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How to Increase Cybersecurity with MDR and SOC

How to Increase Cybersecurity with MDR and SOC

The Power of MDR and SOC: Enhancing Cybersecurity for Businesses

In today’s digital landscape, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face a constant barrage of evolving cybersecurity threats. As cyberattacks become more sophisticated and frequent, relying solely on traditional security measures such as antivirus software, firewalls, email filtering, and basic employee training may not be sufficient to fully protect your valuable data and resources. 

This is where the synergy of Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Security Operations Center (SOC) comes into play, providing enterprise-grade security tailored for your business. Are you a manufacturer trying to adhere to rigorous compliance regulations? Are you a distributor struggling to keep up with ERP system upgrades, supply chain demands, and evolving security threats? EstesGroup maintains SOC 2 certification so that our clients enjoy peace of mind at every level.

MDR SOC Cybersecurity

Managed Detection and Response (MDR): Proactive Protection for Your Business

MDR is a proactive security approach that goes beyond traditional reactive measures. By leveraging advanced technologies and expert analysis, MDR provides real-time monitoring, rapid threat detection and response, instant incident alerts, and valuable insights to safeguard your data and resources. With MDR, you can rest assured that potential threats are identified and addressed promptly, minimizing the risk of a successful cyberattack.

Key Benefits of MDR

Are you looking for advanced protection? MDR employs cutting-edge technologies, such as machine learning and behavioral analytics, to detect and respond to even the most sophisticated threats. Do you need real-time monitoring? Continuous monitoring of your systems ensures that any suspicious activity is identified and addressed immediately. Are you looking for rapid response strategies? In the event of a security incident, MDR enables swift action to contain and mitigate the threat, minimizing potential damage.

Security Operations Center (SOC): 24/7 Vigilance and Expertise

Complementing MDR, a Security Operations Center (SOC) acts as a central hub for cybersecurity management. Staffed by a team of expert security analysts, the SOC provides round-the-clock monitoring, analysis, investigation, and response to potential threats.

SOC Benefits

With a secure operations center on your side, you benefit from centralized care for your entire system: 

  • 24/7 Monitoring: A dedicated team keeps a vigilant eye on your systems, ensuring that any suspicious activity is promptly identified and addressed.
  • Expert Analysis: A skilled security analysts leverage their expertise to investigate and assess potential threats, providing valuable insights and recommendations.
  • Rapid Incident Response: In the event of a security incident, your SOC team springs into action, working diligently to minimize damage and downtime, allowing you to maintain productivity.

Your Security Decisions, Your MDR and SOC

By combining MDR and SOC, you gain a comprehensive understanding of your security landscape. The insights gathered from real-time monitoring, threat analysis, and incident response empower you to make informed decisions about your cybersecurity strategy. With this knowledge, you can proactively strengthen your defenses, identify areas for improvement, and allocate resources effectively to protect your business against evolving threats.

Managed Detection and Response and a Secure Operations Center with Legacy Built on Trust

In the face of ever-evolving cyberthreats, taking proactive measures to secure your business is crucial. By embracing the power of MDR and SOC in a partnership with EstesGroup, you can enhance your cybersecurity posture and protect your business against potential attacks. Don’t wait until it’s too late – contact us today to get started on your journey towards a more secure future. We have a long-standing commitment to delivering exceptional cybersecurity solutions. With our MDR and SOC services, you can have confidence in the security of your valuable data and resources. Ask for a free demo of ECHO, EstesCloud Hosting, to learn more about managed private cloud environments for businesses. EstesGroup provides cloud solutions for companies of all sizes, across all industries, with specialized teams built for enterprise resource planning (ERP) system needs. We are the leading independent ERP consultancy for Epicor Kinetic, Epicor Prophet 21, SYSPRO, Sage, DELMIAWorks, and more!

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Connecting the Clouds: Website vs. ERP Hosting

Connecting the Clouds: Website vs. ERP Hosting

Manufacturers and distributors can benefit significantly from a Managed Services Provider (MSP) managing one website or kin websites as part of an integrated IT services, IT security, and enterprise cloud strategy. An external IT provider ensures that the world will view web-based company representation with optimal performance, scalability, and security, reduced downtime and enhanced user experience. Through robust IT security measures, a cloud provider like EstesGroup safeguards sensitive data, mitigating the risk of cyber threats. Additionally, integrating enterprise cloud solutions facilitates seamless data access, collaboration, and scalability, enabling manufacturers and distributors to focus on core business functions while staying agile and competitive in the digital landscape.

Website vs ERP Hosting

For businesses, websites serve as crucial repositories for sharing information, necessitating proper hosting and data management to connect with customers, ensure security, and facilitate growth. When exploring website hosting services and ERP hosting solutions, businesses encounter various cloud options, with managed hosting and shared hosting being the primary types. Understanding the distinctions in the website vs. ERP hosting conversation empowers businesses to make informed decisions aligning with their unique identities.

Is your website hosting forgotten data?

While your IT team is focusing on critical tasks, your website might go unnoticed, opening the path to vulnerability and chaos. In the realm of website hosting, discerning between managed hosting and shared hosting is essential. Managed hosting is ideal for businesses seeking comprehensive control and responsibility, with the service provider acting as a dedicated IT department overseeing all aspects of the website. Conversely, shared hosting accommodates businesses needing performance and security but may lack the size or budget for full-service management. Multiple businesses share resources like RAM and CPU under a shared server, potentially impacting performance during traffic surges. Managed hosting suits larger enterprises prioritizing ultimate performance and security, while shared hosting remains viable for budget-conscious smaller businesses.

Managed Hosting vs. Shared Hosting vs. Managed ERP Hosting

Businesses should consider several key differences between managed and shared hosting for websites and ERP hosting for enterprise resource planning applications. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you unravel your web of business data.

  • Resources: Managed hosting provides dedicated server resources, ensuring optimal performance, while shared hosting involves resource-sharing, potentially leading to performance issues during high traffic.
  • Customization: Managed hosting offers customized solutions, tailored to specific business needs, whereas shared hosting tends to be more one-size-fits-all.
  • Security: Managed hosting prioritizes security, protecting individual businesses, whereas shared hosting may compromise security if one business on the shared server experiences a breach.
  • Optimal Performance: Managed hosting eliminates performance issues associated with shared resources, providing consistent and optimized performance.
  • Updates: Managed hosting ensures prompt updates and security patches, while shared hosting may require businesses to schedule updates themselves.
  • Email: Both hosting types offer email services, with managed hosting providing premium plans for enhanced features.
  • Cost: Shared hosting is more affordable, making it suitable for smaller businesses with budget constraints, while managed hosting, though more expensive, offers superior performance and security.

How ERP Hosting Gets Tangled in Your Website Web

The discussion on website hosting parallels ERP hosting, where businesses can opt for a managed service provider to host their ERP software in a remote, cloud-based data center. This centralized approach provides cost-effective, secure, and scalable solutions, enabling businesses to focus on operations rather than maintaining on-premise infrastructure.

Businesses must comprehend the disparities between the many available cloud options to make informed choices for their website and ERP hosting needs. While managed hosting excels in performance, security, and support, startups or small businesses with budget constraints may consider shared hosting initially. Managed hosting proves invaluable for businesses seeking to eliminate on-premise responsibilities, allowing them to concentrate on optimization and growth.

Complex Cloud Hosting Environments

Experience seamless business operations with our fully managed ERP hosting, ensuring optimal performance, security, and scalability as we take charge of your ERP software in a secure, remote, and cloud-based environment. Ready to tackle website vs. ERP hosting? Elevate your online presence with our fully managed website hosting, where a dedicated IT team handles every aspect, providing tailored solutions for peak performance, robust security, and unmatched support. Trust EstesGroup to streamline your technology infrastructure, allowing you to focus on growth and innovation without the burden of managing complex hosting environments.

Epicor Kinetic Cloud Options: Cloud Mastery for Manufacturers

Epicor Kinetic Cloud Options: Cloud Mastery for Manufacturers

Do you understand your Epicor Kinetic cloud options compared to on-prem ERP history?

In the realm of managed service providers (MSPs) and systems integrators (SIs), the names of giant cloud computing corporations like Azure and Google often loom large. However, the allure of these industry giants doesn’t always translate into the best choice for manufacturers and distributors seeking cloud solutions. Did you know that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software comes with many deployment possibilities? Let’s have a closer look at how manufacturers can benefit from knowing their options when it comes to a solution like Epicor Kinetic ERP.

Epicor Kinetic Cloud Options

On-premise ERP isn’t exactly a thing of the past.

As a provider specializing in tailored solutions for all cloud-based services, EstesGroup offers personalized white-glove on-premise and in-the-cloud services that can align seamlessly with the unique needs of manufacturers and distributors, ensuring optimal outcomes and growth. But not all manufacturers will benefit from a move to the cloud. Some manufacturers benefit from a slower migration to full-cloud implementation. Herein lies the value of opting for a custom white-glove ERP consultancy for all of your technology needs that will support your unique ERP deployment:

  • On-premise ERP deployment: On-premise ERP deployment involves hosting the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software within an organization’s physical servers and infrastructure, providing direct control but requiring on-site management and maintenance.
  • Vendor-controlled deployment (Software as a Service or SaaS): Vendor-controlled deployment, commonly known as Software as a Service (SaaS), entails accessing ERP software hosted and managed by a third-party provider.
  • Private cloud deployment: Private cloud deployment involves hosting ERP applications on a dedicated cloud infrastructure exclusively for one organization. This option provides enhanced security, control, and customization compared to public cloud solutions.
  • Hybrid cloud deployment with custom integrations and software solutions: Hybrid cloud deployment combines on-premise, private, and public cloud solutions, allowing organizations to tailor their ERP strategy. Custom integrations and software solutions bridge different environments, offering flexibility, scalability, and efficient data management.

The best ERP deployment for your business begins with the best strategy for your business. With two decades of experience in ERP, the EstesGroup team comes to you with a full suite of on-premise and cloud-based expertise. 

Who doesn’t need customization and dedicated support?

If you are a growing manufacturing company, you will need to know that your ERP system and its underlying technology can support your ongoing operations, ensuring your successful future. Unlike the “big cloud” counterparts, custom white-glove cloud providers such as EstesGroup steer away from one-size-fits-all approaches. Instead, they empower organizations, like manufacturers and distributors, to customize and refine their solutions to match distinct requirements and unique teams.

Rather than contending with universal approaches and impersonal support, choosing a custom white-glove cloud provider allows manufacturers and distributors to craft tailored solutions and gain the personalized support they need. With a complex ERP system like Epicor Kinetic, you will need personalized support on both the functional and the technical end. EstesGroup provides unparalleled individual attention and support for manufacturing ERP solutions, allowing you to make the best choice for deployment when considering all of your Epicor Kinetic cloud options compared to on-premise deployment options. Partnering with EstesGroup offers exceptional flexibility and reliability while keeping costs for services and tools well within target.

Do your Epicor Kinetic cloud options come with hidden fees?

In addition to customization and support, partnerships with custom white-glove cloud providers like EstesGroup aid manufacturers and distributors in selecting cloud solutions that align with their budgets. The approaches of larger cloud computing companies can often be intricate and challenging to migrate, leading many organizations to contend with hidden fees that adversely impact their budgets.

For the ultimate ERP experience, choose an expert ERP and IT consultancy, ensuring that your team can comprehend solutions, pricing models, and contracts with clarity. The simplicity of your cloud solutions and transparent pricing and fee schedules are invaluable benefits of choosing a custom white-glove cloud provider. Choose a cloud provider that takes pride in its commitment to transparency, a quality often overshadowed when dealing with larger cloud computing companies. This transparency allows your organization to stay on budget, reduce costs, and expect effortless growth.

Navigating the selection process for a cloud computing partner can be a formidable task.

For manufacturers and distributors, choosing a custom white-glove cloud provider like EstesGroup over industry giants like Azure and Google could prove to be the superior option. A partnership with EstesGroup grants organizations the flexibility to choose customized plans, transparency in solutions, pricing models, and contracts, along with the essential support, reliability, and performance. Rather than grappling with universal approaches and hidden fees, a custom cloud provider assists manufacturers and distributors in tailoring solutions to their specific needs while staying on budget.

Elastic Computing Revolutionizes Business Dynamics

Elastic Computing Revolutionizes Business Dynamics

Cloud Resources are Changing the Manufacturing and Distribution Industry Landscapes

In the world of cloud options for businesses, elastic computing refers to the ability to dynamically scale computing resources up or down based on demand, without the need for significant manual intervention. It involves the use of cloud computing and virtualization technologies to provide flexibility and cost-efficiency in managing IT infrastructure. This allows for greater flexibility and scalability, as resources can be easily scaled up or down based on dynamic business needs. Cloud computing also eliminates the need for organizations to invest in and maintain their own physical infrastructure, such as on-site servers, reducing costs and increasing efficiency.

Elastic Computing Cloud Servers

What is Virtualization?

Virtualization, on the other hand, involves creating a virtual version of a device or resource, such as a server, operating system, or storage device. This virtualization technology allows multiple virtual instances to run on a single physical machine, effectively maximizing the utilization of hardware resources. By consolidating multiple virtual machines onto a single physical server, organizations can reduce the number of physical servers required, leading to cost savings in terms of hardware, power, and cooling.

Bringing Cloud and Virtualization Together

When combined, cloud computing and virtualization technologies offer numerous benefits for managing IT infrastructure. Firstly, they provide flexibility in terms of resource allocation. With cloud computing, organizations can easily scale up or down their computing resources based on their needs, ensuring that they have the right amount of resources at any given time. Virtualization allows for the efficient utilization of hardware resources, enabling organizations to make the most of their existing infrastructure.

Pay-As-You-Go, Quick-To-Market Technologies

At the end of the day, new cloud-based technologies offer cost savings throughout the entire business ecosystem. By leveraging cloud computing, organizations can avoid the upfront costs associated with purchasing and maintaining physical infrastructure. Instead, they can pay for the resources they actually use on a pay-as-you-go basis. 

Virtualization further reduces costs by allowing organizations to consolidate their hardware resources, reducing the number of physical servers required and the associated costs of power, cooling, and maintenance.

Additionally, cloud computing and virtualization technologies enhance the agility and scalability of IT infrastructure. With cloud computing, organizations can quickly provision and deploy resources, allowing for faster time-to-market for new applications and services. Virtualization enables organizations to easily scale their infrastructure up or down based on demand, ensuring that they can meet changing business needs without disruption.

Furthermore, these technologies improve the reliability and availability of IT infrastructure. Cloud computing providers typically offer robust infrastructure with built-in redundancy and failover mechanisms, ensuring high availability of services.

Virtualization also enhances reliability by isolating virtual machines from each other, preventing issues in one virtual machine from affecting others.

The use of cloud computing and virtualization technologies in managing IT infrastructure provides organizations with flexibility, cost-efficiency, agility, scalability, reliability, and availability. By leveraging these technologies, organizations can optimize their resource utilization, reduce costs, and improve their overall IT operations. Here are the top 10 benefits of elastic computing for manufacturing and distribution businesses:

Scalability

Elastic computing allows businesses to easily scale their IT infrastructure to accommodate fluctuating demand, ensuring that resources are available when needed without over-provisioning.

Cost Efficiency

By scaling resources up or down as required, businesses can optimize their IT costs, paying only for the computing power they actually use, reducing overall expenses.

Resource Optimization

It enables efficient use of computing resources, avoiding underutilization during periods of low demand and preventing resource bottlenecks during peak periods.

Improved Performance

Elasticity ensures that applications and systems can maintain consistent performance levels even during traffic spikes or increased workloads.

Flexibility

Businesses can quickly adapt to changing market conditions or unexpected events, such as seasonal variations in demand or unforeseen disruptions by adjusting computing resources in real time.

Reduced Downtime

Elastic computing minimizes the risk of system failures or downtime due to resource constraints, as additional resources can be provisioned automatically in response to increased load.

Enhanced Disaster Recovery

Elastic computing can support robust disaster recovery and backup solutions, enabling businesses to replicate their systems across multiple locations or cloud regions for data redundancy and resilience.

Global Reach

Businesses can leverage cloud providers’ global data center networks to expand their operations into new regions and markets without the need for physical infrastructure investments.

Resource Isolation

Elastic computing can provide resource isolation and security, ensuring that applications and data remain protected even when sharing cloud infrastructure with other users.

Agility and Innovation

With the ability to rapidly provision and experiment with new resources and technologies, businesses can innovate more quickly and bring new products or services to market faster.

The Value in Cloud Elasticity

In manufacturing and distribution, elastic computing is particularly valuable because it allows companies to handle seasonal demand fluctuations, respond to supply chain disruptions, and efficiently manage their IT costs. In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing marketplace, businesses need to be agile in order to stay competitive. This means being able to quickly adapt to new trends, technologies, and customer demands. Agility allows companies to respond swiftly to market changes, seize new opportunities, and stay ahead of the competition.

However, agility alone is not enough. Businesses also need to ensure the reliability and performance of their critical systems. These systems are the backbone of the organization, supporting key operations and processes. Any downtime or performance issues can have severe consequences, such as lost revenue, damaged reputation, and dissatisfied customers.

By combining agility with reliability and performance, businesses can achieve a winning formula. They can swiftly respond to market changes while maintaining the stability and efficiency of their critical systems. This requires a careful balance between innovation and stability, as well as a robust infrastructure and effective risk management strategies.

Agility enables businesses to quickly adapt their strategies, products, and services to meet changing customer needs and preferences. It allows them to experiment, iterate, and pivot as necessary, without being tied down by rigid processes or outdated technologies. This flexibility is crucial in a dynamic marketplace where customer expectations are constantly evolving.

On the other hand, reliability and performance ensure that businesses can deliver on their promises consistently. Customers expect products and services to work flawlessly, without any disruptions or delays. Critical systems, such as e-commerce platforms, supply chain management systems, or customer support systems, need to be highly available, scalable, and efficient. This requires robust infrastructure, rigorous testing, and proactive monitoring to identify and address any issues before they impact the business.

Why Manufacturers and Distributors are Choosing EstesCloud

Businesses need both agility, reliability, and performance to thrive in today’s dynamic manufacturing and distribution industry landscape. Agility allows companies to adapt and innovate, while reliability and performance ensure that their critical systems can support their operations effectively. By striking the right balance between these two factors, businesses can remain competitive, deliver exceptional customer experiences, and achieve long-term success.

Ready to move your business to the cloud? In the cloud and ready for a better cloud environment?

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ChatGPT Security? Tell Me About Your Motherboard

ChatGPT Security? Tell Me About Your Motherboard

ChatGPT security concerns reveal that business owners are hesitant to let AI replace humans.

In November 2022, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, an artificially intelligent, natural language chatbot. ChatGPT interacts with its users in uncannily humanistic and intelligent ways. 

ChatGPT Security EstesCloud

ChatGPT (Conversational Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a new type of artificial intelligence technology that is being developed to improve the way people interact with machines. While it is intended to provide faster and more intuitive responses to queries, it also carries potential security risks, especially for business owners. 

The main concern is that, due to its complex nature, it could result in the loss of private data at great cost to companies and their employees. Furthermore, the technology could lead to a lack of control over data and give hackers the power to manipulate user behavior. This could be particularly damaging to those who rely on personal data to make decisions, such as financial services.

Additionally, ChatGPT could potentially cause unintended consequences, such as decreased privacy, as well as a lack of transparency. Therefore, it is essential to understand the implications of this technology before it is put into use.

The capabilities of ChatGPT and other Artificially Intelligent (AI) platforms are truly astounding. Users can ask ChatGPT questions and expect meaningful, accurate answers. However, these advancements in AI and chatbot technology come with their own set of compliance, privacy, and cybersecurity concerns. 

For instance, as these AI platforms become more sophisticated, they may begin to store more personal data and analyze user behavior. This could lead to potential privacy violations and other security risks:

  • AI-powered chatbots are particularly vulnerable to malicious attacks, as hackers may attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in AI platforms in order to gain access to sensitive information, manipulate data, or disrupt operations.
  • Additionally, AI-powered chatbots may be vulnerable to social engineering attacks, wherein hackers may use techniques such as phishing, impersonation, and disinformation to gain access to systems or manipulate people.
  • Furthermore, AI-powered chatbots may be vulnerable to data poisoning attacks, wherein hackers may input malicious data into AI systems in order to corrupt their output.
  • Finally, AI-powered chatbots may be vulnerable to adversarial attacks, wherein hackers may use sophisticated methods to fool the AI system into producing incorrect results.

These attacks can be used to gain access to valuable data, disrupt operations, or even cause physical harm. As such, it is important for businesses to take the necessary steps to protect their AI platforms from potential cyber threats. 

The question and answer exchange feature of a chat-based AI tool allows users to exchange information and collect personal data, making it easier to target specific audiences with tailored content.

AI security issues surface greater challenges in company data management.

Sophisticated chatbots provide an efficient way to generate content quickly, allowing users to quickly respond to customer requests or create high-quality content. As AI systems collect data, threat actors can scavenge for personal data, such as payment information or an email address. Something immediately helpful in customer relationship management soon becomes a data management nightmare.

Aside from the entertainment and educational capabilities of this new AI technology, ChatGPT and its other rival AI platforms have the potential to revolutionize the internet and working atmospheres.

In the technology realm, IT workers can use ChatGPT to enhance their development by asking the tool to quickly write or revise code. Considering the capabilities of AI platforms, it’s no wonder why companies are investing in and implementing AI technology.

However, like many other technological advances in history, AI platforms have potential privacy and cybersecurity risks. Recently, Italy, Spain, and other European countries have raised concerns about the potential privacy violations that could arise from using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform. As a result, these countries have sought to introduce new regulations to ensure that ChatGPT respects the privacy of its users.

In particular, these regulations would require the platform to limit the collection, use, and disclosure of users’ personal data, as well as to ensure that users are able to access, modify, or delete the personal data they have provided to the platform. The regulations would require ChatGPT to take appropriate steps to ensure that any personal data collected is adequately protected from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. This includes implementing appropriate technical and organizational measures such as encryption, pseudonymization, and secure storage systems. 

ChatGPT would also be required to provide users with clear and detailed information about how their personal data is being used, such as the purposes for which it is being collected and processed, the categories of data being collected, how long it will be stored, and who it will be shared with. Furthermore, ChatGPT would need to ensure that users are aware of their rights in relation to their personal data, including their right to access and to request rectification or deletion of their data.

Many countries have banned ChatGPT. Under the Biden administration, the United States will roll out a comprehensive national security strategy to address the growing threat of hacking and malicious use of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms. This strategy will involve the coordination of multiple federal departments and agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. It will also require close coordination with international partners and allies, as well as the private sector and civil society organizations to ensure that the strategy is effective and comprehensive in scope.

The strategy will include a focus on protecting critical infrastructure, strengthening deterrence and detection capabilities, improving information sharing and collaboration, and developing new technologies to protect against malicious cyber threats and malicious AI use. The strategy will also involve enhancing international cooperation and engagement to counter malicious cyber activities, as well as increasing public and private investments in cyber security research and development.

The Biden administration will also be seeking to build public-private partnerships to improve the security of both public and private sector networks and systems. AI platforms are increasingly becoming popular due to their innovative and highly capable nature. However, these platforms are not without their risks and need to be assessed by multiple parties.

Cybercriminals are constantly looking for ways to take advantage of these platforms, targeting them in order to steal confidential information, generate malicious software, or gain access to data systems. These types of cyber attacks can have serious implications for the security of the platform and its users, resulting in the loss of valuable data, financial information, and sensitive personal information. Therefore, it is essential that organizations take the necessary steps to protect their AI platforms against these types of malicious attacks. This includes implementing robust security measures and regularly monitoring the platform for any suspicious activities. Additionally, it is important to stay up to date with the latest cybersecurity trends and technologies in order to ensure that the AI platform remains secure and protected.

Although OpenAI has programmed ChatGPT with the appropriate rules to prevent abuse, hackers have already figured out how to “jailbreak” the platform. In as little as a minute, hackers can generate malicious code for criminal intent. Prior to utilizing ChatGPT, their efforts may have taken days or even weeks.

AI-generated malware and cybersecurity attacks have already occurred. For example, hackers recently used ChatGPT to generate apps that successfully hijacked Facebook users’ accounts.

Preventing cybersecurity attacks and data breaches are of utmost importance for companies that desire to protect their sensitive data and minimize their costs, and now that hackers are using AI platforms to further their criminal activities, it is imperative, now more than ever, for companies to seek the best security solutions.

EstesGroup offers EstesCloud services to protect companies’ private data and systems from cybercriminals who may use new AI platforms for malicious intent. EstesCloud protects companies in a changing society in which AI technology is accelerating and enhancing hackers’ criminal activities. ChatGPT security is included in the private cloud and hybrid cloud infrastructures that we create for our clients.

ChatGPT security isn’t an issue when your powerful, highly capable AI and ERP tools are protected in a reputable data center. EstesGroup is ready to protect companies from hackers who use ChatGPT and other AI platforms to attempt to breach their data systems. The new AI technology will inevitably advance in the future, and as companies embrace and implement AI platforms, security solutions, like EstesCloud, will be necessary to safeguard private data and protect data systems.

EstesGroup realizes that innovation requires responsibility and security solutions, and the Estes’ team of highly skilled and dedicated professionals are ready to assist companies that seek the best cloud protection. Only time will tell how AI platforms will transform company atmospheres, but companies can rest assured that EstesGroup is ready for an artificially intelligent future.

P21 Public Web Client Access – Who’s Your Proxy?

P21 Public Web Client Access – Who’s Your Proxy?

ERP systems have traditionally had a functionality-accessibility problem: ERP systems were highly functional, but not especially accessible – they normally required desktop fat-client applications for access, and these were often hamstrung by local access requirements, making applications far from mobile. 

As internet architectures became more and more robust, the possibility of web browser-based ERP became a reality, with new ERP vendors designing and building their software around the browser, and legacy vendors systems hastening to retrofit their existing ERP systems to accommodate the browser-based future. 

21 Public Web Client Access

But this introduced a new problem – one of accessibility vs security: the high levels of availability increased the possibility that threat actors could access a company’s ERP system remotely, and cause havoc to company data. 

Most load balancers make it relatively easy to have an app safely deployed publicly. Normally, you run a reverse proxy server that passes traffic to your web app. This obfuscates the info for the destination of the web app and basically acts as a secure gateway to the internal resource. At EstesGroup, P21 Web UI is protected by MFA via a reverse proxy to the identity provider as well. However, administration of the Prophet 21 application introduces additional challenges. The P21 web login page contains a gear icon.

Epicor Prophet 21 Create Connection

If a P21 user clicks the gear, they can access the Middleware server URL value, along with its port.

Prophet 21 Profile Name Server Name

This introduces several complications:

  • It basically shows users a free shortcut around MFA. A clever user can copy and paste the Middleware URL and port into their browser and access the P21 application directly, avoiding the MFA.
  • The Middleware server URL and port are resolved on the P21 client side of the P21 application when logging in. This means, even though the Load Balancer can reverse proxy to the internal resource, it’s not going to be able to resolve the specific Middleware server URL on the P21 client side to complete the P21 login.

To get around these challenges, you might initially think to expose the Prophet 21 Middleware server to the internet and add a public DNS entry for it. But to directly expose P21 Middleware servers to the internet in that manner is a monumental risk. Another option is required.

To address the above issue, we do the following:

  • We create a middleware reverse proxy to direct traffic to the middleware servers.
  • We direct the P21 Web configurations to use the middleware proxy for its respective Middleware Server.
  • We then expose the reverse proxies to the internet, creating DNS records for each of them.

By exposing the Middleware server proxies to the internet through a public DNS instead of the middleware servers themselves, you add a line of defense to the servers, only passing that needed traffic and keeping P21 Middleware Servers from being directly internet-exposed.

Another advantage of reverse proxying is the ability to intercept direct-access attempts. Theoretically, one might try to plug in the Middleware proxy URLs publicly and get access to the P21 API or the P21 Web UI. The reverse proxy allows for the functionality to block certain endpoints, such as the API or web client. When a user sees the Middleware URL in the P21 login settings, if they try to get around MFA and plug that URL in, they get a lovely 403 page, keeping them out of the Middleware. Alternatively, you can also redirect them back to the Web UI home page.

While there are other solutions for increasing accessibility, such as accessing through a VPN, these can at times be unreliable. If you are a decentralized company, with remote employees all over the country, speeds over VPN can be less than ideal on many occasions. Obviously, there are certain risks to opening any resource to the internet. It’s important to consider the attack surface, and the associated risks. At EstesGroup, we isolate any resources open to the internet, and implement Antivirus, Firewalls, and Threat Protection for all endpoints. Along with that, oftentimes, Geofencing helps cut out a lot of noise on any resource open to the internet, to prevent overseas attackers using botnets.

Reverse Proxy Web Server
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Marshall Douglas EstesGroup

Marshall Douglas, EstesGroup Systems Engineer

Have questions about Epicor P21 public web client access? Schedule a free consultation or ERP cloud solutions demo with the author now.