Manufacturing And Warehousing IT News For VARs — August 27, 2014
By Trisha Leon, contributing writer
In the news, manufacturers receive warning about Backoff malware and shadow cloud services. Also, an article also discusses how building a strong collaboration platform can benefit your clients.
Warning Issued About “Backoff” Malware
The government released a statement which appears in Manufacturing.net. According to the statement, “More than 1,000 U.S. retailers could be infected with malicious software lurking in their cash register computers, allowing hackers to steal customer financial data.” The software is known as “Backoff” and was discovered back in October but not flagged by antivirus programs until this month. Jerome Segura, a senior security researcher at cybersecurity software firm Malware Bytes, says that recent security breaches should make companies think harder about how they use their remote access systems. According to Manufacturing.net, “By limiting what portions of their systems can be accessed remotely,” Segura said, “companies can limit the damage that hackers can do.”
How Shadow Cloud Services Can Be A Detriment To Your Clients
Jaikumar Vijayan of InfoWorld writes in the article, “Shadow cloud services pose a growing risk to enterprises,” that non-approved SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) apps are growing rapidly and pose serious risks for enterprises. He cites the growing tendency for businesses to sign up for cloud services without involving their IT department. According to a report from the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), “The risks from shadow cloud services include issues with data security, transaction integrity, business continuity, and regulatory compliance.” The report adds, “Suddenly, shadow cloud is a potentially pervasive gateway to new and unknown risks, spiraling growth of operating costs, and potential increase in redundancies.” Cara Beston, cloud risk assurance leader at PwC, then goes on to explain ways to address challenges associated with cloud computing services.
Collaboration Platforms Can Give Your Manufacturing Customers A Competitive Edge
A new white paper offered by Manufacturing.net, “5 Levels of Manufacturing Collaboration,” details how to plan and build an effective collaboration platform for the stringent demands of manufacturing. It explains how business collaboration differs from social media and how integrated collaborative tools serve as a platform to help manage transactional data, speed decisions, and support proactive attentions to issues. With successful business collaboration, manufacturers can have a clear focus and capture transactional data, resources, and assets, as well as social interactions, which lend a competitive edge.
Security Is Common Theme At VMworld
ZDNet reports that a common theme at VMworld, VMware’s conference in San Francisco. Larry Dignan writes that “Intel on Monday launched its first product for its security unit, a controller designed to automate and provision software defined infrastructure,” adding, “the move highlights how Intel wants to take a broader role in security and is integrating knowhow from its software-focused McAfee division, to play in a market like software defined security.” The controller acts as a virtual machine inside data centers, becoming a broker between security software and infrastructure, which according to Dignan hits on “two key themes at VMworld: Hybrid data centers and software defined infrastructure.”
For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Manufacturing And Warehousing Tech Center.