In the wake of the pandemic, we are increasingly immersed in a hybrid working environment. The remote work revolution that began in the early days of Covid has now morphed into hybrid work. This means that organizations have to be prepared to meet workers where they are, and that could be anywhere. 

Work is now a thing we do, not a place we go, so employees need the ability to be productive no matter where they are. Since 98% of remote meetings have a remote participant joining, security needs to be at the forefront of organizations’ agendas.

On this episode of eXcellerate, Chris Poe and Mark Stephens discuss how security architecture must continue to evolve alongside the hybrid work landscape. 

Press play to learn what hybrid work organizations need to focus on, why technology integration is so important, whether firewalls are still relevants today, and how organizations are dealing with the shortage of cybersecurity workers. 

Stick around until the end to hear Mark define the hottest industry buzzwords. Are his definitions what you think of when you hear these terms?

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• How the security space has evolved during Mark’s career [1:22]
• The definition of hybrid work [11:41]
• What hybrid work organizations need to focus on [16:38]
• Why technology integration is so important [25:39]
• How relevant is the firewall today [30:46]
• How organizations are dealing with the shortage of cybersecurity workers [36:22]
• Defining the hottest industry buzzwords [40:34]
• Where to begin [47:37]

Connect With NWN Carousel 

• NWN Carousel: https://nwncarousel.com/
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @Carousel_Ind
• On YouTube
• On Instagram

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Hybrid work is here to stay which is why it is important to create a valuable employee experience. 

Mark Bowker, a Senior Analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, joins me on this episode of eXcellerate to discuss what’s going on today, how to improve end-user experience for hybrid work, and what the future of hybrid work may look like. Please join us to learn more about the shifting structure of the IT landscape in a hybrid work environment.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• What’s going on today in tech [3:52]
• How to run more capacity on less supply [8:10]
• Native software will drive a more unified experience [10:46]
• Hybrid work is here to stay [12:12]
• How device suites have changed [22:24]
• Hardware is important to decision making [26:39]
• How organizations are controlling end user experience [29:55]
• A big announcement [31:48]
• Using research to make changes [35:33]
• What the future holds [37:56]

Connect with Mark Bowker

• Mark Bowker on LinkedIn

Connect With NWN Carousel 

• NWN Carousel: https://nwncarousel.com/
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @Carousel_Ind
• On YouTube
• On Instagram

Subscribe to EXCELLERATE

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Our hyperconnected world allows us to accomplish things that we never thought possible. Today’s guest on Excellerate, is Mike Mathews, the Vice President of Innovation and Technology at Oral Roberts University. 

Mike has brought flawless wifi to Oral Roberts, so the students and faculty enjoy a level of engagement not seen at other universities and institutions. Learn how Mike is transforming the classroom into the cloud so that the students at Oral Roberts can join from across the world.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• Mike’s story [1:42]
• Oral Roberts University [7:31]
• What has enabled Mike to put these initiatives in place [10:16]
• How Mike gained a facilities perspective [13:25]
• Where Oral Roberts university is going from here [18:20]
• How the metaverse can change the world [20:56]
• How technology helps immersive learning [27:34]
• How blockchain will change the world [32:21]
• Making hybrid-work work [35:41]

Connect with Mike Mathews

• ORU.edu
• Mike Mathews on LinkedIn

Connect With NWN Carousel 

• NWN Carousel: https://nwncarousel.com/
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @Carousel_Ind
• On YouTube
• On Instagram

Subscribe to EXCELLERATE

Audio Production and Show notes byPODCAST FAST TRACKhttps://www.podcastfasttrack.com

Technology use is critical to the lives of all citizens and many organizations in the private sector use the latest tools to make advances in their fields. However, their counterparts in the public sector are often lacking those tools to work and serve their communities. 

On this episode of Excellerate, you’ll hear about the transformation that one town went through as it stepped into the world of technology to enhance the lives of its citizens and employees. Listen in to hear host Andrew Gilman, NWN Carousel's CMO, as he chats with Nicole Raimundo, the CIO at Town of Cary, NC, as well as NWN Carousel’s Regional SVP, Shannon Ludwig, to discuss the NWN Carousel–Cary partnership.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• Nicole’s journey to CIO of the town of Cary [1:22]
• The vision for the future of the town of Cary [11:20]
• How Nicole helped the town envision a future that embraced technology [15:43]
• How Cary used the technologies they had incorporated to sustain them during the pandemic [19:32]
• The projects that Nicole and Shannon have been working on [22:46]
• How to balance the needs of the community [27:17]
• How Nicole and Shannon are creating a bright future for Cary [31:08]
• How to vet all the requests from town residents [36:46]
• How to get more women into leadership roles in tech [42:28]

Connect with Nicole Raimundo

• Nicole on LinkedIn

Connect With NWN Carousel 

• NWN Carousel: https://nwncarousel.com/
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @Carousel_Ind
• On YouTube
• On Instagram

Subscribe to EXCELLERATE

As we enter 2022, organizations are evaluating how they can best serve their employees and customers from an increasingly work-from-anywhere world. Many offices have sat empty for almost 2 years now, so companies are deciding the best way to proceed.  In this inaugural episode of Excellerate, Eric Bostick, CTO of NWN Carousel, joins me, Andrew Gilman, to examine key technological advances that are coming in 2022 that companies can adopt to streamline the user experience.

Excellerate is a podcast produced by NWN Carousel, the leading cloud communication service provider in North America that services more than 7000 clients across various fields. Excellerate is a podcast geared toward technologists, IT leaders, and thought leaders. Tune in to learn how your organization can use technology to adjust to the changing workplace.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• Eric’s background [1:42]
• What people should be thinking about as they adopt technology in 2022 [5:31]
• The great resignation [13:25]
• How visibility is key to transformation [18:50]
• How to do more with less [23:03]
• How different populations communicate differently [27:40]
• What is different in the security space this year [30:02]
• Our philosophy [32:01]
• What secure by design means [34:52]

High-quality video technology is a must-have in this work from anywhere world

Sectors that previously would have never dabbled in video technology have had to adapt to video and remote technology over the past two years. In this work from anywhere climate, people crave interaction and collaboration, so they have to have the right technology to facilitate their needs. 

To ensure a better user experience, it is important to have a good quality video system without the struggle of setting things up. For the people who are going into the office, it is important to provide a video conference room that is hassle-free. Anyone should be able to drop in and point, click, touch, and scan without having to worry about who is on the network or changing ISPs. Listen in to hear how QR codes and survey technology can help employees who are returning to the office.

How to keep networks safe from devices that can’t be controlled

Nowadays, work is something people do: not a place that people go. One issue that many organizations have discovered with many still working from home or the neighborhood coffee shop is that there are devices logging into the network that companies have no control over. Having some sort of network access control is key to ensuring the security of the network. 

Another way to ensure safety across the board is by extending the network to all employees’ homes. The bandwidth is there to maintain system safety and be easy to use while standardizing the home office experience. Choose the right cloud-based security tools that will tie together nicely and interact with each other.

A SASE (secure access service edge) application can help extend the home office experience. If organizations focus on providing a quality experience while providing enhanced security, everyone will benefit.

IT professionals are ready to quit

We’ve all heard about the great resignation. Many employees, especially those in IT, are fed up with the challenges that come with the hybrid work model. It is important to support all employees during this transition because hybrid work is here to stay.

Having a good work setup and the right tools to do the job helps people feel supported. This is another area where collaboration tools can help keep a consolidation strategy. If organizations can empower users for self-service in a cloud-based world while at the same time providing analytics to the IT team, this will be a key component to keep users and the IT department happy in their roles.

Resources & People Mentioned

• The first of Eric’s 3 part blog post

Connect with Eric Bostick

• Eric on LinkedIn

Connect With Carousel Industries

• https://www.nwncarousel.com/
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @Carousel_Ind
• On YouTube
• On Instagram

Subscribe to EXCELLERATE

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We have seen a lot of quick, unexpected changes over a short period of time in network infrastructure. Organizations are trying to evolve alongside network infrastructure as these changes take place. With all of this change, we all want to know what the future holds. 

Join this conversation with Carla Guzzetti and Dan Dulac from Extreme Networks as we discuss the 4th industrial revolution, changes stemming from the work from home movement, and the evolution of network infrastructure on this episode of Always On. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• The 4th industrial revolution [1:58]
• The theory of infinite enterprise [5:02]
• Productivity during the work from home movement [8:01]
• Balancing privacy and working from home [11:12]
• The promise of 5G [19:12]
• How security will be involved in the changes [27:22] 
• The impact of OT [34:01]

Workplaces are changing, so infrastructure must change as well

Covid 19 brought about violent and abrupt changes in many aspects of life all over the world including the way we work. As such, organizations have had to adapt quickly to these sudden changes. As a result, network infrastructure has experienced many quick, unexpected changes over a short period of time. With the introduction of cloud computing and increased remote work, the question becomes, how do we evolve the network infrastructure to keep up with the pace of these changes?

How have people and businesses adapted to working from home?

Although there are vertical industries that are struggling from the pandemic, there are many more industries that are rising to the challenge of these changes and innovating the way they do business. The biggest difficulty some businesses face is how to collaborate when everyone is working remotely. In the face of these obstacles, people have come up with creative ways to work around their struggles and many have become even more productive than they were in offices.

How to tackle privacy and data protection in a work from home world

The hybrid workforce is one way that companies will have to continue to adapt to change. Organizations must figure out a way to take something as complex as networking infrastructure and make it simple enough for everyone to understand. A further challenge will be to keep personal data separate from work data. IT administrators want to control everything they come across, so how can employers assure employees that their personal data doesn’t get mixed with business? There are a variety of solutions that could work, but the best way may be a multi-faceted solution. Listen to this episode of Always On to hear potential solutions. 

Technology will lead the way

There are so many promising upcoming technologies. 5G, 6E, and Starlink are just a few of these examples. How they will work together will change the world. These technologies will open up connectivity to parts of the world that have never been able to connect in the past. This will bring on a further revolution in globalization. Although disruption can be scary, it brings about an opportunity for change. Discover how evolution in network infrastructure will continue to change the world by listening to this episode of Always On. 

Connect with Carla Guzzetti

• Inflection Points podcast
• Carla Guzzetti on LinkedIn

Connect with Dan Dulac

• Dan Dulac at Extreme Networks
• Dan Dulac on LinkedIn

Connect With Carousel Industries

• https://www.carouselindustries.com/
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @Carousel_Ind
• On YouTube
• On Instagram

Subscribe to ALWAYS ON

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Welcome back to the Always On podcast series which connects the dots between security and technology. On this episode of Always On, Lane Roush from Arctic Wolf joins me to discuss the differences between MDR and EDR and how they can be used to help organizations reduce security risk. If you are looking for the best ways to reduce risk, you might be surprised to hear that the answer is not in changing platforms. Listen in to discover what organizations can do to effectively reduce security risks.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• Fleshing out the differences between the acronyms [1:22]
• Who is moving to an MDR provider and what is driving that need [7:57]
• The distinction between the network and the edge [19:49]
• Machine learning supporting the analyst [26:52]
• Using MDR as one component in a greater security framework [38:04]

What are the differences between EDR and XDR?

At this point in time, almost everything has a detection and response component to almost every technology. In the cybersecurity space, you’ll hear so many different acronyms for these components. What do they all mean and what are the subtle differences between them?

EDR is an endpoint technology response that allows for policy building around detection methods. XDR is similar to EDR in that it has the end-point technology but it has the added effect of taking a wider view and integrating security across endpoints. 

What is the difference between MSSP and MDR?

MSSPs have focused on commodity device management such as firewall management. MDR is a purpose-built technology and can identify advanced and commodity threats within the environment. The difference between the two is that MDR is focused and purpose-built whereas MSSP is more of a one-stop-shop. 

Why are many organizations moving to an MDR provider?

In the past, many organizations were able to DIY their own security especially if they were already in the IT space. However, in the last few years, these organizations have come to realize that building a security operations center is completely different from building an app. Organizations now prefer to focus on their core business and would rather invest in a platform and resources, so recently there has been a shift in market trends from self-management to using an MDR. Many have come up with a hybrid solution that helps them find the right balance. 

The best way to reduce risk overall 

An excellent security operation is integral to running any organization in this day and age. As security professionals, it’s our job to show organizations how to handle the strategic side or be the engine. 

Arctic Wolf helps companies outsource their security so that they can take standard security incidents and identify them early so that they can create automated IT processes to take action quickly. Arctic Wolf does much more than threat detection and security response. They have discovered that they can tie these security management devices together with a human response. This hybrid approach will drive down risk in a cost-effective way by reducing the likelihood of an attack. Using an MDR will give the organization a level of maturity but security training within the organization is just as important. 

Connect with Lane Roush

• https://arcticwolf.com/
• Lane Roush on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/laneroush

Connect With Carousel Industries

• https://www.carouselindustries.com/
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @Carousel_Ind
• On YouTube
• On Instagram

Subscribe to ALWAYS ON

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As security professionals, it's our obligation to educate. This is why I have invited digital forensics and incident response expert, Tony Giandomenico from Fortinet to discuss all things detection and response. 

Time is of the essence when responding to modern threats. Threat actors are focusing on time which is why endpoint detection and response must act quickly to mitigate the threat. On this episode of Always On, Tony G. and I discuss endpoint detection and response and getting beyond the next level of context. Are you ready to find a more modern endpoint strategy? Check out this interview to learn more.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• Endpoint protection posture approach and strategy [2:12]
• Getting that level of context beyond endpoint [8:20]
• The differences between MSSP and MDR [16:42]
• Success stories [26:05]
• Finding a more modern endpoint strategy [30:09]

Endpoint detection and response is the next layer of security

What challenges are customers facing with their endpoint protection posture approach? What strategies can we use to protect the human and the endpoint?

Customers are often baffled by malware attacks. They want to know why their legacy antivirus wasn’t able to protect them. They often don’t know that these programs don’t offer the level of protection that they need. Endpoint detection response (EDR) is what organizations need as the next layer of security to be able to keep up with advanced threats. There is a big difference between legacy antivirus and EDR technology. And many organizations have not adopted EDR even though it has been around for a while. 

Malware can hide, but it’s got to run too

Malware can hide but eventually, it’s got to run. That’s when exposure happens. When it runs on the endpoint it exposes itself. But unfortunately, by the time the victim sees the warning the entire data center is compromised. This is why it is important to get the alerts proactively. With proactive alerts, organizations can mitigate the threat. That is what modern EDR tools do. 

Time is of the essence

Alerts are great but often the user doesn’t know what to do to take action. A much better way to take charge is to get an automated response along with the alert. The faster you can mitigate the risk the less impact the security incident will have on the organization.

In the past, we didn’t trust the technology enough to let it take action. But now we know that it can give us reliable information. This automated response can give us contextual information and situational awareness so that we can know the vulnerabilities. This allows the security team to make more informed decisions.

Learn more about modern endpoint strategy and how to get that level of context beyond the endpoint by listening to this interview with digital forensics and incident response expert, Anthony Giandomenico.

Connect with Tony Giandomenico

• Tony Giandomenico on LinkedIn
• Fortinet

Connect With Carousel Industries

• https://www.carouselindustries.com/
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @Carousel_Ind
• On YouTube
• On Instagram

Subscribe to ALWAYS ON

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If Covid 19 has taught us anything it is how to work from home. But is there a way we could make work less work? Working from home will soon change to working anywhere as the world begins to open back up and organizations need to be prepared to address that. 

On this episode of Always On, Toussaint Celestin and Steve Forcum join me to discuss how their companies, Avaya and RingCentral are using UCaaS to streamline workflow. Join us for this relevant conversation. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• Compelling client stories from those who have adopted UCaaS [3:12]
• Taking the next step [8:14]
• Improving the work from anywhere element [14:41]
• Popular integrations [23:29] 
• What have the platforms done to focus on security [30:20]

Not all organizations were ready to work from home

Working from home isn’t anything new, it is something that many organizations have been doing for over a decade now. However, with the rise of Covid over the past year we saw an incredible amount of disruption to our lives and businesses. Virtually overnight, organizations were forced to learn how to have their entire teamwork from home. What we saw was that some companies weren’t ready at all and others simply had to speed up their 5-year plans. Was your organization prepared for the change?

It’s not just work from home it’s work from anywhere

We now realize that Covid is not going to be a short-term event. This means that many teams won’t have members coming back to the office 100%. Organizations will need to adjust to having people not just work from home, but work from anywhere in the world. 

This proposes a new challenge for IT strategies. We all know that a bad remote experience can ruin deals with customers. Organizations need to find ways to share files, have video calls, use messaging, and so much more. 

The power of UCaaS is that everything is under one umbrella

It’s time for organizations to realize that they need to do more than just get by. Organizations need to go from places that support their remote workforce to places that support their workforce remote. This isn’t just a play on words, there is a dramatic difference between the two. 

With UCaaS organizations can thrive in the new normality. Sharing files, messaging, video conferencing, and a whole host of other apps can be integrated into an application that can simplify the end-user experience. 

Listen to this interview with Toussaint Celestin and Steve Forcum from Avaya and RingCentral to hear how they are creating an ecosystem to give the best experience to their employees and their customers. They are giving organizations the ability to have people work for companies around the world work effectively, efficiently, and productively.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Avaya
• RingCentral

Connect with Toussaint Celestin and Steve Forcum

• Toussaint Celestin on LinkedIn
• Steve Forcum on LinkedIn

Connect With Carousel Industries

• https://www.carouselindustries.com/
• https://www.carouselindustries.com/events/ - Join us!
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @Carousel_Ind
• On YouTube
• On Instagram

Subscribe to ALWAYS ON

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The past year has brought about an enormous shift in how we work which has led to security issues on a much broader scale. On this episode of Always On, Wolfgang Goerlich from Duo joins me to discuss how organizations are handling secure access and deploying trusted access at scale. You won’t want to miss our review of a secure outcome study, so press play to listen.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• Trusted access [1:22]
• The challenges that customers are seeing with the remote workforce [4:18]
• Learning what Duo can do for an organization [9:45]
• Improving the user experience [18:50]
• Intangibles that customers are getting from Duo [25:04]
• The outcomes of a secure outcome study [30:18]

What role does Wolfgang Goerlich play at Duo?

Duo is a trusted access company. This means they provide strong assurance for who a person is. This assurance is provided by multi-factor authentication and strong assurance for the devices they are coming in on. Duo also provides a robust policy engine that looks at not only those factors but also considers behavior analytics which factors in whether a person is behaving as expected. 

Wolfgang Goerlich is the Advisory CISO at Duo. He has led security in IT in both the healthcare and financial services industries. While he enjoyed growing teams in both of these fields, Wolfgang loves the fact that Duo is a design first, human-centered company. His role is to help ensure that the CISOs needs are known and met in the product. 

What are the challenges that customers are seeing with the growing remote workforce?

Over the course of the past 12 months, there has been a massive shift in the way we work. We went through the largest migration in human history, and it was unique in that it wasn’t to a geographic place, it was from the physical to the virtual. This virtual migration has had long-lasting effects on both IT and security teams. The remote workforce will continue and even accelerate in the future. 

The security challenges that this shift has created are immense. That level of resilience wasn’t built into organizations. Now we couple that with authentication challenges, application access challenges, data access challenges, and loss of visibility. This is where Duo comes in to play an important role in solving some of these problems. 

How do you deliver services without VPNs?

The remote access side is important but the other side is the visibility into the devices and their activity. Companies never had policies in place before about which devices had remote access and are coming to realize how important it is to create remote access policies. 

What can Duo do for an organization?

Duo is more than an MFA it runs the full gamut of the portfolio of what Duo can do for an organization. It’s device trust, adaptive access policies, remote access, and SSO. Duo focuses on identity protection, data protection, and application protection. Behavior analytics plays an ever-increasingly important role in security now that the majority of activity is outside corporate control. 

The other side of Duo is what they are doing to improve the user experience. The goal is to reduce authentication friction so that the user can have a quality, consistent experience no matter where they are. The executives who are aligned with the business know that this is needed. So many CIOs and CISOs are trying to consolidate it down into an ecosystem that provides interoperability, visibility and context across the stack. 

Listen to this interview with Wolfgang Goerlich to discover how we can simplify, integrate, and reduce complexity while leaving the customers better than we found them. 

Resources & People Mentioned

• Learn more about Cisco and Duo here
• Duo
• Cisco 2021 Secure Outcomes Study

Connect with Wolfgang Goerlich

• @JWGoerlich on Twitter
• Wolfgang Goerlich at Duo
• Wolfgang’s blog JWGoerlich.com 

Connect With Carousel Industries

• https://www.carouselindustries.com/
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @Carousel_Ind
• On YouTube
• On Instagram

Subscribe to ALWAYS ON

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