solutions on a ‘pay-as-you-go, pay-as-you-grow’ subscription model
• Forcepoint simplifies security for global businesses and governments
• Smarttech247 is a multi-award-winning cybersecurity company that helps organizations reduce their risk

VMware Accelerates and Simplifies Partner‑Led Managed Services for the Multi‑Cloud Era

• announced VMware Cross-Cloud managed services, a set of prescriptive offers with enhanced partner and customer benefits that will enable highly skilled partners to expand their managed services practices

Lead for IT Services (click link)

• Information Services Department (ISD) is
  seeking proposals from well qualified vendors to provide contingency staffing support for short-term
  County technology projects

Hard drive sales plummet

CRN magazine reports that sales of hard disk drives has plummeted 35%

• Drop in sales observed in all segments
• Seagate has 44% of all sales, while Toshiba has 19% marketshare
• Main reason for decline is hard drives are being replaced by superior solid state memory chips (SSD) which have no moving parts, use less electricity, and are self-encrypting