Are virtual servers more secure and protected than physical ones?

In 2022, cloud data centers will process 94 percent of all workloads. It will dominate the workload processing and supersede non-cloud data centers. Thus, if you’re planning to migrate to a cloud server, this article will assist you in your decision.

Are the physical servers a thing of the past? Not long ago, people feared a future of thronging data centers covering the globe. While that sounds exaggerated, spatial concerns have always been a critical part of any information center or server room. Owing to virtualization, the development of physical infrastructure slowed within the last decade.
As more organizations benefit from virtualization, virtual servers are already becoming a vital component of the modern hybrid ecosystem.

Businesses and service providers are choosing virtual servers over physical ones due to several advantages, including:

• Reduced costs and overhead expenses
• Better scalability as new virtual servers can be created as per need
• Recovery and backup features for a fast and reliable restoration
• Technical support from the virtual server hosting provider for setup and maintenance.
• Ease of installing updates and software to several virtual servers

Is it true that virtual servers are less exposed to threats?

It’s not that virtual servers are less secure than the other servers. In many ways, virtual servers are more secure than physical servers because they depend upon a single-host server and are more isolated.
Each virtual server has its OS (operating system) and configuration, which may or may not be according to the benchmarks set by the parent company. Every one of these servers must be patched and maintained the same way other server does to keep up with the potential vulnerabilities.

The rise in virtualization has yielded a significant vulnerability. Gartner released a study that concluded that many servers being virtualized are less secure than their physical counterparts. So, using virtual servers has its benefits and leverages, but when security is concerned, at a minimum, organizations must have the same type of monitoring as physical systems.

Servers enable you to control and distribute the information and secure and protect the information. Servers can be distinguished into three main types:

• Physical server
• Virtual server
• Cloud server

Physical server

These are the dedicated servers that use the standard components including processor, memory, hard drive, network, and operating system (OS) for running applications and programs, also called Traditional or ‘bare-metal servers. ‘ These servers are mostly single-tenant which means a single server is dedicated to a specific user.
The pros of having a physical server are that it is dedicated, unshared, and can be customized to serve a specific purpose. The obvious disadvantage is that it’s expensive and space required to set up the infrastructure.

Virtual server

A virtual server is like renting out space on a physical server off-site, similar to AWS. They have the same efficiency as a physical server but not the fundamental biological machinery. A virtual server is cost-efficient and provides faster resource management. Multiple virtual servers can be created from a physical server with a hypervisor or container engine.
Cost reduction, less operational expense, and scalability are the most significant benefits of server virtualization. The drawback, however, is that the upfront investments might be expensive for the software licenses and servers. Also, not all applications and servers are virtualization friendly.

Cloud server

A cloud server is a centralized server resource built, hosted, and delivered through a cloud computing platform over the internet and can be accessed on demand by multiple users. It can perform all the functions of a typical server, delivering storage and applications.
A cloud server may also be referred to as a virtual server or virtual private server.
Cloud servers provide ease of accessibility, flexibility, customization and are cost-efficient. While network dependency, security, and technical issues are some of the cons that a reliable data center management company can handle.

Physical vs. Virtual vs. Cloud servers, Which is right for your business?

Each type of server serves its purpose and delivers according to the business’s needs. Still, there are several factors to consider when deciding on the exemplary service for you: budget, performance requirements, data security, space, environmental control, workload, and data type.
As the world is rapidly moving toward the cloud- lifting all applications and information, larger enterprises are quickly leading the approach and virtualizing.

The past decisions to move servers into the cloud, either in virtual servers or colocation environments, become intelligent decisions for most companies. The primary benefits of switching to cloud servers are:

• Affordability- since third-party providers manage cloud servers, it is far less expensive than owning your infrastructure.
• Scalability– cloud servers respond quickly, scaling up and down to meet demand or any data storage needs.
• Convenience– users can access the data from anywhere, anytime, and can be easily managed through a single API or control panel.
• Reliability– since the cloud runs on numerous servers in a managed environment, service continues even if one component fails. It can efficiently deliver the same performance as a dedicated server.

But the reality is, even in today’s world, there is still a use of physical servers. And the decision-making should be done by considering the factors above.

Protected Harbor among the top virtual hosting companies

As a top virtual hosting company, Protected Harbor has accomplished exceptional reliability, stability, and durability with its Datacenter management service. Eliminating the causes of failures, we have achieved 99.99% uptime for our systems. We provide an unmatched service over any other provider with features like application outage avoidance (AOA), proactive monitoring, and technology improvement plan (TIP).
To know more about switching to a cloud server and the migration process, consult our experts; click here.

Log4j vulnerability puts the internet at risk.

Various cybersecurity organizations around the globe reported about the discovery of critical vulnerability of Apache Log4j library. The reports of attacks exploiting this vulnerability are already on the internet. Some researchers say this could be one of the worst attacks of all time, so how bad is the risk, and what needs to be done now?

Highlights

• Log4j is an open-source Apache logging framework used by developers to record activities within an application.
• Log4j’s security vulnerability allows hackers to execute remote commands on a target system, putting countless services at risk of an attack by hackers.
• Researchers rated this critical java-based library vulnerability 10 out of 10 in CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System).
• Amazon, Cisco, Apple iCloud, Twitter, Red Hat, Steam, Tesla, and more software companies and services use the Log4j library.

What is Log4j, and Why you’re at risk?

Log4j or Log4shell is a Java-based logging utility, one of several java logging frameworks developed by Apache software foundation. Any modern-day software you use keeps track of errors and other events in the form of logs. Instead of creating a logging system for storing records and additional information, the Log4j shell comes in handy for the developers as it’s an open-source platform. That’s why the Log4j library is a widely used and most popular logging package.

Hackers can take control of any software using Log4j, exploiting the newfound vulnerability, to run malicious code against the network firewall by forcing it to store a log entry. Hackers are in action looking for the systems which might be vulnerable. The attackers have already developed automated attacking tools that exploit the bugs and worms present on the system. And if the conditions are adequate, these can act independently and spread to more systems and servers.

On Friday, December 10, The United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency reported the Log4j vulnerability, as did CERT Australia. New Zealand’s NCSC supported the statements adding that the vulnerability is actively being exploited. Here’s a tweet by the United States Department of Homeland Security, just in case if you think we’re kidding.

All organizations should upgrade to Log4j version 2.15.0 or apply appropriate vendor-recommended mitigations immediately.

Read more from @CISAgov about how to protect your organization ⬇️ https://t.co/5HJ72gQ1C9

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) December 12, 2021

Is cPanel plugin also vulnerable?

cPanel hosting, in simple words, is a control panel dashboard built on a Linux-based model. Website developers use it to manage the hosting environment, backups, FTP, emails, etc. cPanel web hosting allows developers to integrate the websites with a GUI (graphical user interface), similar to looking like a desktop interface. With it, you can update the version of PHP used on websites, control the firewall, and add a security certificate, among other things. BuiltWith, a leading web profiler company, estimates that there are more than three million users of cPanel, and all are at risk of Log4j shell vulnerability.

So what happens now?

Apache has already rushed to develop a solution. Thousands of IT teams from companies around the globe are rushing to update to the most recent Log4j version 2.15.0, which is the most effective solution as of now. While patches and updates will soon be delivered, applying them to all the systems would still be a cumbersome task. Because the web servers and computing mechanisms are not that simple now, layered with multiple code levels and customized according to needs, on an estimate, it could take months from now to get them upgraded.

It’s not the first time we have encountered a vulnerability like this, and this isn’t the last time either. So, in the long run, you are constantly exposed to these critical loopholes, especially on the popularly used tools and plugins. There are only two roads from here; you stay on the already existing vulnerable system or upgrade to a proactive service provider who takes care of it all.

Get secured

Technology is getting better and faster every day, which means there are enough loopholes, attacks, and inevitable vulnerabilities. At Protected Harbor, customers’ safety and security is the utmost priority, and we satisfy our customers at all cost.

“What makes us different is we expect attacks,” commented Protected Harbor CEO Richard Luna. “We assume at any point a system can be compromised and plan for it by limiting the extent of data loss.  We prepare for failure at every hardware and software level, from multiple failover firewalls and multiple redundancy resilient databases to web servers and everything in between.  We protect our clients. After all, our name is Protected Harbor.”

Protective Harbor’s proactive security is one of the most powerful shields to these attacks. The company’s remote servers and air-gapped data backup add to the level of security and functionality. Also, rapid mitigation and resolution are faster than the industry standard because our clients are not limited to a network.

While regular MSPs have used cloud backups, we use a direct 10 GB pipe to our house. These other MSPs have to wait for the restore to download the image from the cloud. That could be a very long time. Our servers and solutions are all in-house. In the case of an emergency, we can switch data between servers and immediately upload a restored image instantly.

There’s a lot more to it, Click here to check how secured you are.

Remote work is here for the long term

As companies consider making remote work or flexplace cultures permanent, some are worried about the long-term damage to employees and employers. A recent report from KPMG found that long-term remote working hampers the progress made in diversity and inclusion efforts and hurts team-building and the cross-pollination of ideas that occur with in-person interaction.

“Change is the only constant,” said Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher. Even he would be surprised if he were able to look at how we work together remotely and distance no longer plays a role. Much has recently changed in the IT industry and will continue to change faster.

Would continuing to work remotely cause the growth of intercultural and business skills at a slower pace? Many multinational corporations seem to think so. At Protected Harbor, we see it as another opportunity for more technological innovations and using existing software in innovative ways. Remote work post-Covid is the new normal. We need to find the silver lining

Protected Harbor’s Take

As times change, organizations need to adapt and restructure their office culture. Choose what works best for both the company and the employees.

“Remote work allows flexibility and better productivity. Employees can choose where to work from and can focus for longer periods.”                               – Richard Luna, CEO

One of the most significant advantages of remote work is a vast talent pool since the employer has no geographical limitations. Companies that allow remote work save lots of time, energy, and money as less office space and resources are needed. Also, our carbon footprints can be reduced.

With remote work, employees can have a more flexible schedule. Office distractions are eliminated, and productivity can be dramatically increased. It may help in extending the company’s operational hours. We also save commuting time and costs.

After the pandemic, employees expect their employers to allow remote work, especially if their physical presence is not needed.

The challenges in creating an actual remote work environment

A recent survey by Deloitte Tax LLP concluded. Remote work is a new reality. Perhaps, here to stay for the likely future- although in diverse degrees.

The report anticipated a pronounced shift, around 50%- 75% of employees working remotely in the future. Creating a proper remote work environment is far more complex than it seems due to several challenges.

According to the report, the greatest fear for employers is safety and security. They are further adding sustainability as a question to the model. Psychological safety is a challenge as some employees may feel isolated and overlooked. Security relies heavily on the infrastructure in use with the team at work.

The remote work is sustainable if we overcome the limitations. Team building and leadership is the first challenge. Since everyone in the team is spread across multiple locations, the reliance on technology poses a challenge. Taking the help of a specialized remote work technology service provider is a solution.

While reconnecting the workforce with a shared vision and purpose is also essential.
After the Covid-19 crisis has passed, managers may have to look for ways to re-establish trust among remote groups on a longer-term basis. Because now it’s more challenging to understand employee actions and motivations in a remote work setting. Establishing competency and interpersonal trust can be difficult.

Setting the remote work environment

Since you’re reading this column, you may even be considering remote work for your company’s staff or perhaps yourself. With Protected Harbor’s Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), you can set up your complete IT infrastructure. RDP is safer for company data, especially when employees are working remotely. With Remote Desktop, all of the data in and out is encrypted – no possibility of the company data being stolen. But if a laptop is stolen, regardless of how secure the computer is, the data will be stolen a high possibility.

A remote worker using a Remote desktop gets technical problems solved faster because a technician can respond quicker. When the employees work on RDP, the application runs on the server, not on the local machine, meaning the local machine can be a less expensive one. Thus saving significant unneeded expenses.

Click here to learn more about adopting the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) for your business.

“Success in a hybrid work environment requires employers to move beyond viewing remote or hybrid environments as a temporary or short-term strategy and to treat it as an opportunity.” George Penn, VP at Gartner.

AWS global outage; disrupts services and aftermath

Facebook, Alexa, Reddit, Netflix, and more apps were affected by the AWS outage.

If you faced problems logging in to Amazon.com for shopping ahead of Christmas, you’re not alone. On Tuesday, December 7, large parts of the internet and apps reported disrupted services based on the AWS platform. Netflix, Alexa, Disney+, Reddit, and IMDB are some of the services reported downtime.

UPDATE: 19:35 EST/16:35 PST, The official Amazon Web Services dashboard published the following affirmation. ” With the network device problems resolved, we are now operating towards the recovery of any impaired services. We will roll out additional updates for impaired services within the connected entry in the Service Health Dashboard.

AWS down

Users began reporting issues around 10:45 AM ET on Tuesday about the outage and took to Twitter and other social media platforms to discuss. More than 24,000 people reported cases with Amazon, which included Prime Video and other services, on DownDetector.com. The website collects outage reports from multiple sources, including user-submitted errors.

3 hours later we have a detailed message with the important information like the real affected services. #awsDown pic.twitter.com/t3ooQohWn1

— José Antonio Ruiz (@joseant_ruiz) December 7, 2021

The AWS global outage recovery problems came from the US-EAST-1 AWS region in Virginia, so users elsewhere may not have noticed as many issues, and even if you were affected, you might have seen a slightly slower loading time while the network redirected your requests.

Peter DeSantis, AWS’ vice president of infrastructure, led a 600-person internal call about the then-ongoing outage. Some said it was likely an internal issue, and others pointed to more nefarious possibilities.
“We have mitigated the underlying issues that caused network devices in the US-EAST-1 Region to be impaired,” AWS said on its status page.

What caused the outage?

Engineers at Amazon Web Services (AWS), the enormous cloud computing provider in the US, are still unsure of AWS global outage causes on December 7. AWS does not list any issues on the status page currently. Previous outages have also not been reflected on the status page or even brought down the site entirely, so it is not unusual.
There is, however, a 500 Server error on the specific page for the us-east-1 AWS Management Console Home, instead of information about the Northern Virginia region.

A 500 server internal error means their server is trying to show the requested web page (the technical answer is delivered rather than the web page). But it can’t show the webpage because something within the server failed – for example, the storage failed, so the file is unavailable.

“Possible causes are internal routing problems within Amazon, a defective Amazon-wide update, an Amazon-wide misconfiguration. A defective API (application programming interface) or network device issue might also be a cause of the amazon console down,” said Richard Luna, CEO, Protected Harbor.

Amazon global outage comes just a few months after Meta Platforms, Inc. (FB) went offline due to network problems, affecting some of its most popular apps, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger.
The research firm Gartner Inc. estimates that major cloud platforms suffer significant outages once per quarter per year. Many people felt the AWS service disruption; however, since AWS controls about 90% of the cloud infrastructure market and many people continue to work and study from home during the pandemic, the outage was widely felt. Gartner vice president Sid Nag told The Wall Street Journal that these guys have become almost too big to fail. Our day-to-day lives rely heavily on cloud computing services.

Hasn’t This Happened Before?

Yes, AWS downtime is not a new occurrence. The last major AWS global outage happened in November 2020. Numerous other disruptive and lengthy cloud service interruptions have involved various providers. In June, the behind-the-scenes content distributor Fastly experienced a failure that briefly took down dozens of major internet sites, including CNN, The New York Times, and Britain’s government home page. Another cloud service interruption that month affected provider Akamai during peak business hours in Asia.

In the October outage, Facebook — now known as Meta Platforms — blamed a “faulty configuration change” for an hours-long worldwide AWS downtime that took down Instagram and WhatsApp in addition to its titular platform.

Credible solutions

On Tuesday, the world received a reminder of just how much we rely on Amazon Web Services and AWS global outage recovery. A simple outage for a brief period disrupted the operations and services of millions of people. Amazon is in the monopoly and would never partner with another provider. So the simplest solution is to opt for a service provider who puts customers first.

Amazon, as big it is, is still just one location and provides a single server location to the clients. At its core, it is one batch of servers. Protected Harbor solves this problem by spreading the customers across multiple server locations, preventing a site-wide misconfiguration. We protect our clients by using various services; we expect one service to fail- that gives us time to resolve and repair the situation quickly.

We differentiate from other providers by being proactive and planning for failures like this. We do it all the time- partner with other providers to deliver unmatched services to the customers because their satisfaction comes first.

Key Takeaways:

• An hours-long AWS outage crippled popular websites and disrupted smart devices, as well as creating delivery delays at Amazon warehouses.
• Companies like Facebook, Netflix, Reddit, IMDB, Disney+, and more were affected by the outage.
• Amazon stated that it “identified the root cause” but yet to reveal what precisely the root cause was?
• AWS controls almost 90% of the cloud services market, and the outages are not uncommon.
• Now is the time to choose the provider which satisfies you and your business needs.

Go complete risk-free

Protected Harbor is the underdog player in the market that exceeds the customer’s expectations. With its Datacenter and Managed IT services, it has stood the test of customers, and “Beyond expectations” is quoted by all customers. Best in segment cloud services with optimum IT support, safety, and security, it’s a no-brainer why organizations choose to stay with us. This way to the crème de la crème.

Best IT Solution: Solution Providers, VARs or MSPs?

If you’re looking for an IT Service for your business, you have probably been innodated with acronyms, like VARs, MSP, ASP, NSP, CSP, ISP, SAAS and DAAS. One almost needs a CIA code-breaker to determine which solution does what and what solution is best for their business. Worse, many “wannabe” IT companies make the same promises but fall short on delivery.

There are many IT solutions available, ranging from cyber security, and inventory management to cloud services, and they are provided by IT solution providers, Value-Added Resellers (VARs), and Managed Service Providers (MSPs).

What Do They Offer?

IT solution providers sell specific solutions for specific problems. If your computer is infected, they provide you with an antivirus. Whereas VARs will sell you that same product, bundled with extra software. For example, VARS would offer an antivirus solution paired with a spam filter and backup service.

MSPs allow clients to rent software solutions through the cloud. Where IT solution providers and VARs will sell you software to fix an issue, MSPs will also proactively manage it for you. MSPs roll their sleeves up to control a client’s IT infrastructure and systems. This could include software applications and networks through security and day-to-day support.

It seems simple. Where’s the problem?

Most IT solution providers and VARs deliver one-size-fits-all solutions to their clients. Pre-packaged solutions are designed to interest the broadest audience. Due to supply contracts, providers are forced to push identical solutions and charge a mark-up. Occasionally they may offer consulting services or monitoring for even more money. From the client’s perspective, these pre-bundled solutions look the same but are less than ideal.

IT solution providers and VARs offer software, not services, where customer experience matters. They can all respond to a customer’s complaints and requests quickly. But responding to an email is not a customer experience. Instead, a company must perceive the needs and goals of the customer. IT solution providers and VARs are constricted by the software they are selling. So, they have finite customization to cover all of a customer’s needs. Such issues will leave customers with unresolved problems to be covered by other products for another cost. Or customers end up overpaying for functionality they don’t need because of a predetermined bundle.

This is where MSPs stand out. Thanks to the internet, MSPs can offer specific services and functionality, a-la-cart. They are not forced into particular solutions and offer actual customizations. Also, MSPs are in the service business. Their business model requires a long-standing relationship. The more problems customers have, the more problems MSPs have. Hence, it’s of utmost importance for MSPs to listen, evaluate, and tailor-make solutions to keep clients happy for as long as possible.

How It Should Be?

In today’s business environment, it is more important than ever to deliver the best customer experience possible. Customers should feel a connection with their service providers. And feel comfortable leaving a vital part of the business in the provider’s hands. The more feedback you get, the better your business can deliver a superior service. It’s as simple as that.

Steer away from IT solution providers who won’t spend time listening to your problems. A reliable managed service provider will design a customized plan covering all aspects of your IT needs. Such as protecting from ransomware and data losses, with the needed antivirus software. They will handle everything from scratch through finalization and ongoing support.

Consider a solution provider willing to spend time getting to know you and your business. A provider who asks questions and interviews you is more likely to design a lasting solution addressing your needs. The perfect IT solution will be tailored to suit your business, empowering you to fulfill and exceed your goals.

At Protected Harbor, we listen to our clients; we consider them our partners and are here to delight them. All of our Technology Improvement Plans (TIP) work on the 3A principle- Attend, Assess and Apply. We listen to customers’ problems, match them to our ability, and provide a solution explicitly crafted for them. This is how we have built long-term relationships with our customers.

With Protected Harbor, you can expect superior system performance and uptime. We specialize in remote desktops, data breach protection, secure servers, application outage avoidance, system monitoring, network firewalls, and cloud services. For quality IT solutions, contact Protected Harbor today.

Learn the Fundamentals

After the inception of the cloud in the world of technology in 2006, we saw a rise in the number of providers delivering ascendable, on-demand customizable applications for personal and professional needs. Identified nowadays as cloud computing, in most basic terms it is the delivery of IT services through the Internet including software, servers, networking, and data storage. These service providers differentiated themselves according to the kinds of services they offered, such as:

• Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Desktop as a Service (DaaS)
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
• Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Cloud computing enabled an easily customizable model of strong computing power, lower service prices, larger accessibility, and convenience, in addition to the newest IT security. This motivated a large number of small and medium-sized firms to begin using cloud-based apps to perform specific tasks in their businesses.
The Cloud computing world can be a confusing place for a business, should they use DAAS, SAAS, PAAS, or something else.  As a first step we will explain each service and what is it best used for.

SaaS

SaaS or Software as a service is actually a cloud-based version of one piece of a software package (or a software package) that’s delivered to final users via the Internet. The final user or consumer does not own the app, also it is not stored on the user’s device. The consumer gets access to the application via a subscription model and generally pays for the licensing of the application.

SaaS software is simple to manage and can be used as long as one has a device with an active internet connection. One benefit is that end-users on SaaS platform do not have to worry about the frequent upgrades to the program as this is handled by the cloud hosting service provider.

DaaS

DaaS or Desktop as a service, is a subscription model service that enables businesses with efficient virtual desktops or RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol). Licensed users will have access to their own applications and files anyplace and at any time. Nearly any application you are already using or intend to use can be integrated into a DaaS model. DaaS provides you any level of flexibility your little, medium, or enterprise-level business requires while still permitting you to take care of the management of your information and desktop.

In the DaaS model, the service provider is accountable for the storage, backup, and security of the information. Only a thin client is required to get the service. These clients are the end-user computer terminal only used to provide a graphical user interface to the user. Subscriber hardware cost is a minimum and accessing the virtual desktop is possible at the user’s location, device, and network.F

PaaS

Platform as a service is an application platform where a third-party provider allows a customer to use the hardware and software tools over the internet without the hassle of building and maintaining the infrastructure required to develop the application.

IaaS

Infrastructure as a service is a cloud computing service where the infrastructure is hosted by enterprises on a public and private cloud and is rented or leased saving the maintaining and operating costs of the servers.

DaaS vs SaaS: The Key Differences

SaaS and DaaS differences: They are both applications of cloud computing but they have their fundamental differences. In simple words, the SaaS platform focuses on making software applications available over the internet, while Desktop as a Service enables the whole desktop experience by integrating several applications and the required data to the subscriber. DaaS users only need a thin client to enjoy the services, while SaaS companies provide the services through a fat client. SaaS software users need to store and retrieve the data produced by the application themselves but DaaS users don’t have to worry about the data as the service provides is responsible for the storage/ backup of the data.

You’ll find few who will disagree that ease of use is a reason why “Software as a Service” is a staple of businesses and has risen to popularity among enterprises both large and small. As for convenience, the rollout is more effortless than that of a DaaS situation. SaaS is the more versatile option of the two, and best of all, there are very affordable options if you’re trying to pinch those pennies as a smaller entity.
One of the key components of utilizing DaaS is security, closely followed by efficiency. From a security standpoint, since information is housed in a data center it helps lend itself to increased and more reliable security, removing all the risk that comes along with data being hosted on devices themselves.

Working
Managed DaaS provides virtual desktops for managing applications and associated data, with user data copied to and from the virtual desktop at log in and log out. SaaS delivers web-based software accessible via internet and browser, with backend operations and databases managed in the cloud.

Control
DaaS offers a complete desktop experience and allows users to store information within their own data center, providing full control. SaaS, however, follows a “one-to-many” model, offering access to specific applications shared across multiple clients, without a full desktop environment.

Interoperability
DaaS virtualizes the entire desktop, enabling smooth application integration. SaaS applications can also be integrated but may face challenges due to their hosting location and delivery method.

Mobility
DaaS is typically used with a PC and full-size screen but can be accessed from mobile devices. SaaS applications are designed to work well on both PCs and mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

Ideal Use Cases
DaaS is ideal for resource-limited businesses seeking cloud solutions. SaaS suits businesses needing access to individual applications from any device, without hardware updates.

Understanding the differences between SaaS and DaaS for business helps in choosing the right cloud service for specific needs.

Ideal Use Cases: SaaS vs DaaS

Which one’s for you?

So, you’re in all probability wondering: Should your company adopt SaaS or DaaS? Our question is why not use both? It is correct that the cloud-based SaaS business model offers the flexibility to use their features while not needing to host the applications, However, the DaaS model has its own advantages. The reality is most businesses need a hybrid solution that utilizes the capabilities of both SaaS and DaaS. Using both the services allows them to access the functionality they need to be efficient while maintaining the ease and security of having all their business and applications on one dashboard with a single sign-on, equipping staff auditing capabilities.

Ultimately, the decision to adopt SaaS or Desktop as a Service depends on your company’s specific needs and resources. It’s important to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each option and consider factors such as cost, security, and compatibility with existing systems. It may also be helpful to consult with a technology professional or service provider to determine the best option for your company.

Some additional benefits of using both SaaS and DaaS:

• Best of cloud computing world: SaaS enables dependable cloud applications, DaaS delivers full client desktop and application experience. Users lose none of the features and functionality, Dedicated servers for cloud hosting is an add-on.
• Application Integration: DaaS adds another layer to the flexibility by allowing users to integrate a large number of applications into a virtual desktop.
• Customization and Flexibility: The users can customize the application according to their requirements and the flexibility to use the applications from any device anywhere is the top feature in cloud models.
• Security and Control: DaaS permits users the choice of storing all application information, user data, etc. at their own data center, giving them full control.

Migrating your business to a DaaS or SaaS platform

Since every service provider has its own set of processes to migrate the existing businesses to a cloud platform. We cant represent everyone but generally, it’s a reasonably simple process to switch over to a cloud environment.

Contact Protected Harbor for a customized technology improvement plan that includes technologies like Protected Desktop, a DaaS service for the smaller entities which delivers the best of the solutions and aspects of Protected Harbor including 24×7 support, security, monitoring, backups, Application Outage Avoidance, and more. Similarly a Protected Full Service for the larger entities enabling remote cloud access and covering all IT costs. No two TIPs are the same as they are designed specifically for each client’s business needs, we believe that technology should help clients, not force clients to change how they work.

The Emerging Way Around 2FA

With individuals and companies understanding that security and phishing risks are rising, the implementation of 2FA (2 Factor Authentication) has become increasingly more prevalent. 2FA allows users to add a level of security by adding another “factor” besides their usernames and passwords that they must enter correctly to gain access to their account. Typically, 2FA is enabled as a security feature on more high-risk accounts such as finance applications or email, but as the threat increases, it’s becoming utilized on more sites and apps.

As technology progresses, the social engineering capability does as well. Instead of a standard phishing attack where you receive an email or text message on a phone number with a dummy link, click the dummy link, then enter your (very real) banking information. The hacker then takes that information, tries it on the real banking site, and gains access to your bank account. You can read more about how phishing works here.

As 2 Factor Authentication becomes more prominent, the depth of these phishing-style attacks also increases. Attacks are now being sent through text messages making it more difficult to sense their legitimacy. See a Chase website scam example below:

The way these attacks are conducted is as follows:

Step 1: You’ll receive a text message like the one above from a “trusted” institution like Chase or Bank of America, explaining some reason why you need to access your online banking account or credit card.

Step 2: You click the link leading you to a dummy online banking page that looks identical to a Chase or Bank of America Website.

Step 3: The website asks you to “reset” your password asking you to enter your old username and passwords and then your new one.

Step 4: Within 15-30 seconds, that information is plugged into the actual Chase of BOA website, but you have 2FA enabled.

Step 5: You get a real text from the financial institution asking you to input a code on their site (the one the hackers are currently logging into); however, the dummy site also asks for the code.

Step 6: You input the 2 Factor Authentication code into the dummy site, and hackers now have your passwords and 2FA code and have gained full access to your account.

Once a hacker gains access via 2FA, it’s pretty much over for any information behind that wall, they can use the same technology that got them in there to keep you out. Typically, by the time you’re able to allow the company to grant you access to the page, they’ve already done what they needed to do.

The Most Common 2FA Bypass Attacks

Two-factor authentication (2FA) stands as a crucial defense against unauthorized access, but it’s not impervious to attacks. Let’s delve into some of the most common methods used to bypass 2FA security:

1. Phishing Attacks: Despite 2FA, phishing remains a prevalent threat. Attackers trick users into providing both their credentials and the 2FA code, granting them access.

2. Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks: In an MITM attack, the attacker intercepts communication between the user and the authentication system, capturing the 2FA code in transit.

3. SIM Swapping: Attackers convince the victim’s mobile carrier to transfer their phone number to a new SIM card under the attacker’s control. This enables them to intercept the 2FA code sent via SMS.

4. Credential Stuffing: Attackers use previously breached username-password pairs to gain access to accounts. If users have reused passwords across multiple accounts, even 2FA may not stop unauthorized access.

5. Social Engineering: Attackers manipulate individuals into revealing sensitive information, including 2FA codes, through deception or coercion.

Understanding these common 2FA bypass techniques is crucial for implementing effective security measures and mitigating the risks associated with them. Vigilance, education, and the adoption of additional security layers beyond 2FA are essential to bolstering the overall security posture.

How to spot a potential 2FA phishing attempt?

There are key factors when it comes to spotting a fraudulent message, much like emails or text messages. If a text contains the following: Misspellings, links that don’t seem consistent with the brand that’s reaching out, broken English, and sometimes improper wording.

These are effective because you could easily miss the aforementioned criteria if you’re not paying close attention. A text message differs from an email because no name, signature, font options, colors, etc., can tell you different things about an email. With text messaging, you have a single font and color, so all they have to do is get the wording and verbiage correct.

These attacks are so widespread that throughout the summer of 2021, the number of phishing URLs designed to impersonate Chase’s website jumped by 300%, says security firm Cyren. That speaks to not only the shift in types of phishing but the effectiveness overall.

How you can protect your account?

Protect your account using 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) by adding an extra layer of security. After entering your password, you must verify your identity with a second factor, like an OTP Authentication sent to your phone or email. Various 2FA authentication methods include authenticator apps, biometric scans, or hardware tokens. What is Passkey, it’s a secure and unique password, that can also enhance your protection. By implementing 2FA, you significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access to your accounts.

Never Share your Authentication Code

In the realm of two-factor authentication (2FA), safeguarding your authentication code is paramount. Whether you receive an email one-time passcode or use a TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password) app, these codes are your personal keys to secure access. TOTP, or Time-based One-Time Password, is a dynamic code generated by an authentication app that changes every 30 seconds. Unlike static passwords, TOTPs are ephemeral, providing a higher level of security. The benefits of 2FA are numerous: it enhances security by requiring a second form of authentication, such as a TOTP, which significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access; it protects against phishing, as even if a hacker obtains your password, they cannot access your account without the second factor, typically a code sent via email or generated by an app; and it increases trust among users and customers, knowing their data is protected by an additional layer of security. Remember, your authentication code is unique to you. Never share your email one-time passcode or TOTP with anyone. Keeping these codes confidential ensures that your accounts remain secure and protected from potential breaches.

What to do to avoid falling victim?

Overall, these campaigns are meant to deceive; attackers know how to trick us. Attackers consider dozens of factors to make us believe the message we have received is legitimate. Here are a few ways you can help yourself not become a victim:

Links – Never click links or dial phone numbers in emails or text messages. When possible, go to a company’s website or mobile app to ensure you’re accessing the right information and not getting targeted for a phishing attack.

Second Opinion – A second opinion thwarts more attacks than you’d expect. The second set of eyes on a questionable message or email is a proven way to make sure that someone else can see the same potential inaccuracies that you are. Often times others have been approached with similar phishing style messages so it’s good to show a friend or family member if you receive something you think is suspicious.

Slow Down – This is a large part of the attacker’s advantage, we’re all so engaged in our lives that sometimes move too fast and don’t ask simple questions like “why is this website link different?” or “why doesn’t this email address have the proper suffix?”. Attackers prey on our ability to trust bigger, very reputable corporations and follow instructions given to us because of their proven trustworthiness. In the end, just slow down and look into anything you receive that regards a high priority account before inputting username and passwords.

Overall, we have to be vigilant and use several security feature when it comes to unfamiliar texts or emails we receive. It’s especially important to help older friends and family members who may not be technologically savvy because they make up a large part of the victims of scams like this one among many others. If something doesn’t look or feel right about a text or email, odds are, it probably isn’t.

Take the help of a partner to enable 2FA and enhance cybersecurity.

Facebook Down Globally: A Case of the Mondays for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp as they go dark midday Monday

Some of the biggest social media sites on the planet, including Facebook, went down globally starting at noon EDT and are still not up in some regions. That’s right, no Instagram #motivationmondays or “Ugh, is it Friday Yet?” Facebook posts from your first semester freshman year college roommate. As the sky was falling for millennials (myself included) and your favorite newly-political aunt, the teams at Facebook were scrambling to keep their sites (including Instagram and WhatsApp, of which both are Facebook-owned) operating.

Facebook Chief Technology Officer Mike Schoepfer took to Twitter to address the situation:

“*Sincere* apologies to everyone impacted by outages of Facebook-powered services right now. We are experiencing networking issues and teams are working as fast as possible to debug and restore as fast as possible”

Facebook outages of this magnitude are rare, to have Facebook down globally for this amount of time is something that hasn’t happened in years. To put in perspective just how impactful the Facebook outage is, the term “Facebook down” was Googled more than 5,000,000 times today alone.
The cause of the outage is speculated to be tied to a recently aired “60 Minutes” segment where whistleblower and former Product Manager at Facebook, Frances Haugen claimed that Facebook knows the platform is used to spread hate and that they have tried hiding evidence of it, of course, Facebook denies this claim.

“The interview followed weeks of reporting about and criticism of Facebook after Haugen released thousands of pages of internal documents to regulators and the Wall Street Journal. Haugen is set to testify before a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday.” According to CNN

Jake Williams, CTO of cybersecurity firm BreachQuest mentioned to the Associated Press that this was an “operational issue” caused by human error.

Regardless of the reasoning, I’m sure this will be an issue that will be discussed for quite some time in the technology space as the outage was global and not regional. Facebook shares opened at $335.50 and closed at $326.32, a drop of 4.89%.

Nonetheless, as I’m sure many were beside themselves that they couldn’t post a nice “Los Angeles” filtered photo of their lunch on Instagram to show their followers, we can only hope, for Facebook’s sake, they can have it fixed by the time we want to show off our dinner.

It has been confirmed that per a Facebook blog that the outage was due to a botched configuration change. Facebook posted the following:

“Our engineering teams have learned that configuration changes on the backbone routers that coordinate network traffic between our data centers caused issues that interrupted this communication. This disruption to network traffic had a cascading effect on the way our data centers communicate, bringing our services to a halt.”

Information about the depth of the outage continues to grow, it’s reported that Facebook’s internal chat was also down limiting communications within the company, it even went so far as the employee’s keycards began to fail which made them unable to enter certain buildings.

The Krebs on Security blog explains the problem as follows:

“…sometime this morning Facebook took away the map telling the world’s computers how to find its various online properties. As a result, when one types Facebook.com into a web browser, the browser has no idea where to find Facebook.com, and so returns an error page.”

The Facebook campus was only the beginning, due to the sites interconnectivity it stretched to sites that were utilizing Facebook’s authentication process as well, these effects resonated across the board, from those who rely on Facebook/WhatsApp for primary communication purposes, to small businesses unable to get in touch with their customer base, and even the large number of folks in countries where Facebook is their internet.

We will continue to update as information becomes available.

Data Center Risk Assessments

Data Center Risk Assessment is designed to provide IT executives and staff a deep evaluation of all of the risks associated with delivering IT service. We need monitoring system to monitor everything on datacenter for better performance.

Risk assessments include following:

Datacenter Heat monitoring

Datacenter have racks of high specification servers and those will produce high level of heat. This means server room must be equipped with cooling system with humidity sensors for monitoring. If the cooling system fail, high temperature will cause system failure and that will cause our clients.

Electricity

All electrical equipment’s needs power, UPS will help us to protect Servers and networking devices from power failure but Cooling system will not work when power lost, that will cause high temperature in server room and that will cause server failure. To avoid this we must need to use automatic backup generator so it will help cooling system work all the time while we face any power lost.

Door access

Unauthorized entry to datacenter is major concern, we must need to monitor who all entering to our datacenter. Biometric operated door will help us protect unauthorized entry.

Operations Review

We will make sure all the necessary items are monitoring and will make sure all devices are updated. We will conduct maintenance for all devices in our datacenter to provide 100% uptime for our clients. A high quality maintenance program keeps equipment in like new condition and maximize reliability performance.

Capacity management Review

Capacity management determines whether your infrastructure and services are capable of meeting your targets for capacity and performance for growth. We will assess your space, power and cooling capacity management processes.

Change Management

A robust change management system should be put in place for any activity.  The change management system should include a format review process based on well-defined and capture all activities that can occur at the datacenter. Basically any activity with real potential for impact on the data center must be formally scheduled and then approved by accountable persons.

A Look at Data Center Infrastructure Management

What is a Data Center

A data center is a physical facility that organizations use to house their critical applications and data. A data center’s design is based on a network of computing and storage resources that enable the delivery of shared applications and data. The key components of a data center design include routers, switches, firewalls, storage systems, servers, and application-delivery controllers.

Modern data centers are very different than they were just a short time ago. Infrastructure has shifted from traditional on-premises physical servers to virtual networks that support applications and workloads across pools of physical infrastructure and into a multicloud environment. In this era, data exists and is connected across multiple data centers, the edge, and public and private clouds. The data center must be able to communicate across these multiple sites, both on-premises and in the cloud. Even the public cloud is a collection of data centers. When applications are hosted in the cloud, they are using data center resources from the cloud provider.

Importance of Data centers

In the world of enterprise IT, data centers are designed to support business applications and activities that include

• Email and file sharing
• Productivity applications
• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) and databases
• Big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning
• Virtual desktops, communications and collaboration services

Core Components of a Data Center

A data center infrastructure\design may include

• Servers
• Computers
• Networking equipment, such as routers or switches.
• Security, such as firewall or biometric security system.
• Storage, such as storage area network (SAN) or backup/tape storage.
• Data center management software/applications.
• Application delivery controllers

These components store and manage business-critical data and applications, data center security is critical in data center design. Together, they provide:

Network infrastructure: This connects servers (physical and virtualized), data center services, storage, and external connectivity to end-user locations.

Storage infrastructure: Data is the fuel of the modern data center. Storage systems are used to hold this valuable commodity.

Computing resources: Applications are the engines of a data center. These servers provide the processing, memory, local storage, and network connectivity that drive applications.

How do data centers operate?

Data center services are typically deployed to protect the performance and integrity of the core data center components.

Network security appliances:  These include firewall and intrusion protection to safeguard the data center.

Application delivery assurance: To maintain application performance, these mechanisms provide application resiliency and availability via automatic failover and load balancing.

What is in a data center facility?

Data center components require significant infrastructure to support the center’s hardware and software. These include power subsystems, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), ventilation, cooling systems, fire suppression, backup generators, and connections to external networks.

Standards for data center infrastructure

The most widely adopted standard for data center design and data center infrastructure is ANSI/TIA-942. It includes standards for ANSI/TIA-942-ready certification, which ensures compliance with one of four categories of data center tiers rated for levels of redundancy and fault tolerance.

Tier 1: Basic site infrastructure. A Tier 1 data center offers limited protection against physical events. It has single-capacity components and a single, no redundant distribution path.

Tier 2: Redundant-capacity component site infrastructure. This data center offers improved protection against physical events. It has redundant-capacity components and a single, no redundant distribution path.

Tier 3: Concurrently maintainable site infrastructure. This data center protects against virtually all physical events, providing redundant-capacity components and multiple independent distribution paths. Each component can be removed or replaced without disrupting services to end users.

Tier 4: Fault-tolerant site infrastructure. This data center provides the highest levels of fault tolerance and redundancy. Redundant-capacity components and multiple independent distribution paths enable concurrent maintainability and one fault anywhere in the installation without causing downtime.

Types of data centers

Many types of data centers and service models are available. Their classification depends on whether they are owned by one or many organizations, how they fit (if they fit) into the topology of other data centers, what technologies they use for computing and storage, and even their energy efficiency. There are four main types of data centers:

Enterprise data centers

These are built, owned, and operated by companies and are optimized for their end users. Most often they are housed on the corporate campus.

Managed services data centers

These data centers are managed by a third party (or a managed service provider) on behalf of a company. The company leases the equipment and infrastructure instead of buying it.

Colocation data centers

In colocation (“colo”) data centers, a company rents space within a data center owned by others and located off company premises. The colocation data center hosts the infrastructure: building, cooling, bandwidth, security, etc., while the company provides and manages the components, including servers, storage, and firewalls.

Cloud data centers

In this off-premises form of data center, data and applications are hosted by a cloud services provider such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft (Azure), or IBM Cloud or other public cloud provider.