Acronis - Experts & Thought Leaders

The ALSO UK Cloud Summit 2024 hosted a panel of security industry experts this month to explore the latest trends, developments and challenges in artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity for cloud resellers and British SMEs. The expert panel looked at the importance of generative AI (GenAI) in the modern cloud landscape, revealing that 87% of organisations believe AI offers a competitive edge. 2024 has been a big year for generative AI (GenAI), specifically with the launch of Microsoft Copilot for the SMB market. And with continual advancements in technology innovation, it is important that MSPs and cloud resellers not only keep up but stay ahead of the curve. Keynote speakers at this year’s event included David Bowen, Global Business Development Director for Microsoft, and Robert Pritchard, founder of The Cyber Security Expert. Best practices in 2024 and beyond “The ALSO UK Cloud Summit 2024 is a celebration of our key security vendor partners and an opportunity for cybersecurity industry leaders to continue the conversation on best practices in 2024 and beyond,” commented Mark Appleton, Chief Customer Officer for ALSO Cloud UK. “Through bringing together industry experts from our top security vendor partners, ALSO is pioneering the conversation in presenting a unified security strategy for MSP cyberteams." “One message was clear: generative AI presents the biggest security challenges to British MSPs and SMEs. New cyber threats are rapidly developing as GenAI has become more accessible for cyber actors to exploit. The bar of entry for cyberattacks has been lowered, with ransomware attempts becoming easier to create – as they are no longer limited to those with advanced cyber skills to enact them.” 87% of organisations believe AI offers a competitive edge Microsoft’s David Bowen discussed the benefits of Microsoft’s long-term partnership with ALSO In addition to the security challenges posed by GenAI, it is also a key source of business growth for the future of SME operations. In his opening keynote, Microsoft’s David Bowen discussed the benefits of Microsoft’s long-term partnership with ALSO, and how MSPs can support their customers in implementing AI and Copilot tools successfully to accelerate growth.  “ALSO and Microsoft have been successful partners for over 25 years, and we are unified in our missions to empower people and organisations to achieve more through technology,” said Bowen. “With Copilot we expect to continue the value add of AI to organisations and we are working with ALSO and their partners to develop the best customer use cases for AI. It’s important that AI and Copilot projects are more successful when partners support projects to securely implement, support and deliver AI ROI for customers. ALSO partner ecosystem Bowen added: “In the latest Work Trends Index published in May, we found that 79% of organisations believe AI is a business imperative, however, 60% of companies lack a plan and vision to implement the technology, this is where the ALSO partner ecosystem can support customers develop a strategy that quantifies the productivity gains of AI. " “The study also found that 75% of workers are already using AI, and of these 78% are bringing their own AI tools for tasks. These lack the needed levels of security, data protection and compliance, leaving organisations' data exposed. MS Copilot is already enabling much greater productivity levels, allowing teams to spend less time on repetitive tasks and spend more time working on more creative and impactful work." "Employees are also advised to look at developing AI Skills, the study highlighted that 66% of leaders would not hire staff unless they have AI skills. The ALSO AI Academy is a fantastic resource for partners to ensure AI training is accessible for employees to develop capability and support the Era of AI.” The importance of GenAI in the modern cloud landscape Robert Pritchard, founder of The Cyber Security Expert highlighted the importance of AI in the modern cloud landscape. “The world has changed completely in recent years, with cloud-first dominating as the best solution, even though securing it is not without challenges. The old model (‘on-prem’ and trusted network) is outdated, and legislation for service providers is coming as the risk to critical infrastructure now dependent on modern technology services needs protection more than ever.”  Other highlights from the ALSO UK Cloud Summit ‘24 included:  Cybersecurity expert Acronis showcasing the dangers of AI-boosted ransomware attempts, as well as the latest AI tools being developed to counter malicious actors. Password manager LastPass outlined the ongoing compromised credential crisis and the urgent need to address poor cyber-hygiene practices.  Security awareness solutions expert Vade explained how easy and accessible hacking has become with GenAI with their “10 mins to make you a hacker” talk. CrowdStrike demonstrated the potential of GenAI tools when used for good in boosting cybersecurity efforts. AvePoint outlined the business expansion benefits of tools such as Copilot for MS365.  Future of enterprise security ALSO’s Mark Appleton summarised: “Since ALSO launched in the UK last year, we have cemented ties with our trusted security vendor partnerships. These alliances are not just a benefit but a necessity, and this year’s ALSO UK Cloud Summit has been a great way to celebrate our partners and our unique offering whilst paving the way for the future of enterprise security." “Our security vendor partners provide the very best cybersecurity for their clients. By working closely with all of our partners, we not only share insights and collaborate on the best security methods but also provide the very best tailored options for our client base. ALSO is committed to offering solutions that aid in protecting modern businesses across the channel and beyond.”

BotGuard OÜ, an Estonia-founded cybersecurity software company that helps web hosting providers control traffic and protect their infrastructure from malicious threats, has secured a €12 million Series A funding round led by MMC Ventures. Existing investors Tera Ventures and Expeditions Fund also participated in the round, alongside prominent angel investors including Stefan Lindeberg. This latest investment will enable the business to further develop its technology, recruit tech development talent, and expand its sales and marketing teams as it continues to scale globally. Other innovative technologies Good bots exist everywhere: every payment system, CMS, or social tool uses ‘good bots’ Nearly half of all internet traffic comes from bots, exposing website owners to threats such as data theft, scams, and DDoS attacks. Good bots exist everywhere: every payment system, CMS, or social tool uses ‘good bots’. When used for good, bots can benefit a company by crawling and indexing a website to improve search engine results. However, bad bot traffic can be harmful to operations and drive up costs.  BotGuard OÜ has developed an easy-to-implement, state-of-the-art cloud-based solution, partnering with hosting providers to help website owners filter their web traffic, lower website management costs, defend their infrastructure, and protect their assets. Using AI and other innovative technologies to automate the implementation process and reduce costs, the startup provides effective, manageable, platform-agnostic web security for organisations of all sizes. Democratising web security  Nik Rozenberg, CEO and co-founder at Botguard OÜ, said: “Every business should have effective web traffic management, yet there are no affordable solutions focused on the SME segment due to complicated and expensive onboarding processes. Malicious bot traffic can be extremely harmful for businesses – particularly for the likes of e-commerce retailers that depend on their website to operate – and organisations require tools that keep pace with the rapidly-evolving threat landscape." "Even neutral web traffic – like some crawler bots – can drive up management costs. We are democratising web security by offering web hosting providers a flexible, easy-to-use, and cost-effective solution that still offers the highest level of control over web traffic. We are excited for this next stage of our growth journey as we continue to innovate and expand into new territories.”  Battling malicious bots BotGuard OÜ now operates globally with clients and partners in more than 30 countries BotGuard OÜ was founded in Estonia in 2019 by engineers Nik Rozenberg, CEO, and Denis Prochko, CTO. Born out of the co-founders’ experience pioneering and growing startups and battling malicious bots and hackers on their own websites, BotGuard OÜ now operates globally with clients and partners in more than 30 countries.  The company’s executive team includes industry veterans such as CRO Bertil Brendeke (ex-CloudFest, Acronis), COO Martin Pawliczek (ex-GoDaddy, Host Europe Group), CPO Jason Haworth (ex-AWS, F5 Networks), CMO Renee Stromberg (ex-Cisco, F5 Networks) and CDS Cagri Ozcinar (ex-Samsung, Sky Group). Incredible traction BotGuard OÜ Mina Samaan, Partner at MMC Ventures, said: “Born from the pain of living through this problem, Nik and Denis have built an impressive business, and the incredible traction BotGuard OÜ has seen to date demonstrates how well they understand this problem." "As generative AI makes the malicious threats businesses are facing even more sophisticated, the BotGuard team has its own AI-powered solution – effectively fighting AI with AI. We share their vision in growing together to build a secure internet that is accessible to everyone.” Level of protection Botguard OÜ Stanislav Ivanov, Founding Partner at Tera Ventures, said: “There’s an addressable market of over 300 million websites that require the level of protection Botguard OÜ can provide. By partnering with web hosting providers, the business has achieved an economy of scale to SME websites." "The company is putting hosting providers in the driver’s seat, providing them with a straightforward and robust solution that protects against myriad web threats and offers complete control over web traffic. We look forward to offering the team our continued support as they scale the business globally.”

Acronis, a global provider of cyber protection, is proud to introduce the latest release of its flagship product – Acronis Cyber Protect 16. Acronis Cyber Protect Acronis Cyber Protect delivers robust protection against cyber threats and unparalleled backup and recovery capabilities. This latest version establishes a new benchmark in easy and fast recovery after cyberattacks or data loss, especially for modern multi-site organisations. Cybersecurity and data protection As technology advances, the necessity for an integrated cybersecurity and data protection solution fit for distributed organisations has become increasingly evident. Acronis Cyber Protect 16 introduces a new centralised dashboard that further improves and simplifies management Factors including the rise of remote work and a rapidly changing threat landscape have increased attack surfaces and raised larger data access and privacy concerns.  Acronis Cyber Protect 16 introduces a new centralised dashboard that further improves and simplifies management with a single pane of glass, providing visibility and simplified management for the entire environment. Additional features Cyberthreat Protection: Using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), proactively secure data, applications, and systems from advanced cyber-attacks including ransomware and other forms of malware. Rapid Recovery: Reduced dependency on central IT support empowers users to initiate one-click recovery capabilities of distributed endpoints, including bare-metal recovery of physical workloads. Reduced TCO: Broad, multi-generational OS support, enables vendor consolidation while ensuring comprehensive protection. Simplified Management: Centralised management includes local autonomy and seamless integration with existing third-party tools to provide a unified view of backup and recovery operations along with broad, multi-generational OS support. Data Sovereignty: With the use of Acronis’ extensive network of global data centres, users can ensure compliance and master regional data sovereignty laws, offering peace of mind and regulatory compliance. One-click recovery “The release of Acronis Cyber Protect 16 underscores our dedication to protect all data, applications, and systems,” said Gaidar Magdanurov, President at Acronis, adding “In today’s era of distributed environments, organisations require a cyber protection solution that provides reliable protection and fast and easy recovery after incidents." Gaidar Magdanurov adds, "For many industries, like manufacturing, finance, healthcare, and retail, that can’t afford any downtime, non-IT personnel must be able to accomplish successful recovery and that is what Acronis Cyber Protect 16 is bringing – one-click recovery after cyberattacks or data loss.” Cost-effective, efficient platform Acronis Cyber Protect 16 provides a unique integration of backup, disaster recovery, cybersecurity Acronis Cyber Protect 16 provides a unique integration of backup, disaster recovery, cybersecurity, and remote endpoint management delivered via a single, cost-effective, efficient platform. With the ability to rapidly restore any computer without the need for IT intervention, specialised or industrial computing companies specifically in the operational technology (OT) industrial control systems (ICS) community, gain peace of mind and minimise costly downtime from potential outages.  Cyber resilience solution The integration of data protection, recovery capabilities, and advanced security functionality is designed to assure business continuity. Pioneering the charge in cybersecurity innovation, Acronis strives to continue to adapt and evolve while navigating the complexities of the digital world. “With Acronis Cyber Protect, we offer our clients the peace of mind that comes with a true cyber resilience solution,” said Alan Conboy, Field CTO at Scale Computing.  Comprehensive backup and recovery Alan Conboy adds, “We have complete confidence that if one of our customers suffers a cyber incident, we can get them back online in minutes." He continues, "Acronis' single console seamlessly integrates comprehensive backup and recovery, endpoint management, and cybersecurity to meet the needs of our broad range of customer environments, diverse OSs, and organisational sizes. They are our go-to vendor to scale our business with world-class, affordable service offerings.”