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How ESM Transforms IT Departments into Service-Centric Organizations

With enterprise service management (ESM), you can digitize your internal processes, streamline incoming request management, automate tasks, relieve pressure on your service desk, and perform lengthy, low-value-added processes efficiently while improving the user experience.

In essence, by adopting ESM tools, you apply IT service management (ITSM) best practices to your entire organization, not just the IT department.

On the other hand, any company that wants to remain competitive today can do nothing but commit itself to increasing the quality of its services, both internal (e.g., the activities of employees) and external (the end customer).

This commitment requires a transformation of IT departments, which must emerge from traditional isolation to become integrated and service-oriented organizations.

Enterprise service management is a crucial enabler of this transformation.

How IT Departments Are Changing: From Cost Centers to Strategic Partners

The need to integrate digital tools into every part of the business demonstrates that the isolation we have mentioned is an inefficient and uneconomical strategy.

Today, IT departments can achieve business results and generate value and can no longer be considered mere technical support functions.

Traditional IT departments focus on infrastructure management, system maintenance, and network security. They are reactive—responding to issues as they arise—and have limited interaction with other business units as they operate in silos. Their perception of being cost centers rather than strategic partners limits their ability to influence broader business goals.

Therefore, the traditional approach produces inefficiencies: isolated systems and processes cause delays and prevent the provision of consistent services.

The choice to equip oneself with ESM solutions helps to overcome the role typically assigned to IT departments, moving toward the adoption of a holistic approach that aligns with the broader organizational strategy.

What Does Service-Centric Mean?

By now, we should have realized that an organization’s true digital transformation is not just about expanding ITSM best practices.

For transformation to happen, processes must be standardized and unified, and services provided to users must be interconnected. Old ITSM tools are not suited to such flexible and customer-centric deployments; they are expensive and complex to extend to the rest of the company.

The development of more agile cloud-based tools is changing things for the better. Modern ESM software has become much faster to deploy, manage, and maintain. This means that non-IT functions are increasingly able to easily administer their own services.

The essence of a service-centric organization lies in the possibility of the different departments to exploit their specific objectives through collaboration with all other company functions, thanks to advanced ESM systems and ITSM best practices.

Key Components of Enterprise Service Management

ESM includes multiple key components: service catalogs, self-service portals, automated workflows, integrated reporting and analytics, and tools for incident, problem, and change management.

These components help standardize service delivery across the organization, break down silos, and foster a more collaborative environment. They enable consistent delivery, regardless of the department or service being offered. Through automation and self-service capabilities, they reduce manual workloads and accelerate response times.

Finally, specific features allow for improved collaboration and communication between departments.

A Short Guide to ESM Implementation

Implementing ESM is a complex process. The following are the basic steps:

The first step consists of a complete assessment of current IT capabilities—maturity of existing ITSM practices, level of automation in place, and general alignment of IT services with business objectives. Part of this initial phase also involves identifying weaknesses (areas where current services are lacking) and strengths. A successful ESM strategy must start with clear and aligned objectives and goals in line with the organization’s overall strategy.
In the second step, a roadmap is developed to establish the necessary steps for implementing ESM, from identifying the scope of distribution of the ESM software to selecting the most appropriate tools and technologies up to defining the timing.
The deployment of ESM solutions must be carefully planned and executed. At this stage, the infrastructure is set up, systems are configured, and stakeholders are adequately trained.

Best Practices for Successful Deployment

ESM implementation can only be successful if done correctly, following a methodical and thorough approach. Here are some tips:

Gain top management buy-in. Leadership support is an important signal to drive ESM adoption throughout the organization.
Set specific goals. Having clear, realistic goals you expect to achieve with ESM helps you measure your progress objectively.
Involve stakeholders. During the planning and implementation phases, representatives from different departments and teams should be involved to ensure a complete view of the entire adoption process.
Communicate effectively. Explaining the benefits of the change produced by ESM and promptly responding to doubts or correcting inaccurate beliefs helps to defuse resistance.
Opt for a phased approach. Implementing ESM so that each phase builds on the previous one helps manage complexity and minimize disruptions, leading to a smoother transition.

Benefits of ESM for IT Departments from a Customer-Centric Perspective

It is clear that ESM plays a fundamental role in enriching IT departments’ performance and contributes to their transformation into service-focused and fully customer-centric organizations.

Through process automation and standardization, ESM optimizes service delivery, enhances IT staff capabilities, and fosters a more efficient and customer-centric approach. The benefits are numerous; let’s explore them one by one.

Improved service delivery. A structured approach to service management ensures consistent and efficient service delivery, meeting the needs of internal and external users.
Improved user experience. By focusing on the user experience, ESM helps create more intuitive and user-friendly service interactions. Self-service portals and automated workflows enable users to access services quickly, easily, independently, and with greater satisfaction.
Reduced response times and downtime. Automation and streamlined workflows significantly reduce response times and downtime. This improves service reliability and allows staff, not just IT, to focus on more strategic activities.
Increased efficiency and productivity. Standardized processes and improved workflows enable IT departments to deliver service faster and reduce time spent on manual tasks. Eliminating redundant processes and optimizing resource allocation increases efficiency and productivity across the organization.
Cost savings. ESM helps save costs by reducing the need for IT departments to intervene manually. By automating routine tasks, organizations can allocate resources more effectively, resulting in significant cost reductions.
Empowered IT staff. ESM provides IT staff with ongoing training opportunities. By exposing them to a broader range of services and processes, ESM helps IT professionals develop a more comprehensive understanding of the business.
A service-oriented mindset. IT staff is encouraged to think beyond technical support and consider the overall user experience. This shift in perspective is critical to providing high-quality, truly customer-centric services.

ESM and IT Departments: New Scenarios

ESM adoption can present several challenges, including resistance to change, poor buy-in, and problems integrating with existing systems. Overcoming these challenges requires strong leadership, clear communication, and a well-defined implementation plan.

Emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, are largely driving the transformation of IT departments into service-centric and customer-centric organizations.

Adopting AI in ESM scenarios streamlines and facilitates service delivery, allowing IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives.

In practice, by automating routine tasks, AI allows proactive problem-solving and timely delivery of personalized services, such as generating articles, analyzing financial data, and communicating formal documents.

Moving from manual processes to intelligent automation enables IT departments to provide faster, more accurate, and personalized support. As a result, IT can better align with business goals, providing tailored services that meet the specific needs of different departments, thereby improving the overall user experience.

This focus on service quality and customer solutions is the essence of a service-centric organization.

Conclusion

As ESM continues to evolve, IT departments are transforming from support functions to strategic partners and service-centric organizations.

Enterprise service management (ESM) is a powerful tool that can make this transformation successful. By extending service management principles across the enterprise, ESM improves process efficiency and user experience while empowering IT staff.

FAQs

What does enterprise service management (ESM) do?

ESM applies IT service management best practices across the organization, helping IT departments become service-centric organizations focused on efficiency and user satisfaction.

What are the benefits of adopting ESM?

ESM improves service delivery, reduces costs, and increases productivity, transforming IT departments into strategic, service-centric partners focused on improving the user experience.

How does ESM support the transformation of IT departments into service-centric organizations?

ESM unifies and standardizes processes, enabling IT departments to deliver faster, more consistent services, which is critical to a service-centric, user-centric organization.

What are the main challenges in implementing ESM?

Challenges include resistance to change and integration issues. Overcoming these challenges helps IT departments evolve into service-centric organizations, improving collaboration and efficiency.

How is artificial intelligence (AI) enhancing the ESM?

AI automates routine tasks, improving service accuracy and speed. This supports the transformation of IT departments into service-centric organizations focused on personalized solutions for users.

About EasyVista
EasyVista is a leading IT software provider delivering comprehensive IT solutions, including service management, remote support, IT monitoring, and self-healing technologies. We empower companies to embrace a customer-focused, proactive, and predictive approach to IT service, support, and operations. EasyVista is dedicated to understanding and exceeding customer expectations, ensuring seamless and superior IT experiences. Today, EasyVista supports over 3,000 companies worldwide in accelerating digital transformation, enhancing employee productivity, reducing operating costs, and boosting satisfaction for both employees and customers across various industries, including financial services, healthcare, education, and manufacturing.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

EasyVista 2025

Our “Wrapped-Up” 2024: Pandora FMS advances and accomplishments that marked the year

If Spotify can do its annual wrap-up, so can we! It is true that you will not discover your musical evolution this 2024, but you will be able to check all the advantages that one more year are added to the Pandora FMS portfolio and thereby improve your business operations.

2024 has been a transformational year for Pandora FMS, marked by significant advances and a clear focus on our customers’ global needs. We have strengthened our position as a leader in monitoring and observability, expanding our offering with key functionalities that integrate security into IT management.

One of the most important milestones this year was the launch of Pandora SIEM, a solution that enables organizations to integrate cybersecurity into their daily monitoring strategy, proactively detecting and mitigating threats. This development reinforces our commitment to providing tools that go beyond traditional monitoring, helping our customers manage complex environments with complete confidence.

Pandora SIEM allows you to centrally visualize threats, identify those that are most critical, and ensure they are addressed by the right people. This streamlined approach simplifies threat management and safeguards your infrastructure.

We have also continued to improve our remote management solution (RMM), which is key for distributed environments, optimizing the monitoring and control of critical infrastructures. This tool adopts a global infrastructure visibility approach and establishes a preventive instead of being merely a reactive maintenance model, for example by automating tasks, which ultimately contributes to greater security and SLA compliance. This effort is reflected in the four new versions of ITSM released this year, each designed to respond to the changing demands of our users and ensure maximum flexibility in managing their systems. In addition, the integration of Pandora ITSM with Pandora FMS allows our users to unify ticket management from the Pandora FMS console.

Our results speak for themselves: more than 2,000 tickets managed with a remarkably positive satisfaction rate, and a total of 1,700 tickets under development processed, reflecting the continuous work of our team to perfect our solutions. Each new release has been made possible by a fully optimized development process, which this year has been radically transformed to achieve even higher performance.

Throughout the year, we also strengthened our international presence, standing out as a leading solution in more than 30 key categories on platforms such as G2, where we obtained an average rating of 4.5/5. Our commitment to innovation and flexibility has been recognized by customers in markets around the world, from large corporations to medium-sized companies, who value our ability to adapt to multiple technology needs.

Looking ahead to 2025, we are poised to continue to innovate and expand our capabilities. Our goal is clear: to provide even more robust solutions and remain the trusted technology partner for organizations in any industry, anywhere in the world. To this end, we intend to continue adding functionalities to Pandora SIEM, such as filters or advanced reports; as well as internal auditing to Pandora RMM. We will also continue to explore the limits of monitoring, including user activity monitoring.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About PandoraFMS
Pandora FMS is a flexible monitoring system, capable of monitoring devices, infrastructures, applications, services and business processes.
Of course, one of the things that Pandora FMS can control is the hard disks of your computers.

Nord Security

Pandorafms 2025

Dedicated Device Management: Everything You Need to Know

The use of mobile devices has increased dramatically in recent years and will continue to do so with the rapid growth of EMM (enterprise mobility management). Managing these devices is crucial to safeguarding data and the devices that handle critical business information and functions. UEM is the best solution for managing and securing dedicated devices.

Try Scalefusion’s Kiosk Software

What are Dedicated Devices?

Dedicated devices are company-owned devices that can be employee-facing or customer-facing. They include self-check-in systems, point-of-sale (POS) systems, digital signage, retail store billing, checkout systems, and airport ticket printing desks, to name a few. The devices fulfill a single-use case by running in kiosk mode which can be single-app or multi-app. Dedicated devices perform essential business functions and hence need to run without any interruptions.

Some common examples of customer-facing dedicated devices are ATMs for cash transactions, digital signage in hotels for advertisements, baggage check-in at airports, POS terminals, handheld devices used as barcode scanners as well as for navigation, and dedicated tablets used for educational purposes.

Some employee-facing dedicated devices are for inventory management in logistics, handheld devices used by healthcare professionals, and vehicle-mounted devices used by drivers in transportation.

However, these devices can’t run independently and are required to be managed remotely. Usually, the devices are unattended and run in dedicated kiosk mode. Communicating with these devices in the field and ensuring timely updates on these devices can be best done using a dedicated device management solution like a Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solution.

Corporate-owned dedicated devices don’t store content and information, and it’s crucial to push updated content regularly to these devices as they perform mission-critical functions. UEM enables you to update, troubleshoot, interact, and pass commands to devices remotely. UEM also simplifies configuring devices and provisioning them, enforcing policies, and ensuring device and data security.

How Does Dedicated Device Management Work?

A dedicated computer or dedicated hardware is often locked to a single application or a set of applications to serve a specific purpose, ensuring efficiency and security. This is achieved using either single-app kiosk mode or multi-app kiosk mode, based on the use case:

Multi-app kiosk mode: When a device needs to run multiple applications, it operates in a multi-app kiosk mode. With the help of a kiosk launcher, admins can easily switch between apps and manage various functions. This approach is perfect for devices used in environments that demand versatility while still maintaining the dedicated purpose of the hardware.

Single-app kiosk mode: In this setup, the device is locked to a single application, providing IT admins extensive control over the device’s functionality. They can configure peripheral settings to ensure seamless operation. Once locked, the application launches automatically and remains on the screen, even after the device restarts or shuts down. This makes it ideal for scenarios requiring a focused, dedicated hardware solution.

Learn More: What is Kiosk Mode?

Types of Dedicated Devices

When it comes to types of hardware devices, dedicated hardware plays a pivotal role in streamlining specific operations across various industries. These devices are categorized based on their purpose and functionality:

Single-Use Hardware Devices
These devices are designed to perform one specific task, often operating in single-app kiosk mode. Examples include:
- Point-of-Sale (POS) Systems: Optimized for transaction processing.
- Digital Signage Devices: Built to display content like advertisements or announcements.
- Self-Service Kiosks: Used for ticketing, check-ins, or orders.
Multi-Function Hardware Devices
These devices run multiple applications while maintaining a dedicated purpose, utilizing multi-app kiosk mode for flexibility. Examples include:
- Retail Tablets: Supporting inventory management, customer assistance, and payment apps.
- Educational Tablets: Configured with a suite of learning applications for students.
- Medical Devices: Designed for patient records, monitoring, and diagnostics.
Industrial Hardware Devices
Built for durability and reliability, these devices are essential in demanding environments, such as:
- Barcode Scanners: Used for inventory tracking and warehouse management.
- Fleet Management Devices: Installed in vehicles to monitor operations and logistics.
- IoT Sensors: Designed for data collection and automation in industrial setups.

Benefits of Using Dedicated Devices

Using dedicated devices, particularly those managed with a UEM solution, brings numerous advantages for businesses.

Here are the key benefits:

Manage Content and Applications

The purpose of a dedicated device can evolve, requiring changes in the content or applications it runs. UEM software ensures smooth updates by allowing admins to silently install or uninstall apps without relying on end users. This reduces device downtime significantly. Through the UEM dashboard, admins can push apps from the Play Store or deploy enterprise apps directly from the Enterprise Store, making management efficient.

Ensure Endpoint Security

UEM solutions play a critical role in securing Android-dedicated devices and other platforms. They encrypt sensitive corporate data, preventing unauthorized access. With kiosk mode, admins gain full control over device settings, including peripherals, ensuring minimal end-user interference. Furthermore, network configurations such as Wi-Fi are managed to connect devices exclusively to corporate-approved networks. Automated OS updates ensure devices remain protected from malware and viruses.

Protect Lost or Stolen Devices

When devices are lost or stolen, UEM solutions provide critical security features like factory reset protection for Android devices. Admins can remotely lock the device, wipe sensitive data, and prevent misuse of corporate information. Location tracking and location history monitoring via the UEM dashboard ensure admins can quickly locate devices or enforce location-specific policies.

Remote Troubleshooting of Devices

Remote cast and control capabilities allow IT admins to address technical issues immediately. By casting the device screen to the UEM dashboard, admins can resolve glitches or sync files remotely, significantly reducing downtime. This feature is particularly valuable for dedicated devices operating in unattended locations, where physical access is challenging during disruptions.

Some Popular Examples of Dedicated Devices

Dedicated devices are designed to serve specific purposes, offering reliability and efficiency across various industries. Here are some dedicated devices examples that showcase their diverse applications:

Point-of-Sale (POS) Terminals: Used in retail and hospitality, these devices handle transactions and ensure smooth customer checkouts.
Digital Signage Systems: Display advertisements, announcements, or schedules in retail stores, airports, and public spaces.
Self-Service Kiosks: Found in ticketing counters, restaurants, and banks, these kiosks simplify customer interactions and reduce wait times.
Rugged Industrial Devices: Built for warehouse or field operations, these include barcode scanners and handheld terminals.
Healthcare Monitoring Devices: Used in hospitals for patient monitoring, diagnosis, and medical record access.

Key Considerations When Choosing Dedicated Devices

Selecting the right dedicated device is essential for meeting business needs while ensuring reliability and security. Here are some key factors to consider:

Purpose and Use Case: Clearly define the device’s role in your operations. Whether it’s for digital signage, POS, or rugged fieldwork, understanding the requirements will guide your choice.
Durability and Environment Suitability: If the device will be used in challenging environments, like warehouses or outdoor locations, ensure it has a rugged design and supports extreme conditions.
Management and Configuration Support: Choose devices that integrate seamlessly with a UEM solution to allow for remote management, app updates, and network configuration.
Security Features: Devices must offer strong security measures, such as encryption, kiosk mode, and remote locking or wiping capabilities, especially for corporate data protection.
Compatibility: Ensure the dedicated devices work with your existing software and infrastructure, including enterprise apps or specific operating systems like Android or iOS.

Pick Your UEM Alongside Your Dedicated Hardware

When investing in dedicated hardware, it’s crucial to pair it with a robust Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solution. Here’s why this combination matters:

Streamlined Device Management
A UEM solution allows IT admins to manage, monitor, and secure devices remotely. It ensures that the dedicated hardware always functions optimally by pushing updates, configuring settings, and deploying apps.
Enhanced Security
Protect sensitive corporate data on your dedicated hardware through features like encryption, kiosk mode, and remote locking or wiping in case of theft or loss.
Flexible Adaptation to Business Needs
UEM lets you reconfigure devices for new tasks or applications without replacing the hardware, extending its lifespan and value.
Minimized Downtime
With remote troubleshooting and monitoring capabilities, admins can address technical issues immediately, ensuring uninterrupted device performance.

By choosing the right UEM solution alongside your dedicated hardware, you can maximize the functionality, security, and reliability of your devices, empowering your business operations.

The Final Words

Though dedicated devices help in executing different strategies for various businesses, the security of these devices is extremely important. Scalefusion UEM stands out as a versatile solution to efficiently manage a fleet of dedicated devices from a single console, offering robust data security and seamless management capabilities.

About Scalefusion
Scalefusion’s company DNA is built on the foundation of providing world-class customer service and making endpoint management simple and effortless for businesses globally. We prioritize the needs and feedback of our customers, making sure that they are at the forefront of all decision-making processes. We are dedicated to providing comprehensive customer support services, and place emphasis on customer-centric thinking throughout the organization.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

Scalefusion 2025

Leading the Guard: What MSPs Need to Know About Cybersecurity Heading Into 2025

As 2025 looms on the horizon, MSPs are grappling with an ever-shifting cybersecurity landscape. The stakes are higher than ever, with small and medium-sized businesses continuing to face relentless cyber threats. While MSPs play a critical role in shielding these businesses, the road ahead is not without its twists and turns.

Drawing from recent insights—including our Guardz survey, which found that 77% of MSPs are struggling to manage multiple cybersecurity solutions—I want to unpack the challenges, risks, and opportunities MSPs should have on their radar for the year ahead.

Top Challenges for MSPs

1. The Complexity Conundrum

Managing cybersecurity point solutions has become a juggling act and not a fun one. With every new tool claiming to solve the latest threat, MSPs find themselves buried under layers of complexity. Our survey underscores this pain point: nearly 8 in 10 MSPs find it difficult to consolidate their cybersecurity stack.

Why does this matter? Complexity slows response times, increases the chances of misconfigurations, and ultimately leaves gaps that cybercriminals are all too happy to exploit.

2. Identities at the core

Account compromise is climbing the ranks as one of the most persistent and damaging cyber threats. Cybercriminals are finding new ways to exploit weak or reused credentials, phishing unsuspecting employees, and bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) through methods like MFA fatigue attacks, stolen tokens, etc.

For MSPs, this means prioritizing solutions that protect Identities—not just at login but throughout their lifecycle. Continuous monitoring, behavioral analytics, and robust identity management strategies are becoming essential across cloud directories, email, devices, data, and training.

3. Supply Chain Attacks on the Rise

It’s no longer enough to protect your clients; you also have to worry about the vendors and partners they rely on. Supply chain attacks are becoming alarmingly common, and MSPs are often caught in the crossfire.

These attacks exploit the trust inherent in software and hardware providers, making them insidious and hard to detect. For MSPs, ensuring clients’ security now means scrutinizing third-party relationships more than ever.

The Big Risks MSPs Face

1. Underestimating the Human Factor

We like to talk about firewalls and encryption, but let’s not forget that most breaches start with a simple mistake—like clicking on a phishing link. MSPs often focus on tech solutions while overlooking the importance of training end users.

If employees at your client’s organization aren’t part of the cybersecurity conversation, you’re leaving a major vulnerability wide open.

2. Burnout of technicians

Running an MSP is tough. Cyber threats are 24/7, and the demands on your time and energy are relentless. In addition, monitoring and implementing dozens of point solutions for every client adds more challenges and a level of constant pressure can lead to burnout, affecting your business and the quality of service you provide to clients.

3. Cyber Insurance Complexity

Cyber insurance can be a lifeline for SMBs after a breach—but obtaining and maintaining coverage has become increasingly complex. Insurers are tightening their requirements, and MSPs are often called upon to ensure clients meet them. The risk? Falling short could leave clients exposed and MSPs under fire.

Opportunities for MSPs in 2025

Amid these challenges, MSPs have opportunities to elevate their game and deliver even more value to SMB clients.

1. Consolidation is King

One of the clearest takeaways from our survey is the need for streamlined cybersecurity solutions. MSPs can differentiate themselves by adopting unified platforms that simplify management without sacrificing protection. The less time you spend wrangling tools, the more time you have to focus on strategic initiatives.

2. Leveraging AI For Faster Responses

AI is rapidly transforming cybersecurity operations, and MSPs that harness its power will gain a significant edge. AI-driven tools can automate repetitive tasks, identify threats faster than any human analyst, and deliver real-time responses to incidents.

For MSPs, AI isn’t just a luxury—it’s becoming a necessity. By integrating AI-powered solutions into their offerings, MSPs can enhance efficiency, reduce response times, and ensure a higher level of protection for their clients. This not only improves outcomes but also frees up valuable time to focus on strategy and growth.

3. Proactive Risk Management

The days of reactive cybersecurity are over. MSPs that adopt a proactive approach—focusing on threat intelligence, vulnerability management, and regular penetration testing—can set themselves apart. SMBs are looking for partners who can anticipate problems before they arise.

4. Building a Cybersecurity Culture

While tools are essential, fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness within SMBs is equally critical. MSPs have a unique opportunity to offer training and workshops that empower employees to become the first line of defense against cyber threats.

5. Expanding Services to Include Cyber Insurance

With the cyber insurance market tightening, MSPs can position themselves as essential partners in the application and compliance process. Offering services that help SMBs navigate these waters can open up new revenue streams and deepen client relationships.

Looking Ahead

The role of MSPs is more critical than ever. SMBs are counting on you not just to defend against threats but to guide them through an increasingly complex digital environment. By focusing on simplification, proactivity, and education, you can not only tackle the challenges of 2025 but also seize the opportunities it presents.

The cybersecurity battle is ongoing, and it’s not just about technology—it’s about strategy, people, and vision. As we lead the guard together, let’s make 2025 a year where MSPs don’t just survive but thrive.

Until next time,
Dor

About Guardz
Guardz is on a mission to create a safer digital world by empowering Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Their goal is to proactively secure and insure Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) against ever-evolving threats while simultaneously creating new revenue streams, all on one unified platform.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

Guardz 2025

Racing with MITRE to forge ESET Inspect for SOC and MDR use

ESET’s journey through 2024’s TTP-heavy Enterprise ATT&CK evaluation demonstrates both progress and scope for continued enhancement of our detection-and-response solution, as well as an interesting contrast with commercial tests.

Six years into MITRE Enterprise evaluations, with their consistent focus on attack emulations leveraging a vast collection of tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), vendors are now finding evolved detection and protection scenarios added to the mix. MITRE’s team of experts has clearly been working agilely, prompting vendors to adapt to the new test environment. Simultaneously, vendors looking to position themselves for the “win” and improve sales prospects increasingly face a paradox with MITRE: It’s still not a competitive test. Rather, the takeaways provide most value to security analysts involved in the day-to-day work of operating endpoint detection and response platforms.

This year’s evaluation has introduced some substantial changes. Notably, MITRE dropped telemetry from the detection categories, raising the threshold for a recorded event to be considered a detection. To counteract vendors’ gaming products to “win” or “detect everything,” a proportion of substeps now test for false positives rather than detections, while other substeps are not evaluated at all. In a final nod to address “points” accumulated via “detecting everything,” MITRE measures the number of detections in the dashboard, again cutting into “point gain” via bloated numbers of detections.

ESET also brought changes to the table, most significantly by fielding ESET Incident Creator, a module in ESET Inspect for incident-focused handling of threats. Incident Creator proved its use case in the detection portion of the evaluation, transforming how analysts are presented with detections generated from a cyberattack; detections are rolled up into incidents, giving analysts a focused view of how each attack progressed. With this tool in hand, we demonstrated good visibility into each attack scenario, detecting all steps and most meaningful substeps while maintaining a low volume of detections. Thus, for ESET, most missed substeps, e.g., API calls, provide the analyst with little to no value, could be discovered via other means, and present almost no loss of information for the reconstruction of the attack.

What we learned about our product

The most recent round of the ATT&CK Evaluations Enterprise pitted multiple vendors’ detection and response platforms against three attack scenarios named DPRK, CI0p, and LockBit, as well as a battery of 10 protection tests. With well-recognized research on all of the threat groups chosen for the scenarios, ESET engineers were interested to observe how ESET Inspect’s behavior could translate to supporting SOC operators as well as organizations leveraging security service offers such as ESET MDR.

With a nod to ESET’s preoccupation with efficiency, and MITRE’s new rules seeking to limit a detect-everything approach, the three attacks generated plenty of detections – correlated into incidents – allowing incident responders to easily understand how the attacks happened and thus take quick remediation. Additionally, the Incident Creator module eliminated considerable noise for the benefit of threat analysts – another priority for ESET, both inside and outside this test environment.

Turning off protection for the evaluation, and back on for the real world

With one of MITRE’s goals being to examine coverage of the TTPs in the ATT&CK knowledge base, vendors’ products in the detection scenarios are configured to not block or kill any of the threats they encounter. This is an important point because, in the real world, many of the threats employed in these scenarios would have been blocked either on first encounter or very soon thereafter.

For ESET, there are several fitting cases to highlight: The CI0p and LockBit ransomware samples, along with a couple other samples, would have been blocked in the first evaluation run. Although masked by the evaluation’s focus on ESET Inspect, it was actually ESET Live Guard Advanced, a key technology layer in the ESET PROTECT platform, that was behind the initial detection and blocking of these ransomware samples. Any remaining malware would have been blocked on the second run. This is good news in the real world because it means that customers benefit from efficient protection against threats.

In regard to the protection tests, while there are a few areas to improve the coverage provided by our products, 2024’s tests mainly focused on isolated and sometimes not clearly malicious substeps that, in the real world, could actually be benign and thus cause harm to customers if blocked. On real-world systems, cyberattackers aren’t running techniques and procedures “atomically,” i.e., disconnected from a full attack chain. Instead, their operations are a buildup, and the task of detection and response solutions is to correlate the full context to identify correctly that something malicious is afoot.

Figure 1. Detection of the FULLHOUSE.DOORED backdoor in the DPRK config change run

Figure 2. Detection of the SDBbot installer in the Cl0p config change run

Figure 3. Detection of the Firefox password stealer in the LockBit config change run

We are left feeling that the pursuit of total coverage of the ATT&CK knowledge base does not necessarily improve defenses or automatically assist security analysts in their daily work. In contrast to forensics or malware analysis, detection and response require only enough coverage of highly prevalent or severe techniques (or substeps) for the analyst to trigger a response. Missing detections for low-prevalence or low-severity techniques does not necessarily translate to lower protection. Quite the opposite, it could mean that work is streamlined, and remediation is faster because the major steps needed to identify the attack are immediately highlighted, thereby allowing a timely and adequate response to be triggered – in some cases even with automatic blocking of the detected threat.

Again, outside the ATT&CK Evaluations and atomic testing scenarios, third-party tests usually design scenarios that don’t prioritize coverage of TTPs. Instead, they measure blocking, false positives, performance, cost, and the like by a fully functioning product suite. They also focus more on critical steps of an attack, such as endpoint compromise and foothold, internal propagation, and asset breach. The ultimate arbiter is stopping an attack, whether by blocking malicious files or killing malicious processes, or at least providing the security analyst with the means to do so.

“What sets this solution apart is its ability to deliver rapid response times, robust threat intelligence, and strong ransomware protection, all while offering strong compliance and localization support.”

-Warwick Ashford, Senior Analyst at KuppingerCole

A number of strong results demonstrate the efficacy of real-world performance. This includes real-world tests, such as AV-Comparatives’ Endpoint Prevention & Response (EPR) Test 2024 and 2023, and analyst perspectives, including selection of ESET as a leader in both KuppingerCole’s Leadership Compass for MDR and Leadership Compass for Endpoint Protection Detection & Response.

In KuppingerCole’s executive summary of the EPDR market, they discuss the wider industry’s use of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, as well as the fact that endpoint protection platforms and EDR tool sets have converged into the logical integrated pairing of Endpoint Protection Detection & Response (EPDR). This means the majority of vendors aim to improve based on MITRE’s micro-emulation of techniques and procedures, while developing successful, integrated EPDR proven by industry-standard, real-world testing. Ideally, covering these two scopes makes for battle-ready detection and response.

Battle-ready EPDR

In fact, EPDR solutions are the battle-ready systems that institutions and businesses invest in, deploy, and operate today. Above and beyond this, ESET continues to seek out other avenues to challenge its products and its engineers. Perhaps the zenith of this search has been reached with our regular participation at Locked Shields, a military simulation of today’s digital battlespace organized by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence.

In 2024, more than 60 ESET system engineers, security monitoring analysts, malware researchers and analysts, and comms specialists formed ranks with defenders from the Slovak and Hungarian militaries and the private and academic sectors to defend our assigned battlespace.

Our tool, ESET Inspect, backed by our multilayered security platform ESET PROTECT, was central to Slovakia-Hungary’s fourth place out of 18 participating teams and helped the team to top three placings in cyber threat intelligence, client-side protection and forensics. This cyber-battle simulation was an intensively immersive experience for all the technologists involved, whether as threat analysts working to understand the TTPs to anticipate the next stages of an attack or engineers configuring cyber defenses.

Conclusion

ESET remains as motivated to leverage MITRE’s Enterprise Evaluations to feed technical audiences with critical food for thought as we are to invest our institutional knowledge in Locked Shields to advance both our security practice and that of our NATO partners. The output of our engagement with MITRE, whether via the +350 contributions to the ATT&CK knowledge base or participation in the ATT&CK Evaluations, continues to be sharpened detection and response capabilities tuned to the real world and protecting our shared progress.

About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

ESET 2024

Scale Computing Named 2024 DCD>Awards Edge Data Center Project of the Year Winner

INDIANAPOLIS – December 19, 2024 – Scale Computing, the market leader in edge computing, virtualization, and hyperconverged solutions, today announced that Data Center Dynamics (DCD) has honored its deployment with Royal Farms—an established convenience store and fuel chain with more than 300 U.S. locations—with the 2024 Edge Data Center Project of the Year award.

The DCD>Awards recognize exceptional innovation, leadership, and results within the data center industry. This award category recognizes projects that can demonstrate a unique and strategic approach as to how a successful Edge deployment is designed, set up and operated, and show how this creates new and exciting opportunities for delivering on IT and business objectives. This year’s distinction spotlights the successful partnership between Scale Computing and Royal Farms, showcasing how a forward-looking edge computing strategy can transform operational efficiency, reduce complexity, and deliver a superior customer experience.

Royal Farms sought a modern, resilient, and cost-effective edge infrastructure solution to streamline IT operations across its distributed locations. By deploying the Scale Computing Platform (SC//Platform) at the store level, the company dramatically simplified its infrastructure, shortening installation times by 90% and decreasing management overhead and licensing costs by 75%. The result was a self-healing, automated environment that ensures reliable performance and high availability for critical applications, ultimately improving daily operations and enabling continuous innovation at the edge.

“We’re honored that Data Center Dynamics has recognized our work with the 2024 Edge Data Center Project of the Year award,” said Jeff Ready, CEO and co-founder, Scale Computing. “This award highlights how advanced edge computing solutions can redefine distributed IT environments, enabling organizations to improve performance, reduce complexity, and ultimately deliver a better experience to their customers.”

By continuing to deliver agile, high-performance solutions that simplify deployment and maintenance across distributed environments, Scale Computing helps organizations like Royal Farms gain unprecedented control over their IT environments. As enterprises increasingly embrace the edge to meet customer demands and drive competitive advantages, Scale Computing remains committed to delivering solutions that enable seamless, reliable, and cost-effective operations no matter where data and applications reside.

The DCD>Awards recognizes the most outstanding projects, people and teams across 17 categories. An independent panel of judges reviewed hundreds of entries submitted. Winners were announced December 11th at the 18th annual awards ceremony at Grosvenor House in London, and broadcast live worldwide.

To learn more about Scale Computing’s edge computing solutions and its award-winning work with Royal Farms, watch the video case study and explore additional insights at: https://www.scalecomputing.com/resources/why-royal-farms-chose-scale-computing.

About Scale Computing
Scale Computing is a leader in edge computing, virtualization, and hyperconverged solutions. Scale Computing HC3 software eliminates the need for traditional virtualization software, disaster recovery software, servers, and shared storage, replacing these with a fully integrated, highly available system for running applications. Using patented HyperCore™ technology, the HC3 self-healing platform automatically identifies, mitigates, and corrects infrastructure problems in real-time, enabling applications to achieve maximum uptime. When ease-of-use, high availability, and TCO matter, Scale Computing HC3 is the ideal infrastructure platform. Read what our customers have to say on Gartner Peer Insights, Spiceworks, TechValidate and TrustRadius.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

Scale Computing scale computing news 2024

2024 at NordLayer, that’s a wrap

Summary: NordLayer had an exciting 2024. We turned five this year, launched new features, and won cybersecurity awards. Next stop: 2025.

The year is coming to a close, and the holidays are just around the corner. It’s a good time to look back on 2024. It’s been a busy year—full of challenges, exciting updates, and plenty to celebrate.

This year, NordLayer turned 5! We earned a few critical cybersecurity awards and were top-rated in our partner survey. Today, we have customers in 118 countries. That’s a great reminder of why we do what we do.

Along the way, we introduced features that make staying secure even easier. As always, we’ve worked hard to improve what we offer to our customers.

Thanks for being part of our journey. Here’s to wrapping up 2024 on a high note—and to an even brighter, safer 2025!

A snapshot of NordLayer’s 2024

NordLayer turns 5

NordLayer started in 2019 as a VPN tool to secure remote work. When COVID-19 hit, businesses faced new challenges. We had to onboard hundreds of employees quickly, ensuring secure connections and business continuity. It was a tough test, but we overcame it, protecting businesses around the world.

As remote and hybrid work took off, NordLayer became more than just a VPN. We grew fast. We added new security features and focused on the Zero Trust model, improving our customers’ security.

This year, as we celebrate our fifth birthday, we’ve become a comprehensive network security platform. In 2024, we launched several new features and improvements, with more to come.

Top rated by our partners

In 2024, we brought 450 new partners (1000+ in total) on board, expanding our network across 40 countries.

Last year, MSPs and our partners faced challenges related to strict compliance regulations and rapid tech changes. We ran a survey to see how we’re helping, and our partners gave us a 9/10 rating.

Our partners appreciate how easily NordLayer fits into their workflow, fast and reliable support, and the chance to grow revenue—all while keeping their clients safe.

Our customer stories

NordLayer now has more than 9,000 customers in 118 countries. We’ve gathered feedback from many of them, and their stories show how our solutions help them stay secure and efficient.

New features and improvements in 2024

Here’s an overview of the new features and product improvements we made in 2024. Each makes network management easier and more efficient while boosting security. We have also added new locations to the NordLayer VPN server network.

At the beginning of 2024, we added Active Session Timeout, a new feature and made one improvement to the Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) segment. How does it benefit users?

We’ve also introduced a few new features to enhance network security and performance.

With five new dashboards in the Control Panel, IT admins can get more insights and make network management easier.

Brave browser users can enjoy smooth performance with full support for the NordLayer Browser Extension. We’ve also improved the Site-to-Site feature, giving IT admins better visibility into site-to-site tunnels and the ability to make real-time adjustments in the Control Panel.

The last feature released in 2024 is Download Protection. It scans newly downloaded files for malware and provides instant reports on any threats or user activity, ensuring real-time protection.

Awards and events

It was a big year for NordLayer. We won the UK Business Security Award for the Outstanding Cybersecurity Solution 2024 category, and Tekpon announced NordLayer as the Top Cloud Security Software Tool.

We also earned a Cybersecurity Excellence Award for Network Access Control. Competing with over 600 entries, this award highlights how NordLayer makes network security simple and reliable for businesses. And we’re not stopping there—we’ll keep pushing to make our solutions better.

In 2024, the sales team stayed busy, attending 18 events across the USA and Europe. They connected with partners, showing them why NordLayer is a go-to name in security.

From work to play: how we build teams

At NordLayer, we know the best teams are built through shared experiences. With 1,300 people from 22 countries, our workstations mix work and fun. We work together, but we also relax and enjoy each other’s company.

These moments recharge our batteries for the upcoming challenges and help us build stronger connections. For us, it’s not just about working hard but also about having fun and growing together.

What’s next for 2025?

We’ll keep improving and expanding our network security SSE-based solutions. More features and product improvements are on the way. But what’s next for 2025? Stay tuned!

About Nord Security
The web has become a chaotic space where safety and trust have been compromised by cybercrime and data protection issues. Therefore, our team has a global mission to shape a more trusted and peaceful online future for people everywhere.

About NordLayer
NordLayer is an adaptive network access security solution for modern businesses – from the world’s most trusted cybersecurity brand, Nord Security.

The web has become a chaotic space where safety and trust have been compromised by cybercrime and data protection issues. Therefore, our team has a global mission to shape a more trusted and peaceful online future for people everywhere.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

Nord Security NordLayer 2024

Delivering business security with extended prevention

Essential security can take care of most threats – but for businesses with larger networks, it might be time to extend the security envelope.

We’ve written before about how multilayered security is key to protection success. Each layer represents a dimension of protection, tackling specific threats or attack vectors.

The best security solution should tackle all of this behind the scenes, only requiring human attention during setup, audits, or incidents. Security should be comprehensive, yes, but not too complicated, worsening the protective power of security operations.

To learn how complicated security tools can impact a business’s cybersecurity protection, read our blog on alert fatigue-induced burnout.

Moreover, the larger such an operation is, the harder it is to cover. Thankfully, some measures can alleviate such issues easily – such as automatic extended protection.

What do we mean by extended protection?

Let’s start from the bottom – the core of a security operation: endpoint protection, covering computers, mobile devices, and servers. Such points of convergence between users and digital networks are prime targets for threat actors, necessitating constant safeguarding.

Baseline endpoint protection should serve the smallest businesses, but larger ones might find that this is just not enough to cover their use of various cloud and mail apps, authentication, or a potential cyber insurance ask in the form of advanced encryption. Furthermore, larger businesses also require advanced threat defenses, somewhere beyond stand-alone endpoint security. This could be a protective sandbox set up to catch any incoming malicious samples, such as zero-day threats, before they hit the endpoint itself, or vulnerability and patch management to take care of exploitable gaps before they become an issue.

At ESET, we call all this extended protection – as it extends beyond endpoint security, adding additional protective layers, extending prevention efforts.

Why should a business want extended security tech?

The easy answer to why a business should seek extended protection is that their involvement in commerce is enough of an incentive for threat actors to have them in their sights. Based on various reports, cracking the security of SMBs and larger businesses is the most likely goal rather than well-defended enterprises (a business with fewer than 100 employees could face 350% more attacks than enterprises).

Ransomware, a threat likely faced by every business entity, has seen a 32% rise in H1 2024 compared to H2 2023, based on ESET threat telemetry, with most detections present in the US, Mexico, the UK, and Germany.

Moreover, similar trends are seen in remote desktop protocol (RDP) password-guessing attempts (a rise of 33%), with numerous detections in additional countries like the US, Brazil, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Czechia, and Poland. Shockingly, despite numerous return-to-office mandates, the now common use of RDP for remote employees in hybrid work has seen the incidence of attacks continue to rise.

ESET telemetry also highlights the diversity of popular vulnerable external network intrusion vectors. While password guessing is highly represented statistically, it is followed by Log4j, Struts, and various other vulnerabilities, targeting RDP or VPN apps.

Márk Szabó17 Dec 2024

Most of the represented intrusion vectors concern key business apps that are used globally. Additionally, a majority of the represented Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) have patches. Despite this, they are still being actively exploited – meaning that businesses are not patching their tools, creating major opportunities for threat actors.

How to ensure extended protection

To ward off threat actors abusing a diversity of vectors, let’s tackle extended network needs step by step:

Advanced threat defense

To give additional protection against new and unknown threats, advanced defense is a good idea. In this case, it is done by adding a cloud filter on top of endpoint security, creating a sandboxed environment, such as with ESET LiveGuard Advanced, that can perform in-depth behavioral analyses to prevent targeted attacks, such as ransomware or attacks via the supply chain. This effectively places defenses outside a corporate network, preventing threats from executing inside.

Cloud and mail

Think of the sort of collaborative cloud and mail apps you use (Teams, OneDrive, Gmail, SharePoint), and consider how they enhance a network and connect it to points outside the premises of your organization – leading to extended collaboration opportunities.

As explained by ESET Security Writer Roman Cuprik, large cloud platforms have seen rapid growth, accounting for as much as 280 million users – inviting malicious actors to abuse them for gain. For example, GIFShell enabled threat actors to misuse MS Teams for phishing, executing commands to steal data using GIFs.

Therefore, protecting the cloud and mail through solutions such as ESET Cloud Office Security and ESET Mail Security is an easy way to prevent abuse, as they actively scans all files at all points of their life in the cloud – stopping spam, malware, phishing, and other threats early.

Authentication

It was previously mentioned that password-guessing attacks are quite common. Passwords themselves are often not enough to ensure account security, either because they have been leaked as part of a security breach or because of their simplicity, becoming easily brute-forced.

Thus, secure authentication adds a layer on top, preventing password misuse from letting attackers gain access to user accounts. This is very useful also in the case of RDP and VPN security, as those are also easily compromised through credential misuse. With authentication, though, security is ensured by the provision of one-time-use, time-limited codes or tokens, as attackers would need access to this factor to verify their access attempt.

Encryption

A basic compliance and cyber-insurance ask is encryption. Most often associated with data at rest (storage), encryption prevents physical exploitation of endpoint devices in case a computer, for example, is stolen. Encryption also minimizes risk stemming from data breaches, as specific solutions such as ESET Full Disk Encryption make sure that data are protected at all times.

Vulnerability and patch management (V&PM)

Known vulnerabilities (CVEs) present a major exploitable attack vector, open to abuse by malicious actors. CVEs can be present both in apps and OSs, which is why security updates exist to tackle any vulnerability gaps.

However, some businesses forget or don’t do this, leading to data breaches due to negligence. This can be followed by denied insurance claims and compliance-induced fines for not dealing with known security gaps. To prevent such cases comprehensively, think about obtaining a V&PM solution with automatic updates that satisfies this need in the background.

(Ex)tending your security

Extended security doesn’t mean extending security resources. Most of the previous solutions don’t require manual adjustments apart from initial setup, as the greatest thing about automation these days is its quiet but significant impact.

Think of it as a cardboard box – while the foil and soft particles (multilayered security) inside protect the integrity of your purchased product (endpoint), extended protection plugs any voids (vulnerabilities), tapes over the edges (encryption) and puts a cargo truck between the box and the outside world (advanced threat defense) to protect it from direct damage. As for authentication, every delivery must be signed for. 🙂

For more information on how multilayered endpoint security serves as a powerful core of business protection, read our blog posts on Fileless malware and UEFI bootkits.

About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

ESET 2024

Biggest data breaches of 2024

Summary: Data breaches in 2024 soared, with record-high costs and over 1 billion records exposed. Learn what caused it.

The modern economy runs on data. Businesses thrive based on how they collect, analyze, and use customer data. But none of that matters if you drop the ball on cybersecurity.

Data breaches are a hot topic with C-Suite leaders, IT journalists, and customers. That’s no surprise. 2023 was bad, but 2024 has been one of the worst years yet on the cybersecurity front.

An average data breach now costs $4.9 million. Ransomware costs an average of $5.2 million, and thieves have stolen over 1 billion records.

Even so, we’re not here to spread panic. As this list of 2024’s biggest data breaches shows, every breach has a cause and a solution. Good security practices will defeat most attackers, and it helps to learn where others have failed. But first, let’s talk about statistics.

Key facts about 2024’s data breaches

2024 has been another banner year for data breaches, with cybercriminals accelerating their efforts to steal and monetize confidential information. The stats below show that data theft is commonplace, and organizations face a challenging data security environment:

National Public Data (NPD) will probably be 2024’s biggest data breach. The mammoth breach potentially impacts 2.9 billion records, close to the most significant data leak ever.
Change Healthcare suffered the largest health-related data breach of the year, affecting over 100 million customer records. This could make it the largest healthcare breach in history.
The average cost of a data breach reached $4.88 million in 2024.
The cost of a data breach in cloud environments was even higher, averaging $5.17 million.
40% of breaches involved data stored across multiple environments.
68% of 2024 data breaches involved human errors, such as falling for phishing scams.
14% of attacks involved security exploits, three times the 2023 total.
On average, organizations took 194 days to identify data breaches.
The average attack took 64 days to contain.
Meta (Ireland) was fined 91 million euros for exposing customer data, the largest GDPR penalty in 2024.

The biggest data breaches of 2024

A devastating data breach is a nightmare for customers and affected organizations. But breaches can have a positive side. Each incident is a learning opportunity. It’s easier to defend critical data when we understand the mistakes made by others and the tactics used by attackers.

With that in mind, let’s explore 2024’s biggest data breaches. New breaches hit the news weekly, but we will discuss these cases for years.

1. National Public Data (1.3 billion individuals)

This one could be 2024’s biggest data breach. Before this year, few people knew National Public Data, a subsidiary of Jerico Pictures, Inc., but the company is now notorious for data security failures.

In April, data broker USDoD listed a cache of NPD 2.9 billion records for sale on the Dark Web. According to Jerico, the exposed data is related to 1.3 billion individuals. With a sale value of $3.5 million, it’s easy to see why criminals targeted the data handling company.

Filings with the Maine Attorney General suggested a massive regulatory penalty was on the cards. To make matters worse, NPD users filed a civil action in August, alleging the breach was foreseeable and avoidable.

Before either case could proceed, Jerico Pictures filed for bankruptcy in October. The company lost customer trust and folded as a direct result of the NPD breach. While USDoD has been arrested, the data thieves remain at large.

What data types were involved? Almost everything. The 2.9 billion records included personally identifiable information (PII), historical addresses, social security numbers, and nicknames used by record holders.

How did it happen? The details are unclear. As far as we know, the data breach started in December 2023. A bad actor nicknamed SXUL targeted NPD servers using unknown techniques. The data started to circulate on dark web forums, ending up with USDoD in April.

2. AT&T (2 breaches, over 110 million individuals)

AT&T is so big that a data breach there affects almost everyone. Unfortunately, the telecommunications giant reported two significant data breaches in 2024.

The first was a historical hack dating back to 2022. During a six-month window, hackers extracted call and messaging data for 110 million customers. In this case, AT&T was partly at fault. The compromised data resided on servers maintained by hosting company Snowflake (itself listed later in a separate breach).

The other security incident emerged when 73 million customer records appeared on a data brokerage. Alongside identifiable information, the cache contained encrypted passwords to access AT&T accounts. Panicked by the disclosure, AT&T issued a rare force reset of over 7 million passwords.

What data types were involved? The Snowflake breach involved call and message metadata, not voice or text data. Even so, attackers could use metadata to determine user locations. The cache also included details of those contacted by AT&T customers, another useful identifier.

The second breach included sensitive personal information like full names, postal addresses, and phone numbers. It also featured the encrypted passwords we noted earlier. Combining the two sets could be very powerful in the hands of bad actors.

How did it happen? In the first case, thieves targeted Snowflake’s cloud storage infrastructure. Snowflake suggested that weak authentication processes caused the leak and that the UNC5537 hacking group was responsible.

The second AT&T data breach in 2024 is less clear. AT&T have not released information about the attackers or their mitigation processes. It looks like the password reset only happened after freelance security experts notified the TechCrunch website. Not a good look for AT&T’s internal team.

3. Patelco Credit Union (726,000 individuals)

Patelco is a Bay Area credit union that dates back to 1936 and manages over $9 billion in assets. That history almost ended in June 2024 when the company detected a significant ransomware attack.

The details of the massive data breach are sobering. The company’s initial fraud alert indicates a loss of 726,000 individual records and possible exposure of over 1 million records.

What data types were involved? The Patelco breach involves data about customers and current and former employees. Stolen data includes names, addresses, dates of birth, license numbers, and social security numbers. Credit reports and financial accounts were all put at risk.

How did it happen? According to Patelco, attackers entered the network on May 23 before accessing customer and employee databases on June 29. A ransomware attack then took down the credit union’s online banking, mobile app, and customer service centers, making it hard to resist their demands.

Two months later, the company notified regulators and customers. It also restored banking services after a damaging two-week break and provided support for customers needing an urgent credit report.

The perpetrators are unclear. However, the Dark Web ransomware gang RansomHub lists Patelco on their data brokerage and may have been responsible.

4. Community Clinic of Maui (123,000 individuals)

Attacks against healthcare organizations become more sophisticated yearly as hackers target sensitive personal information. This year, one of the worst attacks affected the Community Clinic of Maui (or Mālama).

According to the Clinic, threat actors accessed patient records between May 4 and May 7 this year. The ransomware attack took systems offline and directly impacted patient care.

The Clinic closed for two weeks, and nurses had to use paper charts for weeks after reopening. It took months to secure digital data and restore usual service.

What data types were involved? Regulatory filings suggest criminals stole social security number data, passport numbers, and names. Even worse, the attack exposed medical histories, biometric data, and financial account data (including CVVs).

How did it happen? Analysis indicates a group called LockBit mounted the attack, as the group announced responsibility in June. Attackers breached cloud storage systems, using ransomware-as-a-service agents to extract valuable data.

5. Infosys (8.5 million records)

Outsourcing company Infosys McCammish Systems announced a major breach on September 6, 2024, potentially affecting 6.5 million records.

According to filings, the attack dated back to late 2023, with attackers active between October and November. There was a long delay between data extraction and discovery.

The effects could be significant, as Infosys serves many massive financial and insurance partners. For instance, the breach exposed thousands of records from Wells Fargo and the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA).

What data types were involved? The Infosys breach involved insurance data, creating a critical identity theft risk. Data exposed included SSNs, birth dates, medical treatments, email passwords, state IDs, and driver’s license numbers.

How did it happen? LockBit took responsibility for the Infosys attack. The Russia-linked group implanted ransomware across the Infosys network, locking over 2,000 devices.

6. UnitedHealth (100 million individuals)

Cyberattackers continue to ruthlessly target healthcare companies, including some of America’s biggest operators. In February 2024, TechCrunch reported a breach at UnitedHealth that could impact 100 million customers.

Health and Human Services (HHS) received a filing in October 2024, and investigations continue. If the numbers are accurate, UnitedHealth could be the largest sensitive data breach in US history.

The attack targeted UH’s Change Healthcare payment processing system, deploying ransomware to take systems offline. The results have been crippling for providers reliant on UnitedHealth. Patients have experienced treatment and payment delays, not to mention the risks of identity theft.

What data types were involved? The attack exposed extremely sensitive protected health information (PHI). Records included medical histories, billing data, names and addresses, and financial accounts.

How did it happen? A ransomware collective called ALPHV/BlackCat executed the UnitedHealth attack. The group gained access to Change Healthcare systems, deployed ransomware, and extracted a $22 million bounty. Sadly, they failed to honor the agreement, taking a vast data hoard.

7. Young Consulting (950,000 individuals)

In August, news emerged of another enormous data breach. This time in the financial software sector. Software vendor Young Consulting admitted an attack in early 2024 had compromised almost a million records.

Between April 10 and 13, attackers freely explored the company’s network. They took full advantage, extracting data relating to a Young Consulting client, Blue Shield Insurance.

This was a major headache as Blue Shield is a HIPAA-covered entity. The threat actors subsequently sought to extort money from Young Consulting. Their extortion failed, and criminals made the data available via the Dark Web.

What data types were involved? The attack involved insurance information, including dates of birth, policy numbers, SSNs, and protected medical information like prescriptions and past procedures.

How did it happen? This is the crucial question. We know the attack was mounted by a ransomware group called BlackSuit. BlackSuit specializes in extortion attacks that access and encrypt data. The group posts this data on public websites until target organizations pay up.

8. Ticketmaster (40 million individuals)

In May 2024, data loss affected one of the world’s biggest entertainment companies. Ticketmaster admitted that thieves had extracted data relating to 40 million customers, making it one of the largest breaches in the entertainment sector.

The 1.3TB data haul included identifiable information and earned the attackers around $500,000 within weeks, which is not bad for a few days’ work.

What data types were involved? Attackers stole personal data, including customer names and addresses, payment data, and purchase histories. This unique information is a big deal as it can be used in identity theft and targeted phishing attacks.

How did it happen? Cyberattackers from the ShinyHunters group accessed the Ticketmaster network via a vulnerability in the customer service portal. They then searched for customer data and extracted everything they needed.

The initial vulnerability involved Snowflake’s hosting infrastructure. Attackers hijacked a cloud hosting account, gained access, and used hosting privileges to access a client database. This should concern any organization reliant on cloud hosting.

9. Evolve Bank (7.6 million individuals)

Finance is coming under intense pressure from cyberattackers, as the May 2024 Evolve Bank attack shows. The banking-as-a-service provider reported the security incident in July, describing a classic ransomware scenario.

Attackers accessed the bank’s network, extracted data, and threatened to sell it. When Evolve refused to pay, the cybercriminals followed through, exposing millions of accounts.

According to the bank, attackers did not directly access customer funds (a common feature of 2024 ransomware attacks). Experts attributed responsibility to LockBit, who has had a busy and productive year.

What data types were involved? LockBit always seeks certain data types above others. In the Evolve attack, exposed data included social security numbers, details of financial accounts, and postal addresses.

How did it happen? LockBit tends to launch attacks via ransomware-as-a-service kits. The attack method for Evolve is not known. In the past, LockBit has paid insiders to allow access, exploited VPN vulnerabilities, and compromised cloud infrastructure.

10. Dell (49 million customers and 10,000 employees)

Data breaches affect small startups and veteran companies alike. Few tech companies are as experienced as Dell. Nonetheless, the hardware giant fell victim to two catastrophic breaches in 2024.

In May, Dell admitted losing 49 million customer records between 2017 and 2024. According to the company, the attack did not include personal or financial data but did compromise personal addresses and purchase histories.

In September, a second incident emerged. This time, hackers extracted 3.5GB of confidential employee data.

This attack only affected 10,000 people, but the small number of victims is deceptive. Information about employees is invaluable for phishers seeking to compromise corporate assets. And the data extracted is exactly what they need.

What data types were involved? The first incident exposed previous purchases, home addresses, and customer names. Dell says that the attack did not involve financial data and SSNs.

The second attack included employees’ phone numbers and social security numbers, employee IDs, and their status. It also included data about partners, not just Dell workers.

How did it happen? Details are unclear. Most probably, threat actors posed as IT support, tricking staff into sharing VPN credentials. We know the incidents were revealed by a hacker named “grep,” who claimed to be selling personal data. Experts believe attackers gained access via Atlassian vulnerabilities.

11. Tile (66 million individuals)

Tile is a device tracking service that should improve user security. However, in June, the parent company Life360 admitted to a massive data breach involving Tile’s customer support platform.

Attackers followed the ransomware playbook, demanding a ransom from Life360. Life360 has not disclosed whether it paid.

What data types were involved? The good news is the breach did not include user location data. Unfortunately, hackers extracted customer names, home addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers.

How did it happen? Hackers used a previous employee’s credentials to access a Tile feature designed for law enforcement officers. This provided access to Life360’s data storage systems, potentially allowing attackers to extract personal information about every Tile user.

It appears that Tile lacked effective multi-factor authentication systems. The company may have failed to remove inactive accounts with administrative privileges, leaving the door wide open.

12. Snowflake (Unknown)

We’ve left Snowflake for last as it is like the “mother of all data breaches” in 2024. Snowflake is a major cloud data hosting company specializing in data processing and analysis. It has grown rapidly in the era of Big Data and AI. However, growth and cybersecurity may not be in sync.

As we’ve already seen, Snowflake was involved in some of 2024’s biggest corporate data breaches, including attacks on AT&T and Ticketmaster. In each case, a hacker known as UNC5537 claimed responsibility.

UNC5537’s task was shockingly simple. All it took to steal data from some of the world’s biggest companies was a few stolen credentials. What’s more, the stolen credentials weren’t fresh. Some had been on sale illegally for years.

What data types were involved? Everything. The attack extended to Ticketmaster, AT&T, Santander, AllState, Mitsubishi, and Anheuser-Busch.

How did it happen? Attackers accessed unencrypted user credentials on a Jira instance by exploiting an unsecured device. After that, they used the credentials to access Snowflake’s cloud environment. None of the stolen accounts had MFA enabled, making access simple.

Looking ahead: what might 2025 bring?

In 2024, we dealt with many types of cyber attacks. In 2025, we will most likely see more ransomware attacks, but against a new set of targets.

As the Snowflake attacks show, cloud deployments are a primary target. SaaS vendors need to strengthen their defenses and master access controls. That’s particularly important as AI becomes integrated into cloud operations.

The Snowflake attack exploited reliance on third-party data analysis resources. Many companies also rely on external partners to leverage LLMs and integrate with operational systems. These partners could easily become victims in 2025.

Whatever cybersecurity trends 2025 brings, now is a good time to improve your cybersecurity posture. NordLayer can help you avoid data breaches in the New Year and beyond.

Our Business VPN and access management tools shield data, secure remote connections, and filter access requests. With our security solutions in your corner, such as traffic encryption and multi-factor authentication (MFA), you can avoid Snowflake-style vulnerabilities and ruin the chances of opportunist data thieves.

About Nord Security
The web has become a chaotic space where safety and trust have been compromised by cybercrime and data protection issues. Therefore, our team has a global mission to shape a more trusted and peaceful online future for people everywhere.

About NordLayer
NordLayer is an adaptive network access security solution for modern businesses – from the world’s most trusted cybersecurity brand, Nord Security.

The web has become a chaotic space where safety and trust have been compromised by cybercrime and data protection issues. Therefore, our team has a global mission to shape a more trusted and peaceful online future for people everywhere.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

Nord Security NordLayer 2024

SaaS data protection and backup leader Keepit secures $50M in funding to accelerate growth and product innovation

New funding will fuel Keepit’s global expansion and product innovation

Copenhagen, Denmark – December 16, 2024 – Keepit, the world’s only independent, cloud-native data protection and backup provider, today announced a $50 million funding round, led by existing investor One Peak , and EIFO, the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark. This funding round marks the company’s third equity investment in the past four years, bringing total funds raised to approximately $90 million.

The latest investment underscores Keepit’s rapid growth and solidifies its position as a leader in SaaS data protection. The new investment will be directed towards expanding the company’s go-to-market efforts and fueling continued product innovation.

Keepit’s mission to provide a vendor-independent, dedicated infrastructure for SaaS data protection has resonated with a broad range of enterprise customers as its solutions already support 5 million users globally. With its latest funding, Keepit is poised to accelerate its global expansion strategy, prioritizing key markets like the US, Europe, and other high-growth regions, while bolstering Keepit’s network of partners.

Simultaneously, Keepit plans to intensify its focus on product innovation, advancing its cutting edge, cloud native solutions to empower organizations in safeguarding their SaaS data effectively and reliably. This will include broader workload coverage and additional data management and intelligence capabilities for the enterprise.

“Our commitment to innovation and solving our customers’ most pressing data protection challenges is what drives us forward,” said Morten Felsvang, Keepit Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer and Frederik Schouboe, Keepit Co-founder and Chief Vision Officer. “This new funding will allow us to expand our reach and continue innovating the most advanced SaaS data protection solutions on the market. We’re thrilled to see such strong support from our investors, who understand our mission and share our vision for the future.”

David Klein, Co-founder and Managing Partner at One Peak, commented on the investment:
“We have been continually impressed by Keepit’s leadership and their unwavering ability to deliver on their vision. In a time when the need for secure, independent SaaS data protection is more critical than ever, Keepit stands out as a leader with its innovative platform. We are thrilled to continue supporting the Keepit team in this exciting next chapter of their growth journey.”

Jacob Bratting Pedersen, Managing Director, Partner & Head of Tech & Industry at EIFO, commented:
“Keepit’s focus on cloud-native, vendor-independent data protection is what sets them apart. This investment is not just a financial decision for us—it’s about supporting a company that is revolutionizing the way organizations think about data security. We believe in their long-term vision and look forward to contributing to their continued success.”

About One Peak

One Peak is a leading specialist growth equity firm with $2.0 billion in assets under management that invests in technology companies in the scale-up phase. One Peak provides growth capital, operating expertise, and access to its extensive network to exceptional entrepreneurs, with a view to help transform innovative and rapidly growing businesses into lasting, category-defining leaders. In addition to Keepit, One Peak’s investments include Akur8, Ardoq, Coro, Cymulate, Deepki, Docplanner, Lucca, Neo4J, Pandadoc, Spryker, and many more.

To learn more, visit www.onepeak.tech.

About EIFO, the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark

EIFO is the national promotional bank and export credit agency of Denmark combined in one financial institution. Active in over 100 countries, and with a total business volume of more than EUR 20 billion, EIFO provides financial solutions for Danish companies and their global partners, while also investing in startups and funds. We exist to open doors for Danish global business, accelerate the green transition, promote new technologies and develop the Danish defense industry. With our willingness to take risks in financing, EIFO paves the way for those who dare to think bigger.

About Keepit
At Keepit, we believe in a digital future where all software is delivered as a service. Keepit’s mission is to protect data in the cloud Keepit is a software company specializing in Cloud-to-Cloud data backup and recovery. Deriving from +20 year experience in building best-in-class data protection and hosting services, Keepit is pioneering the way to secure and protect cloud data at scale.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

Keepit 2024