Fidelis

Cloud Security 2018

In a Forbes article earlier this year, Oracle’s Jeff Erickson listed 5 strategic priorities for chief security officer in 2018. Since the CSO can no longer keep employees and IT resources safe behind firewalls, they have to create new initiatives to keep their data and IT systems secure. Prioritizing the following 5 tasks can help organizations grow and keep an open understanding of risks.

  • Integrating security into development – embed security practices into the development lifecycle so developers do not treat security as optional
  • Automate IT processes to protect data – security alert overload for csos
  • Regulation & reporting – “almost as important as protecting the data is showing that you’re protecting the data”
  • Give your CEO and board clear security metrics – create easily understandable metrics
  • Protect the brand – when/if hackers strike, the hit to your brand rep could be more costly than the system outage, as we’ve seen with too many companies lately

The reality for current Chief Security Officers is the risk of a breach, from an article on Oracle.com based on “Strategic Priorities for CSO’s”. If CSO’s want to keep their company safe, they must be proactive and define appropriate technologies and processes to ensure security is embedded, says Akshay Bhargava, VP of Oracle. He explains how vital clear communication is within the business, across all levels of the organization. Not only should you (and your company) be proactive to protect your data, but you should also prepare for the worst, creating a plan of action in case a breach occurs.

In yet another intriguing blog article based off Oracle, principal analyst Alan, writes about if companies can trust cloud security in 2018. Since SO much of your cloud-based data is sensitive, you must protect it that much more. Who isn’t worried about getting hacked? Nowadays no one is safe. Which is why we can no longer rely on someone else doing it, we must protect our clouds and be proactive.

In a recent survey where 450 businesses were surveyed, 87% said they have a cloud orientation, which shows trust in the organization. 20% said the cloud is more secure than their on-premises environment, and 21% believe the cloud is less secure. 46% of respondents say between ¼ and ½ of their data is in the cloud. The more software is automated, the fewer human errors can ruin the system configurations. In the study, 84% say they are committed to increasing levels of security automation in their companies.

To conclude, the cloud shows a bright future for security in companies. As Akshay Bhargava, vice president of the cloud business group at Oracle says, “Hope for the best, plan for the worst.”

KAT & Associates, Inc. Ranked #43 in 8th Annual Aggie 100

October 26th, KAT & Associates, Inc. (Fidelis BioPharm and Fidelis Enterprise Solutions) was honored at the 8th Annual Aggie 100 as the 43rd Fastest Growing Aggie Owned/Operated Company. KAT & Associates, Inc. had a compound annual growth rate of 49.7% from 2009 to 2011.

KAT & Associates, Inc. honored as #43 Fastest Growing Aggie Owned/Operated Company in the World

About the Aggie 100:

“The Aggie 100, the first of its kind at the college level, was created by Mays Business School’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship, whose mission is to provide encouragement, education, networking and assistance to entrepreneurial-minded students, faculty and Texas businesses. The Aggie 100 is a unique way for Texas A&M University to demonstrate its pride in the accomplishments of its former students while enriching the educational experience for today’s students.

While there are many ways to define business success, the Aggie 100 focuses on growth as an indicator of job creation, product acceptance and entrepreneurial vision. The Aggie 100 identifies, recognizes and celebrates the 100 fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world.”

Our co-owners, Karen Richards, Fightin’ Texas Aggie class of ’92, and Alan Butz were unable to attend the weekend in College Station and the Aggie 100 Awards Luncheon due to a previous commitment so Keith, our Director of Operations, and I packed up and headed to Aggieland. As an Aggie myself, this was a great honor and I was more than happy to attend on their behalf and accept our award.

The two-day event included a Welcome Reception with fellow Aggie Honorees Thursday night, Breakfast with the Dean Friday morning and the 8th Annual Aggie 100 Luncheon Friday afternoon. The Welcome Reception took place in the beautifully renovated MSC and was a cocktail-like event for Aggie Honorees to network and mingle with other Entrepreneurs. Even Miss Rev was there for photo opportunities for a short while!

Karen’s Honoree Name Tag and Mention in the Aggie 100 Road To Success

The Dean’s Breakfast was set up for Deans of the recognized schools to honor their Former Aggie Entrepreneurs.  Karen graduated from The School of Science, but since she was unable to attend I was able to attend the Dean’s Breakfast with my former school, The School of Agriculture and Life Science.

Finally, the Awards Luncheon: this was a great event, set up in The Zone at Kyle Field. If you’ve ever been to Kyle Field, you know how big of a presence it is on the A&M Campus. The Zone was lined with table after table for Honorees and their guests. After a brief history of the Aggie 100, guest and key-note speakers and a fabulous lunch served by members of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets, the award presentation began.

Kyle Field view from The Zone

It was an event I was proud to be a part of with a University I am honored to call my Alma Mater. I am so thrilled our company was honored our first year as an Aggie 100 nominee and look forward to the opportunity to attend again next year, with Karen there to personally accept her award!

Accepting our Award on behalf of Karen Richards

Some interesting facts about the 2012 Aggie 100:

  • This year, there were over 800 nominations
  • There were over 250 applicants that returned the nomination packet
  • 2012 was the most successful year in terms of the number of applicants
  • Of the 100 companies honored, 40 companies were 1st time honorees
  • There were 7 schools represented within the A&M system
  • The 1st class of honorees combined revenue equaled $4 billion
  • The 8th class (2012) of honorees combined revenue equaled $18 billion
  • 3 countries were represented:
    • Chile, UK, Mexico
  • 7 states were represented:
    • New York, Minnesota, Idaho, California, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas
  • Business honored were started between 1962-2007
  • The 100 Aggie Owners/Operators employee over 7,000 employees
  • The 100 Aggie Owners/Operators employee 450 Aggie employees
  • There were 8 father/son or mother/daughter owned companies
  • 8 companies honored have been recognized in the Aggie 100 5 times or more

Thanks & Gig’Em!

Casidy