ControlScan Listed Among Top MSSPs

MSSP Alert 2020 “Top 250 MSSPs” list honors ControlScan alongside MSSPs, MDR service providers and cybersecurity companies worldwide

ATLANTA, Sept. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ControlScan, a leader in managed security services specializing in compliance, detection and response, announces that MSSP Alert, published by After Nines Inc., has recognized the company on its 2020 Top 250 MSSPs list. Appearing on the list at number 39, ControlScan is ranked among the top 16 percent of managed security service providers (MSSPs) listed.

ControlScan delivers managed security services such as UTM firewall management, as well as a full suite of 24x7 managed detection and response (MDR) solutions that include advanced endpoint security, log event collection and correlation, proactive threat hunting, and more. The company is known for its security-as-a-service (SECaaS) delivery model, which gives the small and mid-sized enterprise (SME) cost-effective access to the same cybersecurity services and technologies as their larger counterparts.

“The managed security service provider market is filled with providers of various size and scale,” said Mark Carl, CEO, ControlScan. “We believe that ControlScan consistently ranks high on the annual Top MSSPs list because of the breadth and depth of services we offer, as well as our strong customer and partner support.”

The Top 250 MSSP rankings are based on MSSP Alert’s 2020 readership survey combined with the digital media site’s global editorial coverage of managed security services providers. The fourth-annual list has expanded from 2019 (200 honorees) and 2018-2017 (100 honorees) amid MSSP Alert’s continued, organic readership growth.  

During the September 17 list announcement call with readers and other industry stakeholders, After Nines Inc. executive VP Joe Panettieri said that this year’s survey garnered responses from 753 organizations in 25 countries. In addition, the average revenue among the Top 250 MSSPs is $19.15 million, up 16% from 2019, he said.

The Top 250 MSSPs 2020 list and associated report are available now on MSSPAlert.com. For more information on ControlScan managed security services, please visit ControlScan.com/MSS.

About ControlScan      
ControlScan managed security and compliance solutions help secure IT networks and protect payment card data. Thousands of businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada partner with us for easy, cost-effective access to the expertise, technologies and services that keep cyber criminals and data thieves at bay. With highly credentialed cybersecurity and compliance experts; 24x7 managed detection and response; managed UTM firewall services; ASV vulnerability scanning; security penetration testing; PCI compliance programs and validation services; QSA and HIPAA assessments; and more, we’ve got your back. For more information visit ControlScan.com.

Press Contact:        
Stacey Holleran
Director, Corporate Communications
678-694-0654

Learn more about me, ControlScan, and our philosophy of cybersecurity by watching this video.

Meet Joe Gaeta. Contact me today!

Things are a bit different in our current business climate without in-person meetings, trade-shows, and other conferences.  To do what we can to compensate, you can take a look at the video below to learn a bit about my role at ControlScan and how we can help your business get secure and stay secure.

You can take a look at our list of services and solutions here.  If you'd like to schedule time on my calendar, you can do so at https://calendly.com/joegaeta.

Joe Gaeta | Territory Account Executive | ControlScan | jgaeta@controlscan.com | (404) 435-7376

ControlScan "Security w/ a Purpose" Podcast Ep. 4: What's the big deal about managed threat detection and response?

ControlScan director of MDR operations Tom Callahan talks with host Jeff Wilder about today’s common data security risks and how managed threat detection and response services—also known as MDR—can add critical coverage to an organization’s cybersecurity efforts.  Listen HERE.

Introducing MDR Essential from CrontrolScan

ControlScan MDR Essential is a new solution that was built with the security and budget conscious consumer in mind. It leverages ControlScan’s existing, award-winning managed threat detection and response solution to provide an essential set of protections and services to our customers, keeping them safe, while not breaking the bank.

MDR Essential is powered by the ControlScan Cyphon(TM) and the CrowdStrike Falcon® platforms.  It provides fundamentally important capabilities as a cost effective 24x7 service, including fully managed, next generation anti-virus and anti-malware technologies; tamper protection to ensure you stay protected, even from advanced attacks; integrated Threat Intelligence managed by our 24x7 Security Operations Centers; and active threat response from malware, ransomware, and behavioral detection. What's more, this is all backed and led by our security operations team in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

Watch the video (8m 41s), then visit https://www.controlscan.com/mdr-essential/ to get started.

Agnes Scott College Ranked No. 1 Most Innovative School in the Country for 3rd Consecutive Year by U.S. News & World Report

Decatur, GA, September 14, 2020—For the third year in a row, Agnes Scott College is ranked No. 1 Most Innovative School in the country among national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report in its 2021 edition of Best Colleges. The college placed No. 1 in the nation for First-Year Experience among all colleges and universities for the second consecutive year and ranked No. 2 for Best Undergraduate Teaching, which recognizes institutions where faculty have a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching. Agnes Scott was also ranked No. 6 as a Social Mobility Top Performer. The college has been recognized for social mobility in prior years as well, a result of its focus on ensuring the academic success of all students—including the large number of first-generation and Pell-eligible students who attend. Agnes Scott was also recognized as a Best Value School among national liberal arts colleges.

The leadership at Agnes Scott attributes these repeat recognitions to SUMMIT, the college’s signature approach to a liberal arts education that provides each student with a course of study, beginning in the first year, that builds leadership capabilities and global competence while preparing students for a lifetime of professional success.

“I am pleased that we have been recognized yet again for our innovation, first-year experiences and top-notch teaching,” said Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. “At Agnes Scott, we are completely focused on our students and their post-graduate professional success. Our students are why we are here, and no one understands this more than Agnes Scott’s faculty, who are models of teaching excellence,” said Zak. “Our faculty care deeply about teaching and are invested in their role of shaping tomorrow’s leaders, thinkers and game changers. Their passion, creativity and dedication foster the inspired and effective teaching happening in our classrooms. I also want to recognize our amazing staff, who work in partnership with the faculty to deliver our unique SUMMIT experience and ensure our students’ overall academic success.”

According to U.S. News & World Report, the Most Innovative Schools ranking identifies “schools that the public should be watching because of the cutting-edge changes being made on their campuses.” This ranking  is based on a peer assessment survey in which college presidents, chief academic officers and deans of admission nominate up to 15 colleges or universities “that are making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities.”

Agnes Scott was listed among the top academic programs in all eight categories. Please see the summary of all Agnes Scott College U.S. News rankings below:

U.S. News publishes the Best Colleges guidebook annually. Agnes Scott’s rankings can be viewed here.

ControlScan Partners with CrowdStrike to Deliver Powerful Endpoint Protection to the SMB with MDR Essential

The fully managed solution extends ControlScan Managed Detection and Response services to help smaller businesses access essential endpoint protections

ATLANTA, Sept. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ControlScan, a leader in managed security services specializing in compliance, detection and response, today announced general availability of its MDR Essential managed endpoint security service. The new service leverages the ControlScan Cyphon™ and the CrowdStrike Falcon® platforms to deliver fundamentally important endpoint detection, prevention and response capabilities to small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs).

SMBs often struggle with the entry point to a stronger security posture. Many do not have dedicated security personnel, nor do they have the expertise needed to select and implement effective endpoint security.

“MDR Essential is our point of entry solution for businesses needing to get essential security coverage in place, immediately, without breaking the bank,” said Tom Callahan, director of MDR Operations, ControlScan. “Our partnership with CrowdStrike allows us to further extend the industry-leading Falcon endpoint solution with the talents of our in-house security analysts and our 24x7x365 SOC for MDR.”

The CrowdStrike Falcon platform is the only solution to unify key endpoint security capabilities such as next-generation anti-virus (NGAV), endpoint detection and response (EDR), managed threat hunting, IT hygiene and threat intelligence, all delivered through a single, intelligent, lightweight agent. CrowdStrike’s innovative, cloud-native technology allows organizations to quickly and easily deploy the platform at scale to secure workloads across on-premise, virtualized, and cloud-based environments running on a variety of endpoints on or off the network.

“The increasingly complex threat environment has demonstrated that threat actors are not afraid to take aim at organizations of any size. SMBs are particularly susceptible to cyberattacks, given that they often lack the necessary resources to provide the required protection to secure their assets,” said Matthew Polly, vice president of Worldwide Channels and Business Development, CrowdStrike. “We are proud to partner with ControlScan to bring the powerful endpoint detection and response of the CrowdStrike Falcon platform to the MDR Essential solution. Together, we will fortify the defenses of vulnerable SMBs against devastating attacks so that they may continue to focus on the growth and health of their business.”

MDR Essential is also available as a value add for organizations with merchant portfolios, such as managed service providers (MSPs), value added resellers (VARs) and payments technology providers. Through its partner ecosystem, ControlScan delivers managed endpoint security and other threat detection and response services to hundreds of organizations throughout North America.

Cybersecurity for-the Post-Covid Economy

(You can click on the infographic for a larger view.)
Cybersecurity for-the Post-Covid Economy

FBI and CISA Joint Advisory: Cyber Criminals Take Advantage of Increased Telework Through Vishing Campaign

The FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warn that hackers are increasingly using voice phishing ("vishing") to target employees who are working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the advisory HERE.

ControlScan Offers Cost-Effective Cybersecurity Services to National Benefit Programs Members

Payments industry partner program passes along savings
to providers and their merchants

ATLANTA, Aug. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ControlScan, a leader in managed security services specializing in compliance, detection and response, now offers the National Benefit Programs (NBP) member base of nearly 200,000 businesses a 10 percent discount on a range of cost-effective cybersecurity services.

“Being a part of National Benefit Programs’ offerings is a great way for us to continue adding value to the payments community and the small businesses they serve,” said Matt Loos, EVP Business Development, ControlScan. “Our goal is to have their backs so they can conduct business without worrying if they are secure or compliant.”

Through NBP’s Business Discount Plan portal, members can access the following ControlScan solutions:

Managed Firewall Service – A firewall is an essential tool that protects the business by stopping unwanted activity from getting into its network. ControlScan will set up the firewall and provide 24x7 support.

Advanced Security Threat Protection – The ControlScan Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service proactively blocks malicious security threats such as ransomware. The ControlScan 24x7 Security Operation Center also actively detects and mitigates network and endpoint attacks.

Security Consulting Services – ControlScan helps proactively identify and address security vulnerabilities and compliance shortcomings to ensure that sensitive data is well protected. These point-in-time consulting engagements can include penetration testing, PCI and HIPAA compliance assessments, and general security advisory consulting.

“NBP is pleased to have added ControlScan as a new, exciting partner in our benefits program,” said Terry Sheff, Manager of Client Relations, National Benefit Programs. “The team at ControlScan is just as intent as we are about helping the small business market thrive through pandemic and beyond.”

To learn more about ControlScan and its solutions, visit ControlScan.com. For more information about National Benefit Programs, visit NationalBenefitPrograms.com.

About ControlScan
ControlScan managed security and compliance solutions help secure IT networks and protect payment card data. Thousands of businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada partner with us for easy, cost-effective access to the expertise, technologies and services that keep cyber criminals and data thieves at bay. With highly credentialed cybersecurity and compliance experts; 24x7 managed detection and response; managed UTM firewall services; ASV vulnerability scanning; security penetration testing; PCI compliance programs and validation services; QSA and HIPAA assessments; and more, we’ve got your back. For more information visit ControlScan.com.

About National Benefit Programs
National Benefit Programs (NBP) has been assisting ISOs, Acquirers and Payment Processors to deliver Value Beyond Processing™ since 2009. NBP provides value to US customers by offering a whitelabel offering to our partners and unparalleled savings on products and services your customers use every single day. NBP actively pursues new vendors to meet the ever-growing market needs. National Benefit Programs, LLC is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information please visit https://www.nationalbenefitprograms.com/.

Press Contact
Stacey Holleran
Director, Corporate Communications
678-694-0654

What is Your Business’s “Security Maturity”?

Understanding your security posture so you can build and grow.

Read the latest post on ContolScan's Corporate Blog, penned by yours truly!

What Is the Real Cost of a Data Breach?

(1/3) What Is the Real Cost of a Data Breach? New Report Indicates It's About $4 Million to $9 Million for SMEs - CPO Magazine https://t.co/zjmRUt5oNe

— Joe Gaeta (@joegaeta) August 16, 2020

(2/3) From the article: “Breaches also tend to take a very long time to identify and contain; the global average currently sits at 280 days, though research indicates that breaches must be contained within 30 days to experience a substantial overall cost savings.” https://t.co/vFcpfLH4bc

— Joe Gaeta (@joegaeta) August 16, 2020

(3/3) ControlScan’s 24/7/365 Managed Detection and Response service can identify a threat within 1 MINUTE, understand it within 10 MINUTES, and contain it within 60 MINUTES. #cybersecurity #mdr https://t.co/xgR1VgNtNt

— Joe Gaeta (@joegaeta) August 16, 2020

How COVID-19 has changed business cybersecurity priorities forever. (...and how ControlScan can help.)

OK, OK...  So, I added that last bit of marketing jargon to the end of the headline.

But, this is an actual piece I recently read.  It was published last week in The Hacker News:

It details the primary ways that COVID-19 has created a "brave new world" of cybersecurity. I encourage you to give it a read.  A couple of things jumped off the page to me, as they dovetail nicely into some things that ControlScan excels at.

1.  "...cybersecurity awareness education for every employee in every organization just became mission-critical. Whereas IT organizations had been moving toward reliance on highly-trained cybersecurity experts to defend their pre-pandemic networks, they will now have to make sure all employees know how to keep business data and systems safe from inappropriate access no matter where they're working."

ControlScan's Security Awareness Training solution is crafted just for this need.

2.  "Small businesses, in particular, face major budgetary constraints that will make it hard for them to pivot toward these new security priorities. The good news on that front is that the cybersecurity market should soon adjust to the new environment and start offering down-market solutions that help them adopt these new security norms."

Soon adjust? No, ControlScan has been focussed on the SMB for over 15 years and has a robust set of compliance and cybersecurity offerings that will help you become secure and stay secure regardless of the changing landscape. Our Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service is designed to give businesses of all sizes (but particularly the SMB) the peace of mind of knowing that they have highly trained security analysts watching their systems 24/7.

Even without the added threats of COVID-19, the cybersecurity threat landscape is constantly evolving and becoming more threatening.  ControlScan exists to make those threats easier to manage so you can focus on your business.

Meet Joe Gaeta...

Joe Gaeta · Meet Joe Gaeta, ControlScan Account Executive

Joe’s Shelter-in-Place Book Club

March 13th - ???

3.13.20:  My 2020 New Year’s Resolution was simply to “Read more. Eat less.”  By the end of February, I could report that my reality was exactly the opposite. :-(

Enter “social distancing” and its harsher cousin, “self-isolation”.  While arguably making it harder to “eat less”, it has given me the kick-start I needed to “read more”.

In this space, I will update the list of books as I finish them...

1. Thanks a Lot, Mr. Kibblewhite: My Story - by Roger Daltrey
2. The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956 : Volume 1- by Aleksandr Isaevich Solzhenitsyn
3. Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations - by Amy Chua
4. To Save a City: The Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949 - by Roger G. Miller
5. The Who: 50 Years - The Official History - by Ben Marshall with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey
6. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: A Novel - by Aleksandr Isaevich Solzhenitsyn
7. The Ox: The Authorized Biography of The Who's John Entwistle - by Paul Rees
8. Great Society: A New History - by Amity Shlaes
9. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't - by Malcolm Gladwell
10. The Political Theory of the American Founding: Natural Rights, Public Policy, and the Moral Conditions of Freedom - by Thomas G. West
11. How Innovation Works: Serendipity, Energy, and the Saving of Time - by Matt Ridley
12. Aristotle's Revenge:  The Metaphysical Foundations of Physical and Biological Science - by Edward Feser (Don't ask me about this one - it kicked my butt!)
13. Coolidge - by Amity Shlaes
14. Liberty:  Life, Billy, and the Pursuit of Happiness - by Liberty DeVitto

6.25.20 Update:  Well, we are well over three months into this whole COVID-19 thing.  While I still long for the day that I can attend a professional or college sporting event, or sit indoors at a restaurant or bar and be served, things are loosening up a bit.  My family and I recently got back from the beach.  My son's baseball team is starting to play tournaments again. Not normal, to be sure - but getting better.

So, for the purposes of this "book club", when does it end?  Well, as I mentioned originally, "Read more" was to be half of my New Year's Resolution.  So, I'm trying to keep the reading going ad infinitum.  But, I've decided that this published diary will end on the date that my two sons go back to full-time, in-person classes at their respective schools.

That seems logical since I chose the March 13th date because it was the date in-person classes were cancelled. As of this writing, plans have not been finalized in our school district; but, one option is a "middle ground" of a half-and-half hybrid between in-class and in-home learning.  THIS WILL NOT COUNT!  I will only consider this odyssey to be over when they are back at school full time!  (I think the parents out there can sympathize.)

8.9.20 Update:  Currently Reading:

• The Truth about College Admission:  A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together - by Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark

The perfect CyberSecurity companion to your network's firewall...

Security is not about point solutions, it is about protection in depth.

There are new types of threats every day. Firewalls are essential.  Managed Endpoint Security from ControlScan goes above and beyond.

Introducing MDR Essential from ControlScan.  

By combining MDR Essential with a firewall, you can replace traditional anti-virus and anti-malware software while adding 24x7x365 monitoring.

With MDR Essential from ControScan, you get:

• Next Generation Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware/Anti-Ransomware
• Backed by industry leading threat intelligence from Crowdstrike
• All aspects of Policies, Whitelisting/Blacklisting, and Threat Intelligence management handled by ControlScan's Security Operations Center (SOC) team
• Traditional Hash or Pattern based detection PLUS Behavioral Threat Detection through Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• Immediate Protection (No lead-up/training time.)
• Incident Response
• Up to 40 hours per month of hands-on incident response activities
• Automated Response Actions do not count towards the 40 hours.
• (95% of incidents are handled by automated response with Analyst oversight.)
• Incident Response Hours Usage Includes:
• Investigation of Potentially Malicious files or executables to determine Indicators of Attack or Compromise
• Removal and Cleanup of Persistence mechanisms if necessary
• Custom Requests

All this for $3.50 per Windows/MacOS/Linux endpoint per month!

Contact me today to learn more.