FA L L 2 0 2 3 VOLUME 2 • I SSUE 3 3 SERVICE SPOTLIGHT: ENHANCED SECURITY 4 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: CARSON INSURANCE GROUP 5 TEAM SPOTLIGHT: CLIENT CARE 6 2024 CYBERSECURITY REPORT INSIDE CONTENTS OXEN NETWORKED
2 FA L L 2 0 2 3 This issue is a shining example of OXEN Technology’s best. Why do I say that? Because it contains three spotlight articles, so you won’t be in the dark about what our company does. On page 3, there’s a Service Spotlight on Enhanced Security. OXEN Technology offers this comprehensive but accessible suite of proactive monitoring and management services to defend you and your network on multiple fronts. You’ll find a Business Spotlight on Carson Insurance Group on pages 4 and 5. This independent insurance agency gives its customers the advantages of more options and better values. OXEN Technology has provided network security services and IT support to Carson Insurance Group and its parent company Carson Bank for nearly five years, and we’re honored to serve in this capacity. The third spotlight article in this issue is page 5’s Team Spotlight on Client Care. This team is where much of the communication starts between our clients and OXEN Technology, and we want you to know more about this amazing group of individuals. Pages 6 and 7 contain the 2024 Cybersecurity Report written by Ryan Pieken, Sr. Consultant – CIO/CISO Services. To prepare for the year ahead, be sure to see what he has to say about security requirements, cloud services, and more. If you’re concerned about IT issues at your organization, contact OXEN Technology. We may be able to shine a spotlight on vulnerabilities you need to address. Sincerely, Kelle White Vice President, Sales OXEN Technology CENTRAL IOWA Ames Office hello@oxen.tech WESTERN IOWA Harlan Office / Corporate Headquarters EASTERN NEBRASKA Omaha Office hello@oxen.tech CENTRAL KANSAS Wichita Office hello@oxen.tech SOUTHWEST MISSOURI Joplin Office hello@oxen.tech OXEN NETWORKED is a publication of OXEN Technology. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, electronic, photocopying, recording, mechanical, or otherwise without the prior written permission of OXEN Technology. All rights are reserved. EDITORIAL AND CIRCULATION CONTACT: Kelle White, VP of Sales & Marketing 316.500.2362, kwhite@oxen.tech TRADEMARKS: All brand names and product names used in this publication are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ADDITIONAL ISSUES: Extra issues are available to business customers on a limited basis while supplies last. Contact Kelle White at 316.500.2362. POSTMASTER SEND CHANGES TO: Kelle White, VP of Sales & Marketing OXEN Technology Wichita, KS 67209 kwhite@oxen.tech Copyright © 2023 by OXEN Technology and Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc. OXEN NETWORKED PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
FA L L 2 0 2 3 3 OXEN NETWORKED Let OXEN Technology provide invaluable security for an accessible price If your network is attacked and cybercriminals gain access to your data, it could be devastating. Sadly, some small businesses are never able to recover after becoming the victim of such attacks. Don’t think it can’t happen to you. Take action now, and you’ll sleep better at night. OXEN Technology offers a comprehensive, integrated suite of proactive monitoring and management services to defend you and your network on multiple fronts. It’s called Enhanced Security and includes the following: ENDPOINT SECURITY • Endpoint Detection and Recovery (EDR) – Agent-based threat detection software that can address malware, exploits, and insider attacks on your network. SECURITY OPERATIONS CENTER (SOC) • SOC2 Certified Virtual SOC – Security compliance standard • 24/7/365 Endpoint Monitoring and Alerting – Global SOC team supports in real time, delivering information and insights on known and potential threats. • Data Collection -- Analyze data in a customizable dashboard, investigate events with powerful threat intelligence tools, and work collaboratively with Pillr security analysts and threat hunters to remediate issues. While Enhanced Security provides enterprise-level security services, it’s priced to be accessible for businesses of any size—whether you have five or 10 PCs to hundreds. Justin Nevins, Vice President of Engineering, said, “Many customers come to OXEN Technology because they don’t have the expertise and/or the time to address cybersecurity properly. That’s totally understandable, given the complexity of today’s networks and IT environment and the corresponding complexity of the threats out there. Let OXEN Technology’s team address the cybersecurity needs of your business, and let your team do what you do best.” WAYS TO BOOST YOUR DEFENSES Preparedness to respond to a security incident is vital. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg of your cybersecurity strategy. There are many other ways of boosting your organization’s defenses against security incidents. For example, you can: • Train your employees regularly and make them aware of the importance of cybersecurity. • Restrict access to sensitive data. • Tighten the perimeter of your IT infrastructure. • Enforce a strict BYOD policy. Take particular note of that last item. Many security issues arise from employees using personally owned devices for work-related matters. You can mitigate such risks by implementing a comprehensive BYOD policy that outlines specific requirements, restrictions, and sanctions. Not sure how to create a policy from scratch? OXEN Technology has a BYOD policy template you can download for free and customize to match your needs. You’ll find it at marketing.oxen. tech/oxentech-BYOD-PolicyTemplate. Call 888.296.3619 if you’d like additional help. SERVICE SPOTLIGHT: ENHANCED SECURITY
4 FA L L 2 0 2 3 The idea for Carson Insurance Group developed during a casual conversation in 2006 between Mulvane insurance agent Gary McGuire and then President of Carson Bank, Frank Carson III. What if we made the services of an independent insurance agency available to bank customers and others in the community? A few days later, Carson Insurance Group was born. Initially located within the Carson Bank building in Mulvane, Carson Insurance Group later moved next door to its own 2,600-square-foot building at 122 W. Main St. MORE VARIETY AND VALUE As an independent insurance agency, Carson Insurance Group offers benefits that agencies selling just one brand of insurance can’t offer. By representing eight different companies—Nationwide Insurance, EMC Insurance Group, Farmers Alliance, Liberty Mutual, Peerless Insurance, Progressive, Safeco Insurance, and Travelers—Carson Insurance Group can compare coverage and prices to find the best possible value for each customer’s individual circumstances. Options include a full range of home, renters, auto, business, life, and health insurance products as well as retirement plans. Gary McGuire, Principal Agent, said, “We’re not beholden to any one company, which means our customers don’t have to change agencies if their insurance and service needs change.” Many members of the Carson Insurance Group staff worked in other fields before entering the insurance business, such as real estate, accounting, coaching, and education. McGuire noted, “This diversity of backgrounds helps our customers and staff relate to each other better. We’re licensed professionals with strong local ties.” STRENGTH OF OXEN TECHNOLOGY Another factor that’s important to the agency’s success is having strong network and IT support. OXEN Technology began working with Carson Bank and Carson Insurance Group at the same time. BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT This Kansas agency understands the power of independence CARSON INSURANCE GROUP
FA L L 2 0 2 3 5 OXEN NETWORKED Scott Nelson, CFO of Carson Bank, explained, “Everything was done under the Carson Bank umbrella, meaning any IT choices were made for the bank first and Carson Insurance Group had to adapt if needed. One of the great things about OXEN Technology is their ability to handle the high compliance and high security needs of a bank, but also develop tailored solutions for other types of businesses. OXEN has extensive experience across different industries.” Nelson added, “A big challenge that Carson Insurance Group had while under Carson Bank’s IT infrastructure was figuring out how to maintain work-fromanywhere flexibility. OXEN Technology was able to bring solutions to the table that allow Carson Insurance Group’s team to work from any location as if they were sitting at their office desk. Whether it’s a business in Arizona or Oklahoma or a farm in Southwest Kansas, they can access all the information they need at any time.” Carson Insurance Group uses the following solutions from OXEN Technology, and McGuire shared what he values about each of them: • Managed Enhanced Security and CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) Services – “We work with dozens of carriers across our business lines, and the peace of mind that our systems are constantly being scanned for any virus or malware lets us sleep at night. The solutions for email, attachment, and phishing attempts allows us to interact safely with all our customers.” • Managed Firewall – “This solution protects our customers’ information and the integrity of their policy information.” • Managed Backup – “No matter how well the other OXEN Technology services work, we need to be confident in our ability to recover from an incident or hardware failure. The backup solution is robust and tested.” Perhaps one reason Carson Insurance Group and OXEN Technology have such a successful working relationship is a common thread. Both are in the “peace of mind” business. TEAM SPOTLIGHT: CLIENT CARE OXEN Technology’s decision to maintain an in-house Help Desk and Client Care team rather than outsourcing this function is unique. By doing so, we provide faster response times and a deeper knowledge of our products and services. The Client Care team works out of our office in Harlan, Iowa, and includes these experienced individuals: • Kim Marples holds a BBA in transportation and logistics and previously worked as an assistant traffic manager at Monfort and an account manager at Werner Enterprises. She joined OXEN Technology in 2000. • Cheyanne Jurgensen worked as an office manager before starting with OXEN Technology in 2012. • Angie McGraine has been with us since 2011. Prior to then, she was a scheduler and dispatcher for a trucking company. Kim Marples, Client Care Manager, said, “I think of the Client Care team as the central hub of OXEN Technology. Much of the communication with clients starts with us, and we work closely with sales, operations, and engineers to coordinate schedules, tickets, and project updates. We also track the status of all tickets and projects to ensure they’re completed, and clients are satisfied. We work with dozens of carriers across our business lines, and the peace of mind that our systems are constantly being scanned for any virus or malware lets us sleep at night.” — GARY MCGUIRE, PRINCIPAL AGENT, CARSON INSURANCE GROUP (From left) Kim Marples, Client Care Manager; Cheyanne Jurgensen, Client Care; and Angie McGraine, Client Care
6 FA L L 2 0 2 3 As I think about 2024 and what the future holds for cybersecurity, there are exciting tools on the horizon to help secure the networks of small businesses. Of course, the bad guys are also innovating and evolving, but more things are happening proactively rather than reactively than ever before in the cybersecurity space. This is encouraging, since organizations have long been in a state of constant reaction to the latest threats and vulnerabilities. It’s not time to sit back and be complacent, however. Many of these new developments are yet to come into full practicality, so we still have cybersecurity work to do. Let’s explore what’s ahead. REALITY IS SETTING IN Finally, after years of hacks and compromises of networks around the world, most people now have a firm grip on the reality that cybersecurity must be integrated into their lives and businesses. (Some are unfortunately still in denial, but they’re in the minority.) This acceptance of reality creates synergy between security professionals and the organizations they serve, keeping us moving together in the right direction and accelerating the implementation of improved cybersecurity practices. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS While nobody likes to be forced to do anything, security requirements—through regulation, qualification for cyber insurance coverage, or standards that must be met to get grant money—do result in basic cybersecurity work being implemented. Those who are already doing what they should be doing on the cybersecurity path are not burdened by these requirements. Remember, external entities aren’t the ones forcing you if you choose to take precautions on your own beforehand. CQ (CYBERSECURITY QUOTIENT) There’s IQ (intelligence quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient). I’ll take the liberty to make up my own term, CQ (cybersecurity quotient), to measure the knowledge of cybersecurity. CQ levels are rising as people learn more about all things cybersecurity and make smarter decisions. They refrain from clicking on the link in phishing emails, transfer private information using encryption, and ask about cybersecurity before buying a new software package. SECURING OUT IN THE OPEN New software is increasingly available that allows us to make the public cloud a private resource. Secure Gateway Services are redefining what securing IT means. As we’ve moved more of our private information into public cloud services like Microsoft 365 or G-Suite, you commonly hear, “Well, that needs to be open so we can get to it from anywhere.” Secure Gateway Services provide ways to not only replace traditional VPN clients to 2024 CYBERSECURITY REPORT By Ryan Pieken, Sr. Consultant – CIO/CISO Services You have more and better resources to proactively increase security
FA L L 2 0 2 3 7 OXEN NETWORKED the internal network, but also extend that reach to cloud resources. They allow users to securely get to all resources from anywhere, while making those same resources nearly impossible to get to outside of the secure gateway. Secure Gateway Services have the ability to require authentication and MFA for resources that are not able to support MFA, whether they are internal or external to your network. These solutions make life easier for users while they enhance security, which is a rare find in the cybersecurity world. CLOUD SERVICES AND SECURITY GREW UP TOGETHER Many on-premise operating systems and programs were not designed with security in mind. Security was an afterthought, as if it was bolted on to the side of the program. While it’s not true of all software solutions, cloud software providers generally have the distinct advantage of knowing about cybersecurity before coding the program. Think about people who grew up with the internet as children compared to those who first experienced the internet as adults. For those in the latter group, using internet-connected devices may still feel a bit clunky and unnatural. But the people who literally grew up with an iPad in their hands are almost one with the internet. It’s part of them. The same is true for software “growing up.” Well-designed software that develops from the beginning with security features just naturally works well since security is intrinsically part of what it is and what it does. This makes for much more secure software that’s ready to evolve with security in mind. So, for example, it can reduce risks for your organization to abandon the traditional on-premise server model and move to the cloud if you use the security configurations provided in that cloud software. ADVICE FOR THE YEAR TO COME These and other cybersecurity opportunities will be available to you in 2024. With the exception of security requirements, the other items mentioned in this report will benefit you only if you take the step to put them into practice. As a leader of your organization, it’s critical to make cybersecurity a key initiative in your 2024 plans to protect your assets and build longevity. New resources are out there, and OXEN Technology is ready to help you reach out and grab them. Make it a great and secure year! Finally, after years of hacks and compromises of networks around the world, most people now have a firm grip on the reality that cybersecurity must be integrated into their lives and businesses.” — RYAN PIEKEN, SR. CONSULTANT – CIO/CISO SERVICES
HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT CYBERSECURITY, COMPLIANCE, AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY? OUR IT SECURITY CONSULTANTS HAVE ANSWERS. To schedule a free consultation, visit www.oxen.tech/contact or call 888.296.3619. Cornerstone Group © 2023
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