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The Malta Independent | Thursday 5 February 2015
A single DDoS attack can cost a company more than €350,000
A University student engagement is higher online than on campus
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tudents earning a degree online can feel just as connected and engaged - or even more - than those studying in more traditional environments, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in the U.S. and Canada. In fact, Western Governors University (WGU), www.wgu.edu, students rated the online, competency-based university higher in several key areas than other institutions. Online students rated the quality of interactions with their faculty 20% higher than those who actually study at university campus. They also rated the quality of academic support 23% higher and some the amount of students who said that they would attend the same institution again was 25% higher than the average. The overall rating of the entire educational experience was 16% higher. In addition, WGU students believe that their degree programs and coursework are rigorous and challenging, preparing them well for career advancement. “These ratings by our students tell us that WGU is providing a great learning experience as well as high-quality, relevant degree programs,” said WGU’s Vice President for Institutional Research Jason Levin. “Although our students complete their programs in an online, self-paced environment, they rate the quality of their interactions with faculty higher than students at many traditional institutions. This is because WGU faculty members, called mentors, work with students individually, guiding their learning and providing coaching and support tailored to each student’s needs.” The survey, conducted annually, polled more than 350,000 students from more than 600 institutions, both bricks and mortar and online, asking them to rate their experiences.
ccording to the results of a study conducted by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International, a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack on a company’s online resources might cause considerable losses - with average figures ranging from €45,500 to €390,500 depending on the size of the company. For many organisations these expenses have a serious impact on the balance sheet as well as harming the company’s reputation due to loss of access to online resources for partners and customers. A DDoS attack is one of the most popular weapons in the cybercriminals’ arsenal. It aims to make information systems such as websites or databases impossible for regular users to access normally. There can be different motives behind launching DDoS attacks, ranging from cyber-hooliganism to dirty competition practices or even extortion. The total cost reflects several problems. According to the study, 61% of DDoS victims temporarily lost access to critical business information; 38% of companies w e r e
49% of firms paid to modify their IT infrastructure, 46% of victims had to turn to their lawyers and 41% turned to risk managers. These are only the most common expenses. Information about
unable to carry out their core business, and 33% of respondents reported the loss of business opportunities and contracts. In addition, 29% of successful DDoS incidents had a negative impact on the company’s credit rating, while in 26% of cases it prompted an increase in insurance premiums. The experts included the costs of remediating the consequences of an incident when calculating the average sum. For example, 65% of companies consulted with IT security specialists,
DDoS attacks and subsequent disruption to the business often becomes public, adding to the risks. 72% of victims disclosed information about a DDoS attack on their resources. Specifically, 43% of respondents told their customers about an incident, 36% reported to representatives of a regulatory authority, and 26% spoke to the media. 38% of companies suffered reputational loss as a result of a DDoS attack, and almost one in three of the affected organisations had to seek the assistance of corporate image consultants. “A successful DDoS attack can damage business-critical services, leading to serious consequences for the company. For example, the recent attacks on Scandinavian banks (in particular, on the Finnish OP Pohjola Group) caused a few days of disruption to online services and also interrupted the processing of bank card transactions, a frequent problem in cases like this. That’s why companies must consider DDoS protection as an integral part of their overall IT security policy. It’s just as important as protecting against malware, targeted attacks, data leaks and the like,” said Eugene Vigovsky, Head of Kaspersky DDoS Protection, Kaspersky Lab. Kaspersky Lab technology provides continuous access to its clients’ online resources even during complex, lengthy and previously unknown types of DDoS attacks. Kaspersky DDoS Protection switches client traffic to Kaspersky Lab cleaning centres for the duration of the attack, filtering malicious traffic so that the client only receives legitimate requests. This prevents infrastructure and services from being overloaded. Read more about Kaspersky DDoS Protection work principles.
IT execs struggle to meet mobility goals
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new study found that whilst empowering employees with mobile technology remains a top priority for state IT leaders, many state agencies lack the funding and formal strategic plans to fully execute on that priority. This was revealed in “StateScoop 2015 Mobility Study” that was released by American government IT media company, StateScoop and HP. The joint study polled 470 IT executives from American state government agencies. And the following results were revealed: 72% said that mobility was a high- or mid-level priority at their agency but only 57% said that their agency has a formal mobility strategy. Moreover, nearly half said that their agency’s IT and mobile budget is insufficient to address current and emerging mobile technology needs. Six out of 10 respondents say
agency-issued/managed mobile devices are allowed access to public wireless networks, raising the study’s concerns about how best to safeguard agency information. Meanwhile, two of three respondents say the number of mobile devices, including employee’s own devices accessing agency networks continues to grow, creating new network capacity and wireless management demands. IT leaders appear to be facing a difficult time keeping up with demand, according to the survey,
which polled chief information and technology officers, chief operating officers, and other senior IT and program officials working for state government. Seven out of 10 state IT leaders surveyed, for instance, say users “often complain about wireless performance” on their agency networks, pointing to disruptions and dead spots within agency facilities. Developing the appropriate security controls also remains a crucial issue, with half of those surveyed saying it was the biggest challenge they faced in
moving forward with their mobile strategies. “Without the right technology partner, mobility can pose a complex challenge for IT administrators with various issues including dealing with
security, governance, network management and even the selection of which device is best,” said Diana Hansen, manager, public sector marketing, HP Printing and Personal Systems. “IT modernisation from the front end to the back end will help to reduce security risks.” The “StateScoop 2015 Mobility Study” identified recommendations for state IT leaders on the top three things needed to implement successful strategies surrounding accessibility, security, and productivity. On the brighter side, state leaders seem convinced there’s a pay off for investing in mobile technology, citing improved productivity, continuity of operations, cost savings, improved employee retention and customer services among the top benefits. Download the study at: www.statescoop.com
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The Malta Independent | Thursday 5 February 2015
Roderick Spiteri
Roderick Spiteri is Marketing and Communications Manager at MITA and editor of Malta Independent ICT feature
The Malta Independent ICT Feature
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he Internet of Things (IoT) is said to be the most important technological initiative of the decade. IoT is any natural or man-made object that can be assigned an IP address and provided with the ability to transfer data over a network. A new study found that the majority of retailers think that IoT will be this decade’s most important advancement in the technology world; and they are ready to make the necessary changes.
It has become relatively common for students to study for a degree or a post graduate course online. A recent survey found that online students are just as connected and engaged – or even more – to the education institution (in this case a university) as those who attend on campus. Cyber crime does not only cause disruption to the operations of a company but it can also cost quite a lot. A new study shows that the distributed denial of service attack (DDoS) is one of the
favourite weapons of cyber criminals and it can cause havoc to the company’s balance sheet as well as damage its hard-earned reputation. The adoption of BYOD (bring your own device) at work places is now widespread and a recent study found that government agencies (in the US) are struggling to keep their networks secure and to take on the additional traffic. All ICT Features are available on www.mita.gov.mt/ictfeature
96% of retailers are ready for the Internet of things N
early all retailers are ready to make the changes required to adopt the Internet of Things (IoT). This was revealed in a study conducted by Zebra Technologies Corporation, a company providing products and services that provide real-time visibility into organisations’ assets, people and transactions. The study also showed that a majority of retailers believe IoT will be the most important technological initiative of the decade. The study found that nearly 96 percent of retail decision makers are ready to make changes required to adopt IoT. 67% of respondents already have implemented IoT and another 26% of retailers are planning to deploy within a year. Furthermore, more than half of surveyed retailers expect IoT to provide operational and actionable data on the location and condition of tracked objects which can help empower process and cost optimization in the supply chains – and ultimately improve operations, create new revenue streams and enhance the customer experience. Nick D’Alessio, Global Retail Practice Leader, Zebra Technologies said that, “The advent of new technologies has completely changed the way shoppers interact with retailers, but the shopping experience can be the retailer’s strategic differentiator. With the Internet of Things, retailers will be empowered with the intelligence to make strategic, informed business decisions that improve customer loyalty and associate effectiveness while creating exciting experiences for their shoppers.” The study also found that retail decision makers listed real-time locating systems (RTLS), mobile computing and barcoding as the most important technologies for
enabling IoT implementations. Data analytics, security solutions and sensor devices were cited
most often as required solutions for IoT adoption. 56% of respondents listed integration chal-
lenges as the top barrier to IoT implementations, while 47%
mentioned security and privacy as a chief concern.