Commercial Integrator June 2022 - Special Section 12

C llab rati n
TODAY and TOMORROW
stored and where.
6. Security information
and event management
(SIEM): Where information
security and documented
data flow are paramount
(e.g., healthcare PHI, regulated
medical devices, DoD,
legal services, aerospace,
public infrastructure), Microsoft
Sentinel and other
security information and
event management (SIEM)
products add a " single
glass pane " to consolidate
routine system transactions
and security events, while
sorting by type and priority.
Actions from that point can
be individualized or automated
in a rules-based way.
Important events include
suspicious login attempts,
attempted firewall breaches,
antivirus software activity,
and malware attempts.
When SIEM software identifies
a threat, it generates
an alert and threat level
based on predetermined
rules, which will also determine
the action taken,
if configured as such (e.g.,
locking out the user and/or
device, sending alerts to a
workgroup or shutting down
a server). Or, of course, an IT
staff member can evaluate
and adjudicate the situation
on a one-off basis if/as
desired.
Leveraging Secure
Collaboration:
Flexible Schedules,
Anywhere Work
Once an appropriate and
properly configured Zero
Trust platform is in place,
the security risks of asynchronous,
geographically
dispersed and/or contracted
commercialintegrator.com
project work, for a day or
a year, are certainly better
managed. Although we can't
predict the future in terms
of COVID-19, military operations
or any other global
threats, we do know that
the more options employees
have, the happier and more
productive they can be.
For example, with " early
warning " of local surges still
possible, employees might
seek to visit family or travel
recreationally in a " calm between
surges. " In conjunction
with HR policy flexibility
around paid or unpaid leave,
variable work hours and the
amount of notice required,
IT can support employees
and contractors in balancing
their work and personal
well-being, a strong driver of
high performer retention.
Complicating requests for
leave or schedule accommodations
is the fact that,
whether a user is traveling
in a pickup truck, on a train
or through an airport, things
are likely to take longer and
entail more twists and turns
for some time to come.
Given understaffed security
checkpoints, shifting
COVID-19-related requirements
and unforeseen route
cancellations, employee
movements will not always
proceed according to plan.
Virtual Desktops and
Remote Provisioning
Recently, my firm was
tasked with a large-scale
installation for a client with
U.S., E.U. and APAC offices.
To fulfill this contract,
we dispatched third-party
project managers and field
installers across the world,
while supporting each PM
with Microsoft's Azure Virtual
Desktop. By accessing the
Desktop via either a fat client
or an HTML5-compliant
hyperlink in a Web browser,
PMs utilizing any device and
OS, could log in and use
any resources needed, with
no localized applications
required. Sessions were
locked and users logged
out within a predetermined
number of minutes after
their last activity.
In addition to BYOD and
public network access
options, new hires, transfers
or contractors located
anywhere in the world can
be onboarded via company-owned
computers or
mobile devices that ship directly
from the source, while
configured to download all
necessary applications and
settings once identity is verified
online. This flexibility,
enabled by secure infrastructure,
avoids the need
to pay and wait for shipping
twice (to the company and
then to the employee). In
addition, avoiding the need
for high-touch, white-glove
configuration conserves IT
hours and prevents delays in
getting the new resource to
full productivity.
Project Success:
It's Still Personal
Today's project management
tools are more sophisticated
than ever, yet many teams
still use relatively simple
yet powerful tools such as
Microsoft Planner, Asana
and Trello. Absent more
granular project planning
that some project types
require, contributors want
to focus on the work, the
deliverables, not the process.
This is particularly true
when they must often work
a bit harder to forge a virtual
yet personal connection
to better understand team
members' context and perspectives.
The sidebars and
lunches that often provided
this insight pre-pandemic
are simply more difficult to
come by these days.
By the same token, most
users expect cybersecurity
to " just work. " Still, everyone
wants to avoid the worst
cases when it doesn't,
such as ransomware, unfair
competitive advantage,
and data breaches, which
not only disrupt operations
but affect enterprise
reputation. Evidence of an
internal commitment to
collaborations that produce
tangible results includes the
extent to which IT provides
clear, succinct " rules of the
road " that are consistently
enforced.
Of course, that road is
never-ending. Cyber risks
will continue to evolve. Our
best line of defense is a
platform and approach that
evolves with them, administered
by IT staff willing to
play the long game, supported
by leadership that
understands the strategic
importance of that mission.
IT, its funders and advocates
all support the most valuable
assets of any enterprise
- its people -with the freedom
to collaborate, innovate
and deliver - when, where
and how they can.
Ken Scaturro is president of
Yorktel.
JUNE 2022 Commercial Integrator
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator June 2022

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