BEC-related cyber-insurance claims accounted for nearly a quarter of all claims in the EMEA region last year.

Business email compromise (BEC) has overtaken ransomware and data breach by hackers as the main driver of cyber claims, according to the latest cyber claims statistics from American International Group, Inc.

According to stats published from AIG, BEC (Business Email Compromise) accounts for just under a quarter (23%) of all cyber-related insurance claims the company received in 2018, pipping ransomware in 2^nd at 18%.

BEC being at the top of the charts should come as no surprise, as the amount of businesses big and small without a cybersecurity strategy in place is worrying, and if we combine the lack protection with poor education and weak password usage – it’s a recipe for disaster.

It’s no secret that cybercrime is on the up, and it will be no surprise to learn that the number of cyber-related insurance claims in 2018 almost doubled that of 2017, and AIG claims they received more cyber-insurance claims last year than both 2016 and 2017 combined – highlighting the seriousness of this global pandemic.

Cybercrime cost UK businesses over £17bn in 2018 alone, and with the average business forking out over £65,000 per attack, it begs the question, can you really afford to take the risk?

More than half of European firms admitted to some form of business disruption or data loss due to cybercrime in the past 24 months, what’s more, 33% of those companies were from the UK – making us the most targeted country in Europe.

As a whole, cybercrime is up by 179% YoY, with one attack taking place every 50 seconds – putting you and your business at risk more than ever.

It’s not a matter of if you’ll be attacked, but when, so don’t take the risk, get in touch today and get maximum protection for you and your business.

 

FREE 14-Day Trial

With Advantex’s ACT suite, we can educate, protect and restore your business from any vulnerabilities online – giving you maximum protection and ultimately empowering you and your workforce into making better and safer day-to-day decisions online.

Send us your details below and we’ll get you started on your FREE no-obligation trial of the Advantex ACT suite.

Don’t take the risk, get in touch today!

Congratulations to our signed SAFC shirt competition winner, Chris Raby.

We’d like to say a massive thank you to all of those who entered and keep your eyes peeled for more competitions and giveaways soon.

 

Cybercrime isn’t a fad, it’s not a hyped-up deadline like the millennium bug or last year’s GDPR, you know, when everyone lost their heads only to come out the other side alive and well.

Well like them, cybercrime is also alive and well, and is most definitely here to stay.

With over 60% of British firms reporting some form of cybercrime in the past 12 months, up from 45% in 2018, the seriousness of this global pandemic is one we simply can’t ignore.

What’s more alarming, is the lack of investment into cybersecurity, whether it be poor understanding and awareness, or the sheer lack of education, worryingly, nearly three-quarters of UK businesses have admitted they are still not prepared.

Here at Advantex, we see attacks big and small every day, and whilst you’re only likely to see the headline stories, like the record £183m fine from the ICO on British Airways, you’ll more than likely still be telling yourself, “it won’t happen to me”, but you, the low-hanging fruit are an easy pick for any hacker – and with the average cost of an attack hitting a business for over £25,000, it begs the question, can you really afford to take the risk?

Following years of research and development into cybercrime, and the plethora of technologies that are available, we decided now was the time to ACT.

By creating a state-of-the-art suite of technologies, that not only educates, protects and restores your business from the forever-growing threat of cybercrime, it also gives you total peace of mind for when you do come under attack – as it’s a case of when, not if.

Launched in July 2019, ACT (Advanced Cybersecurity Technologies) is at the forefront of cybercrime prevention, utilising the skills and services from some of the worlds most talented and innovative people and organisations – putting your business at the pinnacle of security, making it safer than ever from the imminent threat of an attack.

The Advantex ACT suite focusses on 3 key areas which Educate, Protect and Restore.

 

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Educate

Whilst having a cybersecurity solution in place is the most effective and powerful way of staying safe online, education is also key.

With Advantex’s ‘Educate’ solution, we can empower you and your workforce into making better and safer day-to-day decisions online.

LEARN MORE

 

 

 

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Protect

Wouldn’t it be great if you could protect yourself from past and present type of attacks, all whilst intelligently learning about the threat of tomorrow? Well, now you can.

With Advantex’s ‘Protect’, we can give your business the ultimate protection. Using the industry’s first Secure Internet Gateway in the cloud, Protect acts as the first line of defence against threats online, and the best bit is, we can start to protect you and your users up in a matter of minutes.

LEARN MORE

 

 

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Restore

Get peace of mind with Advantex ‘Restore’.

World-class data protection designed to fit any business environment—from a single workstation to an entire enterprise infrastructure, Restore allows users to seamlessly store business-critical data, and get back up and running in minutes if things were to go wrong.

LEARN MORE

 

 

 

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FREE 14-Day Trial

With Advantex’s ACT suite, we can educate, protect and restore your business from any vulnerabilities online – giving you maximum protection and ultimately empowering you and your workforce into making better and safer day-to-day decisions online.

Send us your details below and we’ll get you started on your FREE no-obligation trial of the Advantex ACT suite.

Don’t take the risk, get in touch today!

 

Advantex is a proud supporter of ‘International Women in Engineering Day’.

INWED is an international awareness campaign set up to raise the profile of women in engineering and focus the attention on the amazing career opportunities available to women in this exciting industry.

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The Past, Present and Future

June 23rd 1919, a group of some of the most influential women in history, ranging from designers to factory managers, rallied to found the Women’s Engineering Society – more commonly known today as the WES.

Exactly a hundred years later, stronger than ever, we’re here celebrating both the centenary of the WES and the International Women In Engineering Day, however, with just 12% of the UK’s engineering workforce being female, the lowest percentage in Europe, there’s still a long way to go in what is still a predominantly male-dominated industry.

“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.”

Malala Yousafzai, activist & 2014 Nobel prize winner.

The engineering landscape is one that is not only forever-changing, but it is also going from strength-to-strength with more and more women getting involved, and here at Advantex, we strive to empower this and encourage more women to join us on this journey.

Whether it be the fear of stereotypes or the sheer lack of awareness, the balance still isn’t right, however, the opportunities for women in Engineering are growing by the day – one we as an employer will continue to push.

 

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Inspiring the Future of Engineering

When Advantex was founded way back in 2002, Directors and Brothers Steve and Dave O’Connell set out to achieve two things;

• Create a great place to work
• Deliver a great service to our partners

With decades passed, that same vision, mission and values has never changed.

No matter the gender, the vision is to empower our staff, our mission is to create a fun, engaging and innovative place to work, and our core values define how we do things, ‘The Advantex Way’.

Whilst we too still have a lot to do in terms of promoting and encouraging women into engineering, we’re already off to a good start with 3 female engineers currently at the business – something we are particularly proud of.

We currently have Georgia Lowery, a field-based Apprentice Installation Operative, and two office-based engineers with Corun McCarthy taking on the demanding role of Service Desk Engineer, and Charlotte Brown as Service Desk Coordinator – ensuring our customers are happy and receiving the best possible support around the clock.

Inspiring the future of engineering, over the past 2 years Charlotte has become a role-model both internally and within the industry as a whole – hopefully inspiring like-minded females to break the stigma and pursue a successful and rewarding career in engineering.

If you’re reading this and feel inspired to make a jump into the engineering industry, why not check out our careers page and see if there’s a role fit for you. (Don’t worry, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, we’re always keen to hear from talented folk, so don’t hesitate to send us your C.V)

VIEW CAREERS

 

 

 

We reveal the most attacked brands online, why you’re at risk, and how you can easily and cost-effectively prevent the threat of an imminent cyberattack.

It’s no longer a case of if you’ll be attacked, but when, and with the majority of us signing up to the forever-growing number of online apps and services online – we’re simply increasing our chances of being hacked.

 

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The Most Attacked Brands Online Are…

You’ll not be surprised to hear that the most attacked brands online are those of our favourite and day-to-day go-to apps like Facebook, Netflix and Spotify.

There are many reasons as to why the bigger the brand the more likely they are to be attacked, whether it be a hacker showcasing his/her talents to the company itself, or the simple fact victims get emails from these brands on a regular and daily basis – making it easier to replicate and deceive the recipient.

In a recent report from security company Dynarisk, the top 20 most attacked brands online are:

Rank	Most Attacked Brand
1	riotgames.com
2	netflix.com
3	spotify.com
4	origin.com
5	ea.com
6	onyentertainmentnetwork.com
7	live.com
8	crackingcore.com
9	realitykings.com
10	xbox.com
11	amazon.com
12	adobe.com
13	wwe.com
14	steampowered.com
15	deezer.com
16	facebook.com
17	beatsmusic.com
18	yahoo.com
19	rapidgator.net
20	hitleap.com

 

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The Most Hacked Industries Are…

The same report revealed that Technology, Computing and the slightly more risqué, Pornography are the most hacked industries online – with the latter being most likely be down to the sensitive nature, hackers will be cashing in on those hoping to be spared the embarrassment of their online viewing habits.

Industry	%
Non-standard content	31.7%
Technology & computing	22.1%
Adult and niche	13.9%
Hobbies & Interests	9.4%
Arts & Entertainment	4.1%
Shopping	1.3%
Illegal Content	2.5%
Business	2.2%
Personal finance	1.9%
Sports	1.4%
Society	1.3%
Food & Drink	1.2%
Education	0.7%
Travel	0.6%
Style & Fashion	0.6%
Law	0.4%
News/Weather/Information	0.4%
VPNs/Proxies & Filter	0.3%
Automotive	0.3%
Home & Garden	0.1%
Couponing	0.1%
Unmoderated UGC/Message board	0.1%
Pets	0.1%
Careers	0.1%
Science	0.1%
Mac support	0.1%
Health & Fitness	0.1%
Antivirus Software	0.1%
TV & Video	0.1%
Web design/HTML	0.1%

Ironically, and cheekily, we see 0.1% of attacks hitting and coming from Antivirus software, preying on those thinking they’re out to help, when in fact it is those infecting their machines.

So, with so many of our favourite brands being hacked and replicated, fooling us into parting ways with our hard-earned cash, it begs the question, what can you do to protect yourself and your business online?

 

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Prevention Is Better Than Cure!

The age-old saying is a fact, and with these top 3 tips, you too can prevent yourself from being attacked and hacked online.

 

1. Three Random Words

We’ve told you before, and we’ll tell you again, password security is key.

Whilst Microsoft has recently lowered its stance on the and expired its password reset policies, that doesn’t mean you should become blasé or incompetent with your password selection skills.

As suggested in our recent The Most Hacked Passwords Revealed blog and the advice of the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre), by simply choosing three random but memorable words – you’re making it near impossible for hackers to guess and gain access to your accounts and personal data.

 

2. Multi-Factor Authentication

MFA is the combination of login credentials, typical scenarios combine layers made up of:

• Physical security: Validates and authenticates a user based on an employee card or other types of physical token
• Logical/knowledge base security: Validates and authenticates a user based on a required password or personal identification number (PIN), which is memorised by the user
• Biometric security: Validates and authenticates based on a user’s fingerprints, retinal scan and/or voice

Adding an extra layer of security is a no-brainer, and by incorporating multi-factor authentication system into your business practice or personal day-to-day activities online, you’ll make it near-impossible for hackers to guess your login credential, significantly reducing the risk of an attack.

 

3. Secure Internet Gateway

The implementation of a secure internet gateway into your business and on your personal devices provides the first line of defence against threats online.

Like we mentioned above, prevention is better than the cure, and with a secure internet gateway you’re putting up a barrier, an umbrella – stopping all kinds of attacks ranging from Malware to Phishing.

Talking of Umbrellas, the industry’s first Secure Internet Gateway in the cloud, Cisco Umbrella provides the first line of defence against threats on the internet. Because Umbrella is delivered from the cloud, it is the easiest way to protect all of your users in minutes.

 

As a Cisco Premier Partner, not only are we able to offer discounted rates to our customers, we can offer you a FREE 14 day trial of Umbrella to demonstrate how effective it would be – making your business more secure to the ever-growing and imminent threat of cybercrime.

Here’s what you’ll get:

• Threat protection like no other — block malware, C2 callbacks, and phishing.
• Predictive intelligence — automates threat protection by uncovering attacks before they launch.
• Worldwide coverage in minutes — no hardware to install or software to maintain.
• Weekly security report — get a personalized summary of malicious requests & more, directly to your inbox.
• 1,000+ users? — You’re eligible for the Umbrella Security Report, a detailed post-trial analysis.

Get started in 30 seconds. No credit card details required, no lengthy form-filling, simply click the link below and we’ll get you set up right away – no catch, it’s as simple as that.

 

START YOUR FREE TRIAL

 

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Still Need Convincing?

Do you still think you’re invincible? Don’t think it will happen to you?

Send us your details below and get a FREE Cybersecurity Consultation!.

We’ll carry out a FREE no-obligation consultation at your business and examine your existing infrastructure and security network(s). As well as examine what you’re currently doing, we will advise on how you can best protect your data – and help prepare you and your business for the imminent threat of a cyberattack.

Don’t take the risk, get in touch today!

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As the North East’s leading technology firm, we’re proud to announce our partnership with Sunderland based ex-servicemen lifeline, Veterans in Crisis.

Founded in January 2018, Sunderland based Veterans in Crisis responds to the needs of troubled ex-service men and women from the British forces.

Many veterans leave the forces experiencing some form of mental health issues, including PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), anxiety and depression, with Veterans in Crisis Founder and Project Lead, Gerard Fowler being one of them.

As a result of his time in Northern Ireland serving for the British Army in the late 1980s, Ger experienced PTSD, but after years of counselling and support from his family and friends – he was able to recover.

Realising there wasn’t a service for veterans with multiple and complex needs in the North East, combined with a genuine passion and desire to help those in need, Ger set up Veterans in Crisis, and in just over a year – has become Sunderland’s prime service helping over 130 veterans.

The service aims to provide a lifeline for every stage of recovery, from support and education, right down to emergency accommodation. And in partnership with Advantex Network Solutions and North East training provider Springboard, which owns the building in Roker, Veterans in Crisis has developed the four-storey facility, providing veterans with a state-of-the-art 24-hour facility.

Springboard aims to support the development of sustainable communities where people have the skills they need for work and life.

Steve Reay, Head of Business Development at Springboard said:

“As a community development and training organisation it is a great honour to support such a worthy initiative, and we look forward to a long partnership.”

Installing the building with the latest IP Surveillance and IT equipment, including infrastructure and wireless Internet access throughout the building – Advantex Network Solutions will allow Veterans In Crisis to provide a safe and secure place for the veterans to get some much-needed respite from their troubles.

Steve O’Connell, Sales and Marketing Director at Advantex Network Solutions added:

“As a former Royal Marine myself, this is a service which is very close to my heart having suffered from mental illness myself which Ger helped me with back in 2016 when I lived in Sunderland.

Seeing the work and services that Ger and the rest of the folks at Veterans in Crisis provide is simply amazing – and to be able to give something back as a business like this is something I’m particularly proud of.

We see so many of our former colleagues who gave so much for their country needing support, with too many of them taking their own life as a result of mental health issues.

I’m excited for the future, and I look forward to helping Ger and his team grow as a partner over the years to come in helping more and more veterans”

With the doors set to open in June this year, the Roker buildings facilities will include a state-of-the-art podcast studio, a classroom kitted out with the latest technology and software, as well as a therapy room and emergency accommodation for those in need of immediate help.

Director at Veterans in Crisis, John Sargent said:

“Establishing a 24-hour emergency facility for Veterans in Crisis is a high priority for us. The support that Advantex has given us has been crucial in achieving that ambition, and we are now proud to call them a partner”

During its first year, Veterans in Crisis has been supported by the Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group and Sunderland Council as well as numerous local people who respond to the cause. They also raise funds, all of which are injected back into helping veterans, via the sale of merchandise including hoodies and t-shirts.

See www.veteransincrisis.co.uk

 

As the North East’s leading and award-winning technology firm, we’re proud to announce we have just partnered with Middlesbrough Football Club to improve the communication and ticketing systems at the Teesside-based football club.

 

We have recently installed a state-of-the-art call management system which has been deployed across the retail, ticketing and main reception numbers in order to manage calls via an intelligent cloud-based telephony system, allowing the club to reactively and efficiently manage their phone lines – especially during periods of high volume and demand.

Head of Operations at Middlesbrough F.C., Shauna Robb said:

“As our managed service provider, Advantex give us the peace of mind that we’re not only in the right hands should something go wrong, but they allow us to focus on our day-to-day roles – ultimately improving the overall efficiency of the business.

On the occasions when we need additional resource or support, they never fail to step up to our requirements.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.”

The partnership has already seen both brands go from strength-to-strength, with Advantex Sales & Marketing Director, Steve O’Connell adding:

“The partnership with Middlesbrough Football Club is one I’m particularly proud of. Being from the area myself, I grew up supporting the club, so to be working with them decades later is a bit of a dream come true.

We’ve worked extremely hard to secure significant growth over the past 12 months, achieving over £2 million in growth – and to add such a prestigious name and local brand like Middlesbrough Football Club as a partner, is just brilliant.

Not only does it give us the chance to showcase some of the most innovative technology on the market, we get a great sense of achievement knowing we enable the club to work seamlessly and efficiently, allowing them to focus on what really matters – what happens on the pitch.”

You can read more about the partnership and download the case study here:

VIEW CASE STUDY

 

El Gato Negro, the award-winning Spanish restaurant and Advantex client, has partnered with Purple to install an advanced guest WiFi network at their three-story restaurant located in the heart of Manchester.

The new network will offer diners a free, high-speed and secure WiFi connection, whilst also enabling the restaurant to capture customer data via Purple’s captive login portal to help them build out their marketing database.

Diners can log in quickly using either a short registration form or their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account. The connection is also seamless, which means when guests who have connected previously return, they will be automatically logged back in.

Since the installation of WiFi analytics just a couple of months ago, El Gato Negro has already collected over 2,000 new customer records.

The Government has released it’s 2019 ‘Cyber Governance Health Check’ report which reveals that only 16% of boards have a comprehensive understanding of the impact of loss or disruption associated with cybercrime.

Whilst we know we might sound like a broken record, constantly highlighting the importance of a having a concrete cybersecurity solution in place within your business, but with this latest and alarming report coming from UK government officials, now is probably a good time to start and listen…

 

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The (Alarming) Numbers

The report, which was published on March 5th shows that 96% of these FTSE-350 companies have a cybersecurity strategy in place, leaving an alarming 4% of businesses totally unprotected, and we’re not talking about a man with a van or your local newsagent here, we’re talking about some of the biggest and best companies in the UK, if not the world.

Whilst the report suggests 96% of businesses have a cyber-security strategy in place, this could, in fact, be a misleading statistic when only 16% of these decision-makers and executives actually understand the threat, meaning funds will be inadequately allocated, and appropriate investments in technology and solutions will not be made – keeping cybercriminals at large.

In addition, although the majority (96%) of these top businesses do have a plan in place, only 57% of them test them on a regular basis – essentially making their overall security efforts ineffective or vulnerable to an attack.

On the whole, the subject of cybersecurity is becoming a forever growing thought in the minds of company boards, with 54% in 2018 saying that the security of critical information, data assets and systems were a priority – up from 43% in 2017 and 32% in 2016.

Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, Margot James MP said:

“The UK is home to world-leading businesses but the threat of cyber-attacks is never far away. We know that companies are well aware of the risks, but more needs to be done by boards to make sure that they don’t fall victim to a cyber-attack.”

Read the full report here.

 

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Prevention Is Far Better Than the Cure!

Like anything, prevention is far better than the cure – so do you really want to wait until after an attack has happened before you realise the level of seriousness and the detriment it could have on your business?

That’s if you still have a business at that point of course!

Former Cisco CEO, John Chambers once said,

“There are two types of companies: those that have been hacked, and those who don’t yet know they have been hacked.”

 

Managed Network Security is Your Best Defence Against Attack

Protecting your network from the latest threats is a daily challenge. To succeed, you need the most up to date technology, the most highly skilled staff, the most advanced software and a comprehensive Disaster Recovery plan.

But all of this protection comes at a cost. Especially if you find yourself in a situation where you need to bring it all in unexpectedly in direct response to a critical situation.

A Managed Network Security service, on the other hand, gives you all the advantages of an in-house solution at a fraction of the cost.

 

Full Protection at a Fraction of the Cost

With our managed network security service, you get all the benefits of having a dedicated security team, ready to assist you in the event of an attack. We protect your workplace with the latest hardware, software and expertise, and secure your network within our fully protected environment.

We take the responsibility of staying up to date with the latest threats away from you and leave them in the highly trained hands of our experts, whose entire job is to stay up-to-date with threats and take action to protect you.

We make the complicated task of network security simple.

 

How Will a Managed Network Security Solution Keep Your Workplace Safe?

• Protect your workplace against newly emerging threats automatically
• Defend against attack with the latest and most sophisticated hardware available
• 24/7 support from a dedicated team of security experts
• Bring expertise into your team at a fraction of the cost

Get a FREE no-obligation consultation at your business and let us examine your existing infrastructure and security network(s).

As well as examine what you’re currently doing, we will advise on how you can best protect your assets – and help prepare you and your business for the imminent threat of a cyberattack.

 

BOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION

 

 

 

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