Brisbane Legal IT Community Roundtable 2018

Summary

This blog post, "Brisbane Legal IT Community Roundtable 2018", is a blueAPACHE article from 2018 covering security. Last week, blueAPACHE and Palo Alto Networks had the pleasure of hosting an intimate roundtable discussion with senior IT leaders of the Brisbane Law Firm community. Hosted at the Alchemy Restaurant & Bar, the attendees including blueAPACHE team members were joined by very special guest Sean Duca, the Vice President and Regional Chief Security Officer Asia Pacific of Palo Alto Networks. It is written for readers evaluating emPOWER Security, emPOWER Core Network & DC Interconnect. The underlying security practice it describes, reducing attack surface and improving detection and response, is not tied to a specific product version and remains relevant to any organisation managing cyber risk today.

Key facts

Article

Last week, blueAPACHE and Palo Alto Networks had the pleasure of hosting an intimate roundtable discussion with senior IT leaders of the Brisbane Law Firm community. Hosted at the Alchemy Restaurant & Bar, the attendees including blueAPACHE team members were joined by very special guest Sean Duca, the Vice President and Regional Chief Security Officer Asia Pacific of Palo Alto Networks. The topic of discussion centred on how legal firms can obtain greater visibility and control across their network and gain a better understanding on the security gaps within their firm. It was widely accepted among attendees that it is not a matter of if they will suffer a data breach, but a matter of when, and therefore the focus should be on lowering the probability of a breach by improving protection, detection and response methods in relation to data protection. However, the IT landscape in today’s Law Firms has become more complex; storing data not only in on-premise environments but in Private Cloud, Public Cloud, hosted applications (SaaS) and the devices of their mobile workforce. It was agreed that traditional security measures which only at the perimeter, or other ‘point solutions’, are not sufficient anymore. Many of today’s stealthy, advanced and persistent cyber-attacks avoid traditional security measures throughout the attack life-cycle. It is becoming increasingly difficult to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to coordinating protection and response across multiple attack vectors. There were common challenges being experienced around end user education and staff self-awareness. Some believed that it’s everyone’s responsibility when it comes to being cyber-secure, whereas the counter viewpoint was it was the IT department’s responsibility to implement technologies that will protect users from themselves. It was widely agreed that at the end of the day, there is no one silver bullet, but a combination or ‘tapestry’ of security layers that are needed to cover all potential security gaps. However, to understand what additional layers you require, first you need to understand the gaps that exist. A big thank you to all who attended, it was a very enjoyable and informative event. For anyone who is interested in how you can assess the security gaps in your organisation, or joining a future roundtable discussion, please reach out to blueAPACHE. Contact us here to speak to our experts on how blueAPACHE can help improve your organisation’s risk profile.

Related

• emPOWER Security
• emPOWER Security (pillar hub)
• emPOWER Core Network & DC Interconnect
• emPOWER Connectivity (pillar hub)
• blueAPACHE Cloud (case study)

Frequently asked questions

Who did blueAPACHE partner with to host the Brisbane Legal IT roundtable, and who was the special guest?

blueAPACHE co-hosted the event with Palo Alto Networks. The special guest was Sean Duca, Vice President and Regional Chief Security Officer Asia Pacific at Palo Alto Networks.

Where was the roundtable held and who attended?

The discussion was hosted at the Alchemy Restaurant & Bar and brought together senior IT leaders from the Brisbane Law Firm community alongside blueAPACHE team members.

What view did attendees widely accept about data breaches?

Attendees agreed it is not a matter of if a firm will suffer a data breach but when, so the focus should be on lowering the probability of a breach by improving protection, detection and response methods.

Why did the group agree that traditional perimeter security is no longer sufficient for law firms?

Law firm data now sits across on-premise environments, private cloud, public cloud, hosted SaaS applications and mobile workforce devices, so security measures that only cover the network perimeter or single point solutions no longer address the real exposure.

What debate came up around whose responsibility cyber security is?

Attendees split between two views: some believed cyber-safety is everyone's responsibility, while others argued it is the IT department's job to implement technologies that protect users from themselves.

What did the roundtable conclude is needed instead of a single security product?

The group agreed there is no single silver bullet, but rather a combination or "tapestry" of security layers is needed, and that organisations first need to understand which gaps exist before adding those layers.

What kind of attacks did the discussion say are hardest for firms to defend against?

The roundtable highlighted stealthy, advanced and persistent cyber-attacks that avoid traditional security measures across the whole attack lifecycle, making it harder to coordinate protection and response across multiple attack vectors.

What can a reader do if they want to assess their organisation's security gaps after reading this post?

The article invites readers to reach out to blueAPACHE directly to assess the security gaps in their organisation or to join a future roundtable discussion.

Source

• origin post (2018)

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