Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Summer 2024 is about to heat up, and you know what that means. Sun, sand, and surf? Don’t forget to pack your swimsuit and sunscreen! Snow cones, strawberries, and s’mores? Mmmm, yes, please! Sightseeing, stargazing, and … scams? Oh my! Oops. Sorry for ending on such a bummer. But summer isn’t all fun and games and, unfortunately, scamming is on the rise. In 2023 alone, scams cost people more than $10 billion.

When former University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt retired in 2012, she had more wins than anyone in college basketball history. And yet, when asked about winning, the Vols legend is famously quoted as saying: “Winning is fun … Sure. But winning is not the point. Not giving up is the point. Never letting up is the point. Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point.”

For businesses operating along the Southern and Eastern Atlantic coast, each hurricane season ushers in a storm front of anxiety and trepidation — in addition to all that wind and rain. And for good reason. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), hurricanes are the deadliest and most costly type of weather disaster, responsible for nearly $2.6 trillion in damage since 1980.

The word “disruption” gets thrown around a lot when discussing the tech industry. Disruptive technologies. Disruptive ideas. Disruptive companies and business models. Even “disruptive innovation” or its younger cousins, “big-bang disruption” and “new-market disruption.” The list goes on … and on.

Clifford Stoll, astronomer, author, and teacher, often joked about computer passwords. He said, “Treat your passwords like a toothbrush. Don’t let anybody else use it, and get a new one every six months.”

In the gaming world, one of the most popular types is the simulation category. These games are designed to closely imitate real-world activities. As the player makes decisions and analyzes current conditions the results of their choices and decisions impact what happens next in the game. These types of simulations are often used in role-play games, war games, or even business games. The whole point of such games is to teach the player something about their decisions and their environment.

The founder of the Boy Scouts, Robert Baden-Powell, once said “Be Prepared… the meaning of the motto is that a scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise.” Much like the Boy Scouts, IT departments must also embrace the “Be Prepared” motto. Emergencies and accidents are no longer a matter of “if” but “when”.

Confucius once said famously, “A man who does not plan long ahead will find trouble at his door.” No truer words could be spoken about today’s cyberthreat landscape. According to Cybersecurity Magazine, ransomware attacks are predicted to surge from occurring every 11 seconds now, to every two seconds over the next decade. As such, business continuity planning has never been more significant to individuals and organizations.

Technically awards season has ended, at least when it comes to Hollywood. There. were some big wins for Oppenheimer, and who wasn’t feeling the Kenergy? 2024 is also shaping up as a big year for 11:11, as we’ve already brought home several awards. And now we have been awarded the 2024 Cloud Computing Product of the Year Award for 11:11 Cloud , presented by presented by Cloud Computing Magazine.

It’s been nearly 365 days since the last World Backup Day, and we’ve got a lot to discuss. Let’s see, I completed my annual rewatch of The Sopranos. I took a deep dive into the SEC’s new cybersecurity rules and the nature of “materiality.” My wife and I finally agreed on a new sectional for the living room. What else … OH YEAH AND WE HAD A KID. Like I said, it’s been quite the year.