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4 Things You Need to Know Before Upgrading Cisco ISE

1. Plan for Professional Services Fees

Cisco ISE is a large, cumbersome and complex application and it’s unlikely you’ll have the internal resources to throw at an upgrade. You’re not alone. This is why managed service providers exist, after all. Now with that said, you can expect to be quoted anywhere from 40-65 hours of professional services to initiate, test and complete a full Cisco ISE upgrade. Let’s hope it’s for chronological versions, and not for a significant jump if you’ve been running on a single version for years without upgrading.

Depending on the firm you contract for the work, you’ll probably see a range of hourly rates – anywhere from $175-250/hour. So, if we do the math, that’s $7,000 on the low end and $16,250 on the high end. In some cases, ISE customers have even reported paying more for third-party upgrade support. Mind you, Cisco ISE is also a product you’ve already paid for.

2. Set Aside Enough Time

It’s not hard to find the Cisco ISE horror stories on Reddit and other online communities where people have taken to detailing their ISE upgrade experiences. In more tragic cases, some ISE customers have taken to these threads to seek real-time help from strangers. The reality is that you cannot and should not rush an ISE upgrade. 10 times out of 10, those who have lived through it will suggest testing the upgrade in your lab before pushing live to production. This means setting aside the appropriate amount of time conduct the upgrade and minimize the failures (more on that below).

Configuration is complicated, and the 50+ page system upgrade checklists are a testament to that. If you’re going to manage an ISE upgrade in-house, prepare for more than 40 hours – especially if you’re not an ISE expert. And if things go awry, don’t expect prompt support from Cisco TAC.

3. Prepare for Failure

There’s a reason that Cisco provides extensive documentation for potential ISE upgrade failures – it happens a lot – especially if you opted to tackle it head on internally after balking at the above PS costs. Ultimately, planning for failure means planning for service downtime altogether. To minimize the impact on operations from service downtime, you’ll likely need to spend the weekend parsing through pages and pages of ISE upgrade instructions – missing your kid’s soccer game, unable to take your wife out to dinner, and not watching your alma mater play in the big bowl game.

Sometimes, in multi-server deployments, some of your servers in the infrastructure will not upgrade successfully. If that happens, you’ll have to rebuild the server as a new node and re-join the cluster. Sounds fun, right?

4. Be Mindful of Your Subscription

We all like auto-pay and auto-renew for some of our everyday subscriptions. It’s a little different when you’re talking about a large, enterprise application, however. You should be mindful that Cisco ISE subscriptions automatically renew for an additional 12-month term by default unless auto-renewal is deselected at the time of initial order. Three months before the end of the initial term, renewal notices will be sent to you, and you’ll or partner receive an invoice at the start of the new term.

Now, you can cancel a renewal up to 60 days prior to the start date of the new term, but if the subscription is not cancelled 60 days prior to the start of the new term, the subscription will auto-renew. Mid-term cancellations of subscriptions for credit are not allowed. Starting with the release of Cisco ISE 3.0, licenses have changed and you should check carefully to see if you can import your old license or if you need to migrate to the new license method entirely.

There IS an Alternative

With Portnox CLEAR – the first and only cloud-delivered NAC-as-aService – organizations gain actionable network visibility and continuous risk monitoring of all endpoints across all access layers – no matter device type or geo-location. Portnox CLEAR determines device type, location and level of access for every user on the network. Additionally, the platform can identify operating systems, installed applications, services, certificates and more – helping your IT team ensure compliance across the entire workforce.

With access control based on 802.1X protocol, network administrators can block rogue devices, quarantine noncompliant endpoints, limit access to specified resources and more – whatever your internal policy calls for. As a cloud-delivered solution, Portnox CLEAR is simple to configure, deploy and maintain. With built-in integrations to AzureAD, Okta, Microsoft Intune, Palo Alto Networks and more, you can easily mesh your network access control with your existing tech stack and remain as streamlined as ever.

Portnox is SOC-certified, GDPR ready, and can help organizations in preparation for regulatory compliance, such as PCI, HIPAA and more. All customer data is encrypted in-motion or at rest, user credentials never leave the organization, and administrators can be set to use MFA.

About Version 2 Digital

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 Portnox
Portnox provides simple-to-deploy, operate and maintain network access control, security and visibility solutions. Portnox software can be deployed on-premises, as a cloud-delivered service, or in hybrid mode. It is agentless and vendor-agnostic, allowing organizations to maximize their existing network and cybersecurity investments. Hundreds of enterprises around the world rely on Portnox for network visibility, cybersecurity policy enforcement and regulatory compliance. The company has been recognized for its innovations by Info Security Products Guide, Cyber Security Excellence Awards, IoT Innovator Awards, Computing Security Awards, Best of Interop ITX and Cyber Defense Magazine. Portnox has offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia. For information visit http://www.portnox.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.。

Password Reuse: Understand the Risks of this Practice

Password reuse is one of the main reasons why passwords have been questioned as an effective measure to guarantee protection against intrusion into accounts and systems. 

This practice is extremely risky as it allows a malicious agent to have access to numerous accounts with a single string of characters, being able to steal confidential and valuable data, in addition to extorting a common user.

This type of problem can be especially devastating for organizations, which deal with a variety of information every day and can respond to legal proceedings if they do not comply with legislation such as the LGPD, which determines how the personal data of their customers, employees, and suppliers should be handled.

 

Check out some alarming statistics on password reuse:

  • According to a survey carried out by Google, at least 65% of people have the habit of using the same password for different services;
  • According to information provided by Microsoft, 44 million is the number of accounts vulnerable to hacking due to theft and compromise of passwords;
  • 76% of millennials put their accounts at risk through password reuse, according to Security.org;
  • The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report points out that password reuse is the reason behind 81% of hacking attacks.

In this article, we show you what you need to know about password reuse. Our content covers the following topics:

  • Why is the Habit of Reusing Passwords so Common?
  • Password Reuse: What is the Problem with this Practice?
  • What Are the Most Common Types of Password-Related Attacks?
  • Three Tips for Having Strong Passwords and Managing Them Securely
  • Multifactor Authentication and Two-Step Verification: How Important Are They?

Read it until the end!

Why is the Habit of Reusing Passwords so Common?

People daily connect to different websites, services, and social media that require passwords to access them. The main problem is that it is difficult to memorize dozens of passwords, especially complex ones, which are the most suitable for guaranteeing the cybersecurity of people and organizations.

Thus, it is common for people to use the same password on all their accounts, or to make small changes to differentiate the codes to be used.

But don’t worry: in the next topics, we will bring solutions to this problem, such as password managers and multifactor authentication. 

Password Reuse: What is the Problem with this Practice?

Password reuse is a risky practice for many reasons. Here are some problems caused by this habit: 

  • Multiple Accounts Can Be Compromised

Reusing passwords makes it possible for a malicious agent to hack into an account to have access to others belonging to the same user. And the more a password is reused, the greater the risk of having the credentials breached.

In 2021, Facebook suffered a hack, which affected about 20% of its accounts, leaking data from 533 million people. This means that if your bank password is the same used on this social network, for example, it will also become vulnerable.

  • It Puts Corporate Accounts at Risk

When an employee has no real sense of how much a cyber-invasion can harm the company they work for and how password reuse is associated with it, the organization is at serious risk.

This is because in addition to stealing personal data from this professional, malicious agents are able to gain access to the company’s accounts, causing great inconvenience, losses, and compromising business continuity.

For this reason, we always recommend that organizations promote cyber awareness among their employees and train them to deal with threats. One of the mandatory subjects in these pieces of training is precisely the risks involved in password reuse. 

Accounts become more vulnerable to brute force attacks and password cracking, and the more credentials a malicious actor has access to, the greater their power when it comes to brute force techniques.

And with more and more people trying to protect their accounts with weak and repeated passwords, it has become easier for hackers to gain access through brute force.

Also, with each intrusion, they expand their database, as they increasingly identify complex passwords they can use in future attacks.

The Consequences of Phishing Attacks Are More Severe

Phishing attacks are a means used by hackers to gain access to people’s data. Generally, it works like this: attackers send an alert pretending to be a trusted institution, and asking for important information, such as credit card details, full name, date of birth, and passwords. 

This message can come in several ways, including an email in which the user is instructed to access a fake website and enter the requested information. 

The victim can be instructed to update their data with the explanation that the account would have been accessed through a suspicious login, and follow the guidelines because trusts the institution associated with the message received. 

Therefore, it is possible to say that password reuse can aggravate the consequences of phishing attacks, since the user will have more accounts exposed. 

About Version 2 Digital

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 Segura®
Segura® strive to ensure the sovereignty of companies over actions and privileged information. To this end, we work against data theft through traceability of administrator actions on networks, servers, databases and a multitude of devices. In addition, we pursue compliance with auditing requirements and the most demanding standards, including PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 27001 and HIPAA.

CyberLink’s FaceMe® Achieves Perfect Score in iBeta’s Advanced Level 2 Anti-Spoofing Test and Complies with ISO 30107-3

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — March 16, 2022 — CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), a pioneer in multimedia and AI technologies, announced today Dr. Jau Haung, its founder and CEO, has been invited to speak at NVIDIA’s GPU Technology Conference 2022 (GTC). Dr. Huang will address the role of AI in helping content creators enhance productivity and improve quality when making engaging, professional videos. The presentation will take place virtually on Thursday, March 24 at 11 a.m. CST (Wednesday, March 23 at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT).

GTC is a global AI conference held every half year, bringing together hundreds of developers who share the latest trends and applications for AI, computer graphics, data science, and machine learning.

At GTC 2022, Dr. Huang will share how CyberLink utilizes AI-powered tools in PowerDirector, its flagship video editing software, for features such as AI style transfer, sky replacement, motion tracking, and a series of enhancer tools. CyberLink first introduced its video editing software in 2001 and closely followed rising trends for more than two decades – from SD and HD to VR and 4K, from optical discs and files to online and streaming media – before deploying AI for editing in 2020.

“Artificial intelligence changes every aspect of life, from industrial-level image recognition to video analytics, security, autonomous vehicles and digital content creation,” said Dr. Jau Huang, CEO of CyberLink. “As the world-leading AI and multimedia software developer, we use AI extensively in our FaceMe® facial recognition solution as well as our creative software and apps, such as PowerDirector. It is CyberLink’s mission to help video creators at all levels achieve image and audio superiority, allowing them to create something extraordinary no matter their skill level.”

In the past, the use of motion tracking or motion masks was a labor-intensive and time-consuming undertaking reserved to professional creators. With the help of AI technology, PowerDirector delivers fast, accurate motion tracking – with just a few clicks, making this powerful tool accessible to every creator and for all creations, ultimately raising standards across all video productions.

In the same vein, AI brings some of the most sophisticated special effects to novice creators while cutting down dramatically the time spent by industry professionals. For example, PowerDirector’s sky replacement feature uses AI to precisely segment the sky in a video sequence and replace it with footage of sky conditions that better match the desired effect or visual aesthetics. This feature has the power to transform the atmosphere of a scene in a few clicks. From a practical aspect, it enables outdoor filming in a much wider range of sky conditions, eliminating costly interruption from changing weather or simply waiting for the right time between sunrise and sunset.

To learn more about PowerDirector, visit CyberLink online at http://www.cyberlink.com, or sign-up for CyberLink’s track at GTC 2022.

CyberLink @ GTC 2022 Information

  • Topic: AI-powered Video Editing for Creators at All Levels [S41616]
  • Speaker: Dr. Jau Huang, Founder and CEO of CyberLink
  • Time:
    • Thursday, March 24 11:00AM – 11:25AM (CST, Taiwan)
    • Wednesday, March 23 11:00PM – 11:25PM (EDT, New York)
    • Wednesday, March 23 8:00PM – 8:25PM (PDT, Los Angeles)
  • GTC 2022 Official Website: https://www.nvidia.com/gtc
  • Sing up for CyberLink Track

About Version 2 Digital

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 CyberLink
Founded in 1996, CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW) is the world leader in multimedia software and AI facial recognition technology. CyberLink addresses the demands of consumer, commercial and education markets through a wide range of solutions, covering digital content creation, multimedia playback, video conferencing, live casting, mobile applications and AI facial recognition.  CyberLink has shipped several hundred million copies of its multimedia software and apps, including the award-winning PowerDirector, PhotoDirector, and PowerDVD.  With years of research in the fields of artificial intelligence and facial recognition, CyberLink has developed the FaceMe® Facial Recognition Engine. Powered by deep learning algorithms, FaceMe® delivers the reliable, high-precision, and real-time facial recognition that is critical to AIoT applications such as smart retail, smart security, and surveillance, smart city and smart home. For more information about CyberLink, please visit the official website at www.cyberlink.com

Three Essential Steps for Mac Patching

When it comes to the productivity of employees, few things are as valuable as each user selecting the tools that work best for them. For IT, this means creating an environment that helps employees select their preferred OS platform. When given the opportunity, many users will choose the Mac operating system. 

In order to accurately integrate Mac into the enterprise network, IT professionals need the knowledge to ensure smooth implementation, ongoing support and an effective Mac patching process. Mac is not always difficult to manage, but the procedures for securing, patching and updating are not the same with other operating systems. 

Consequently, IT administrators do not always have a concrete knowledge of how to apply the same patch deployment processes to Mac. Therefore, to help make your Mac deployment as easy as possible, we are sharing three essential steps for Mac patching.

1. Understanding How Apple Provisioning Works 

While provisioning a Mac is not really complex, the process is different from the traditional imaging method. More importantly, Apple provisioning is done through the Device Enrollment Program, which runs in the cloud and can be accessed through the Apple Business Manager Application. 

After registering device serial numbers in the device enrollment program (DEP), IT will register the devices in a mobile device management (MDM) tool. The tool helps IT to set up group policy objects (GPO). This includes settings for the configuration of users based on their designated user group. 

Additionally, it shows the applications that users should see on their desktop and their security access settings. Most times, this procedure looks strange to IT administrators who have only worked in Windows environments. 

The most essential Mac patching process is that the MDM installs the settings and applications to the devices through the Apple cloud. Therefore, end users can start working without IT professionals ever having to physically touch their Mac during the provisioning process. 

2. Deliver Updates to Mac Efficiently

The procedure for applying OS updates and security patches for Mac is simplified with a free service from Apple which is called MacOS updates. For Mac, it’s ideal to test different configurations to ensure patches and updates won’t break any applications and operating systems in the environment. 

The specific services to test include the ability to log into email, utilize VPN services and access files in shared drives. It’s important to test when deploying antivirus software because it can break the operating system and cause machines to crash. 

In order to manage the process, the best tool to use is a dedicated Apple Software Update Server. However, an alternative way is to manage and test patches on Windows and Linux machines. Open-source tools such as Munki and Reposado that run on MDM platforms can act like Mac’s software update tool, which helps IT push updates to end-users the same way they would from the update server. 

3. Secure Mac with Authentication Measures

The major way to ensure Mac security is two-factor authentication. In addition to using usernames and passwords, IT professionals can request a unique code that is sent via a text message which they need to enter before getting access to the system. Alternatively, IT administrators can give users a thumb drive to plug into their devices. Without the unique code or thumb drive, users won’t be able to log in to their system.

For user identity services, Active Directory is the major tool that IT teams are familiar with. However, Macs can have performance issues when connected directly to it. In order to simplify the process, IT professionals can use tools like Apple Enterprise Connect and Jamf Connected to eliminate the need for local machines connected directly to Active Directory, while also tracking account credentials on local machines. 

This method simplifies the login process for end-users while still giving IT departments the ability to implement policies that require users to change passwords every three months. The easier it is for users to get the technical support they need, the easier it will be for IT to deploy and administer Mac security updates. 

The initial step is to ensure that your Mac device users know who to contact when issues occur. This will ensure users can get the assistance they need effectively and efficiently, reducing the threats or vulnerabilities and speeding the patching process. 

Self-service applications can reduce support desk phone calls and tickets. This is due to users having access to already approved and safe applications whenever they need them. Furthermore, the ability to run maintenance tasks to fix minor issues will also help users feel empowered and ensure little issues get fixed immediately, instead of waiting in the IT queue. 

Are You Ready for Mac Best Practices? 

For IT administrators, especially those without previous experience, initial deployment may seem complex, but with the above Mac patching practices and the business tools offered by Apple, your users can be up and running immediately. 

Vicarius is a vulnerability remediation tool that targets cybersecurity officers as well IT managers and operators from the U.S. market. Our products and services are personalized to your unique business and always incorporate Mac best practices. 

Photo by reza shayestehpour on Unsplash

About Version 2 Digital

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 VRX
VRX is a consolidated vulnerability management platform that protects assets in real time. Its rich, integrated features efficiently pinpoint and remediate the largest risks to your cyber infrastructure. Resolve the most pressing threats with efficient automation features and precise contextual analysis.

Pandora FMS wins the Open Source Excellence 2022 award along with four other SourceForge awards

We love uploading this kind of post to our blog. Articles in which we boast about our work and where all the effort of our team throughout the year comes to light. Because yes, we are rewarded once more, Pandora FMS is proclaimed winner in several categories in the SourceForge Awards.

  • Award in the Community Leader category
  • Award in the Community Choice category
  • Award in the Open Source Excellence category
  • Award in the category Users Love us
  • SourceForge Favorite

No more and no less than five awards, including the Open Source Excellence 2022 award, possibly one of the most desired and disputed in the industry in this specific sector. 

Pandora FMS wins the Open Source Excellence 2022 award

As a message to the world from this podium, we want to make clear that it is an honor to know that these awards are only given to selected projects that have reached significant milestones in terms of downloads and participation within the SourceForge user community.

A great achievement to keep in mind, since Pandora FMS, one of the most complete monitoring software on the market, has been considered for these awards from more than 500,000 open source projects throughout the whole SourceForge platform. 

“We are very proud of what our team at Pandora FMS is achieving.  An effort of our entire workforce, users and customers that makes Pandora FMS better every day. This award is a recognition of our entire career and shows that Opensource is still alive and that we are one of the leading and pioneering projects in Europe”, states with satisfaction, Sancho Lerena, founder and CEO of Pandora FMS.

SourceForge is an open source software community devoted especially to helping open source projects be as successful as possible. Currently the platform has about 502,000 Open Source projects in progress, more than 2.6 million downloads per day and a community of 30 million monthly users, who search and develop open source software, and who, from now on, will be able to find the badges achieved by Pandora FMS within its projects page in SourceForge. 

As many of you already know, Pandora FMS is a very comprehensive monitoring solution: cost-effective, scalable and covering most infrastructure deployment options. Find and solve problems quickly, no matter if you come from on-premise, multi cloud or a mix of both. A flexible solution that can unify data display for full observability of your organization. With more than 500 plugins available you may control and manage any application and technology, such as SAP, Oracle, Lotus, Citrix, Jboss, VMware, AWS, SQL Server, Redhat, Websphere and a long etc. A flexible tool able to reach everywhere and unify data display to make management easier. Ideal for hybrid environments where technologies, management processes and data are intertwined. And now, moreover, backed and rewarded by the wide expert community of SourceForge.

How have we come so far?

Let’s go back a little. Pandora FMS is licensed under GNU GPL 2.0 and the first line of code was written in 2004 by Sancho Lerena, the company’s current CEO. At that time, free software was in full swing and the Free Software Foundation in Spain had an active group of which Sancho was a part.

In those days there was no Github, but there was something that united us all: SourceForge. From the beginning of the current century this platform served to unify and enhance thousands of developers who wanted to share their creations with users around the world. Pandora FMS was there from its inception in 2004, although initially it was not called that, but “Pandoramon.” 

*If you are curious about our beginnings, you may read this article about our history.

As of this date, there are several thousand free version users who download Pandora FMS updates through their update system and use it daily. 

Pandora FMS has been uploading every release with its corresponding source file for over 18 years, every day to its Sourceforge project and we are very proud to say that not only do we continue to believe in it, but we have not stopped doing so in almost twenty years of history.

Beyond code, we believe in the power of community, sharing, and growing together. That is why we maintain a very extensive documentation of more than 1000 pages in four languages: Spanish, English, French and Russian. 

Our community website includes a system of forums, an extensive knowledge base with more than 500 articles and a blogh more than 1,900 articles translated into four languages.

Of course, we also offer a wide range of professional services and commercial versions of our software. But, as Stallman himself said:

“Free software” means software that respects users’ freedom and community. Roughly, it means that the users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. Thus, “free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer.” 

Now yes, after all that has been said, we invite you to check that freedom is much more than a slogan. Thank you again for this award. And don’t take too long, join us!

About Version 2 Digital

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.

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