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Cybersecurity Protecting Companies and People

Jorge Ballesteros - WatchGuard Technologies
Territory Sales Manager NOLA

STORY INLINE POST

Sofía Hanna By Sofía Hanna | Journalist and Industry Analyst - Fri, 03/12/2021 - 09:51

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Q: How is the company tailoring its products to the Mexican market, particularly among SMEs?

A: We have been doing business through distribution for 21 years in Mexico and we have realized that the market niche is in SMEs. Many companies have adopted our firewall technology and we have helped counter many attacks, information theft and more.

We offer our clients solid engineering thanks to our talent from different universities. Our employees’ knowledge has also been crucial in providing training to our clients. We offer hardware solutions, as well as products in the cloud, which allows us to protect companies if and when they decide to migrate to the cloud. Much of our contribution to the industry has been in the training we have carried out in Mexico for people who want to specialize in security and the tools that we provide to help clients see where different attacks come from. Many companies have become aware of the importance of cybersecurity. Those that have not are losing value. 

 

Q: What resources does WatchGuard provide its customers to make remote work easier to understand and implement?

A: The solutions we provide have been available for many years now. Through the WatchGuard cloud, we now can transfer antivirus, spam and web blocker services through a central VPN, regardless of where the user is. 

WatchGuard also acquired Panda Security, which has complemented our security strategy at many levels. If any attacks were to breach our perimeter, our systems can block the pages or the attachment that has been sent. The end-user can rest assured that the information they receive has been reviewed beforehand to ensure its safety. 

We not only help people who work from home but also provide multifactor authentication (MFA) to control data access. When trying to login to a computer, there is a padlock that requires a code or number from an app or a physical token. This code is the only way to access company information. 

It is no longer enough to secure the perimeter. It is also necessary to protect data in the cloud and know who is entering, downloading or otherwise manipulating the information. 

 

Q: Many companies still rely on VPNs and antivirus software to protect their information. How will these tools evolve in light of the new reality? 

A: VPN will continue to be a basic tool but attackers can find information faster with basic security clearance. The VPN is necessary to restrict access but it is necessary to have security behind the VPN so communication goes through the same encrypted tunnel, making it more difficult to obtain information. 

 

Q: What are the most common types of Cyberattacks? 

A: We deal a lot with social media. By uploading a great deal of personal information, the attacker can follow patterns to create fake domains and emails that lure users into a trap. Users may receive emails that appear to be official. Without proper training, they can open the attachments and spread the malware. Through social networks, attackers can feed personal data into their pattern programs to find a password. Once they do this, even with just one of your networks, they can extract all the data they need. 

One problem that companies deal with is that they do not provide security and in fact, they release their information with straightforward passwords. We recommend using secure passwords that have nothing to do with dates of birth, names of relatives and things like that. 

 

Q: Which industries are particularly vulnerable and how do you help them?

A: The education industry is very transparent and because of that, it has had security problems related to children. For example, schools and students have several devices that use wireless networks. In this case, we provide specific IDs to teachers and students so the same firewall operates as an access controller. 

In the financial sector, it is important that all transactions and clients are protected. The hotel sector has also been a natural market because every time companies expand their network, they may have security problems. In the retail sector, certain pages are blocked every time you access the internet so information is safe. For each of these industries, we perform an extensive analysis to tailor our solutions to their needs. 

 

Q: What are WatchGuard’s strategies and goals for 2021?

A: Our acquisition of Panda Security brought us a greater number of partners, which means more training is necessary for cross-selling to provide the client with an integral service. Also, while many of our products used to come in a box, we are now offering them through the cloud, which makes them easier to configure and administer. Many companies are choosing our contracting services, paying us a monthly fee to manage their network and its security. We have a long way to go and many companies to secure but now they can choose a third-party service that will help them to protect themselves.

Photo by:   Watchguard

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