Kissing the Blarney Stone

My luggage wasn’t waiting for me at Heathrow as British Airways said it would be Friday morning; it got sent to Helsinki instead. But BA flew it back from Helsinki and it finally caught up with me last night in Cork, Ireland. It was so good to change into clean clothes!

This morning I visited Blarney Castle (pictures below) in the nearby town of Blarney. The castle was originally built about 800 years ago and rebuilt after it was destroyed in the 1400s. It’s most famous for its Blarney Stone, which visitors kiss so they can say they “kissed the Blarney Stone.” The stone is on the side of the castle about 100 feet off the ground. To kiss it, you have someone hold your feet and you lean backward over the wall of the castle. (They actually have a man at the top of the castle whose job is to hold you as you lean over.) The phrase “kissing the Blarney Stone” comes from what they used to do to interrogate prisoners. If a prisoner wouldn’t talk, they’d take him to the top of the castle and hang him over the edge by his feet so he was “kissing the Blarney Stone.” If he didn’t talk, they dropped him. Having hung over the side now myself, I can say without hesitation that I’d sing like a bird.

The Irish countryside is beautiful, and the castles that dot the landscape only make it more so. (One thing we definitely lack in the U.S. is castles!) Microsoft’s Clare Dillon was gracious enough to give me a personal tour of Cork and even introduced me to Irish pubs, where we watched Ireland beat Wales 1-0. She also educated me about the history of Ireland. Apparently Ireland has endured many revolutions over the years, but most of them failed because the revolutionaries couldn’t resist stopping by the local pub for a pint or two on the way to battle.

The more I learn about Ireland, the more I fall in love with it. Microsoft should hold more events in Ireland!

Blarney Castle (1)Blarney Castle (2)Blarney Castle (3)

Atmosera Enterprise Cloud Security and Compliance Adoption Increases as Market Favors Cloud-Based Solutions

Higher Use of Public Cloud Services, Evolving Regulatory Requirements, and Dynamic Computing Models Are Driving Demand for Cloud Security & Compliance

Read Press Release

News Summary

PORTLAND, OR — March 21, 2018 — Atmosera, a premier Tier-I Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) and one of CRN’s 2018 MSP Managed Security 100, today announced increasing adoption of its cloud security and compliance solutions as companies gravitate toward cloud-based environments for their mission critical applications. The governance and security of modern IT environments is increasingly lacking for on-premise environments which is creating a coverage gap. As a result, the demand for cloud-based alternatives from CSPs like Atmosera is on the rise.

According to Gartner, “The cloud-based security services market will reach close to $9 billion by 2020… Increasing security threats, operational and cost benefits and staffing pressures drive market growth.”(1) Furthermore, the market research firm stated, “SIEM, IAM and emerging technologies are the fastest growing cloud-based security services segments.”

“Cloud security processes and tools enable organizations to maintain security and control, while complying with regulatory and contractual requirements,” analysts wrote in a Gartner report. “Organizations that take a strategic approach to the selection and ongoing management of their CSPs are saving money and taking better advantage of the expanding set of cloud services, while still maintaining security, auditability and regulatory compliance.”(2)

“Companies are under pressure to implement a better Information Security posture to preserve the integrity of their data and applications which are critical to their business success,” said Ray Espinoza, Vice President of Information Security & Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Atmosera. “Staying abreast of all possible IT-related threats, and the means to counter them, has become paramount for any company and not just those who are in regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services. We have a deep understanding of enterprise-level cloud security and continue to rapidly evolve our services to stay on top of the evolving threat landscape and ensure our customers have the best possible solution.”

As noted in the Cloud Security Primer for 2018 by Gartner, “All IT professionals regularly confront a common set of cloud computing dynamics: An irresistible demand for higher use of public cloud services; changing expectations for the level and form of cloud control; an evolving regulatory regime; highly dynamic computing models that complicate visibility and policy enforcement; and a lack of consensus on risk assessment, security and governance best practices.”(3)

Atmosera answers these concerns with enterprise-class security and compliance solutions that ensure cloud deployments are protected against the rise of increasingly sophisticated security threats. The company’s proven approach to securing mission critical cloud environments ensures that potential risks are identified and trigger immediate mitigation. With Atmosera, companies using the Microsoft Cloud Platform and Azure can feel protected against commonly encountered threats, including malware, phishing, SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting (XSS), Denial-of-Service (DoS), session hijacking, man-in-the-middle attacks, credential reuse, ransomware, and more.

With more than two decades of experience securing hosting and cloud customer environments, Atmosera has over 200 customers across a number of industries including over 30% in highly regulated environments needing to comply with HIPAA/HITECH, HITRUST, PCI-DSS and IRS-1075. Customers select Atmosera for the CSP’s ability to right size cloud security for their operations. Atmosera’s expertise comes from the ability to offer flexible InfoSec and compliance frameworks that best meet the unique demands of each customer.

To learn more about Atmosera Security and Compliance, please visit: https://www.atmosera.com/atmosera-brings-enterprise-class-security-compliance/

Tweet This: @Atmosera Security and Compliance Adoption Rises as Enterprises Shift To Cloud Solutions http://bit.ly/2s2gptO #Compliance #InfoSec

Resources:
– Contact Atmosera today at: https://www.atmosera.com/contact/
– Follow Atmosera on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/atmosera
– Follow Atmosera on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atmosera
– Learn more about how Atmosera’s Information Security and Compliance services https://www.atmosera.com/security-and-compliance/
– Read the National Paycard Provider case study https://www.atmosera.com/Solutions/safeguard-sensitive-cardholder-data-and-stay-compliant/
– Read the Telephony Health Services Provider case study https://www.atmosera.com/improve-telephony-behavioral-health-services/
– Read the Coordinated Care Organization case study https://www.atmosera.com/achieving-a-healthy-data-warehouse/

(1) Gartner Press Release, Gartner Forecasts Worldwide Cloud-Based Security Services to Grow 21 Percent in 2017, June 13, 2017, https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3744617
(2) Gartner, “Cloud Security Primer for 2018”, Jay Heiser, January 17, 2018, https://www.gartner.com/doc/3846464
(3) Gartner, “Cloud Security Primer for 2018”, Jay Heiser, January 17, 2018, https://www.gartner.com/doc/3846464

About Atmosera
With over 20 years of industry experience, Atmosera is a leading provider of business-class Microsoft cloud managed services. Award-winning Atmosera Managed Azure Services simplify the process of transitioning from legacy three-tier IT architecture to the Microsoft Cloud Platform for improved IT transparency, security, and trust. Atmosera is a 100% focused on Microsoft and is a Gold Level Tier 1 CSP with Microsoft COSN and Azure Certified for Hybrid designations. With hundreds of customers worldwide, Atmosera service capabilities span the globe and reach across every business sector. To learn more about Atmosera Managed Azure Services, please visit https://www.atmosera.com/managed-azure/ or call +1.800.903.4852.

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Contact Atmosera
+1.503.222.2202 or +1.800.903.4852 | marketing@atmosera.com

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