Author Archives: Megan Carnes

The UK’s top cybersecurity specialists urge business executives to take a more active role in boosting their organisation’s cybersecurity as online threats continue to skyrocket.

The National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, has released new resources as part of its Cybersecurity Board Toolkit to help businesses become more secure.

This updated Board Toolkit is designed to assist board members and senior leaders across medium and large organisations to be more confident in discussing cybersecurity with key stakeholders.

While most board members do not have to be cybersecurity experts, they should know enough to discuss issues with critical personnel. The Board Toolkit helps members better understand the organisation’s cyber risk profile.

Here is a closer look at the refreshed recommendations and how working with cybersecurity experts can help your business and board members successfully govern online risk.

Create the Right Environment

Embedding Cybersecurity into Your Organisation: Cybersecurity goes beyond having “good IT” in the workplace. It should be integrated into risk management and decision-making, and all business divisions should know their cybersecurity responsibilities.

• Thrive addresses cybersecurity gaps in your organisation by providing various expert, professional, and consultative services with an agnostic approach to identifying and prioritising risks that drive business decisions.

Developing a Positive Cybersecurity Culture: Security culture defines how employees should think about and approach security in an organisation. People, not just technology or processes, keep an organisation secure.

• At Thrive, we provide employee training and education to help them understand the importance of cybersecurity and how to identify and prevent attacks. Building a security culture and reducing the risk of human error are now more essential than ever.

Growing Cybersecurity Expertise: Senior management should invest in staff, hire outside experts, and build a talent pipeline with specialised cybersecurity knowledge.

• Thrive has a team of technical experts with decades of experience managing security for businesses of all sizes with the best technology to protect your network from cyber threats.

Get the Right Information to Support Decision Making

Identifying Critical Assets in Your Organisation: Risk management requires understanding how technical assets support business goals. The board must convey critical objectives to technical experts.

• At Thrive, our cybersecurity services begin with comprehensive risk assessments to help businesses understand their unique vulnerabilities and develop a bespoke plan to protect them.

Understanding the Cybersecurity threat: Prioritising threats is necessary to avoid ineffectively defending against everything. It is essential to keep current, identify threats, and undertake threat assessments routinely.

• With multi-layered end-user protection, Thrive protects your organisation in real-time to identify attacks and mitigate breaches. We provide holistic security solutions for your organisation to protect sensitive data in the Cloud and at all end-user access points.

Risk Management for Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity risk should be included in your overall risk management strategy rather than treated as a single topic (or as only an IT risk).

• Thrive’s managed cybersecurity solutions leverage the teams deep expertise to deliver proactive security that keeps customers ahead of threats.

Take Steps to Manage Those Risks

Implementing Effective Cybersecurity Measures: Basic cybersecurity measures can limit cyber assaults and their reputational, financial, and legal effects. However, you must also customise your defences to your organisation’s top threats.

• Thrive offers 24x7x365 monitoring and detection with top-of-the-line technology, ensuring that businesses are always protected.

Collaborating with Your Supply Chain and Partners: Building a clear picture of your suppliers (and working with them to establish their sub-contractors) is critical to gaining assurance that threats from the supply chain are understood and risks mitigated.

• As a business, you need the best cybersecurity resources, trusted external partners, and the latest technology platforms that help to discover operational security gaps. Thrive helps develop a comprehensive action plan to remedy and mitigate threats.

Planning Your Response to Cyber Incidents: Cybersecurity events can cost an organisation money, productivity, reputation, and customers. Being prepared to recognise and promptly respond to problems can prevent the attacker from doing further harm and limit the financial and operational impact.

• Besides data and revenue loss, your business could lose customer trust and have a tarnished brand reputation. Thrive’s disaster recovery services have helped companies recover quickly and minimise downtime.

Contact Thrive today to learn how we can help your business stay secure in today’s digital age.

Thrive, a premier provider of Cybersecurity, Cloud and Digital Transformation Managed Services, announced today that it has acquired Storagepipe, a world-class Cloud, Data Protection, Managed Services and Cybersecurity provider based in Toronto, Ontario. The acquisition will further expand Thrive’s global presence while allowing Storagepipe clients to leverage Thrive’s next-generation managed Cybersecurity and Cloud services, all powered by a proprietary automation platform.

Thrive, a Foxborough, MA-based provider of cybersecurity, cloud and digital transformation managed services, acquired Storagepipe, a cloud, data protection, managed services and cybersecurity provider based in Toronto, Canada.

Thrive, an MSP backed by private equity firm Court Square Capital Partners, has acquired Storagepipe, a cloud, data protection, managed services, and cybersecurity provider, for an undisclosed amount.

Thrive, a provider of cybersecurity, cloud and digital transformation managed services, has acquired cloud and data protection provider Storagepipe.

The acquisition of the Toronto & Ottawa based Cloud, Data Protection, Cybersecurity & Managed Services Provider expands Thrive’s NextGen operations in North America

FOXBOROUGH, MASS. – April 25, 2023 – Thrive, a premier provider of Cybersecurity, Cloud and Digital Transformation Managed Services, announced today that it has acquired Storagepipe, a world-class Cloud, Data Protection, Managed Services and Cybersecurity provider based in Toronto, Ontario. The acquisition will further expand Thrive’s global presence while allowing Storagepipe clients to leverage Thrive’s next-generation managed Cybersecurity and Cloud services, all powered by a proprietary automation platform.

Since 2001, Storagepipe has been a trusted global provider of IT Infrastructure Services with a scalable multi-tenant architecture delivered from data centers in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

“Thrive is excited to welcome Storagepipe to help accelerate our rapidly expanding international footprint, especially in Toronto as a key Financial Services Hub,” said Rob Stephenson, CEO of Thrive. “Storagepipe’s growing customer base across multiple industries in the Enterprise, Mid-Market and SMB will add tremendous value to Thrive’s Managed Services, Cloud and Cybersecurity offerings in the Canadian market.”

Storagepipe offers comprehensive Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) and Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) platforms, including Disaster Recovery for VMware and Hyper-V systems and IBM I (AS/400, iSeries). The company is a Microsoft Cloud Service Provider with an extensive portfolio of Microsoft 365 services. In 2020, Storagepipe was recognized as a Veeam Impact Partner – VCSP Growth Partner of the Year and in 2021 was recognized as Veeam Service Provider of the Year in Canada.

“Storagepipe is proud to have delivered highly flexible and responsive BaaS, DRaaS and Managed Services for 20+ years with outstanding value and service using state-of-the-art technology”, said Steven Rodin, CEO and President of Storagepipe. “We are excited to join Thrive and expand its NextGen portfolio with our innovative and extensive Cloud and Disaster Recovery solutions that focus on trust, responsiveness, reliability and scalability.”

Storagepipe is Thrive’s third acquisition based outside of the U.S. since 2021, further strengthening Thrive’s global position as a leading technology provider delivering end-to-end managed services to drive secure digital transformation for small to mid-sized enterprises across multiple industries.

For more information on Thrive, visit thrivenextgen.com.

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About Thrive

Thrive is a leading provider of NextGen managed services designed to drive business outcomes through application enablement and optimization. The company’s Thrive5 Methodology utilizes a unique combination of its Application Performance Platform and strategic services to ensure each business application achieves peak performance, scale, uptime, and the highest level of security. For more information, thrivenextgen.com.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Stephanie Farrell

Thrive

VP of Marketing

sfarrell@thrivenextgen.com

617-952-0289

Welcome back to another installment of our “Thrive Spotlight” blog series.

Our featured Thrive employee is Jeff Boardman, Vice President of Technology, Integration at Thrive.

Jeff is responsible for integrating acquisitions onto the Thrive technology stack. Jeff is a lifelong technology guru. He has two decades of experience in information technology and service leadership, along with certifications in VMware, Microsoft and other technology platforms.

He lives in Palmetto, Florida, and enjoys spending time with his family, boating, fishing and checking out car shows.

Hi Jeff! Can you tell us about your background and how you came to Thrive?

I started as a field engineer at Corporate IT Solutions (CITS) and worked my way up through the company over 15 years to become the CTO and Co-owner. I architected the private Cloud infrastructure at CITS, which allowed us to become a regional leader in the space. Thrive merged with CITS in 2016, and we were able to incorporate a lot of what I built into the Thrive product set. Once at Thrive, I managed the Cloud and senior engineering teams and most recently moved onto the Integration Team to help Thrive integrate newly acquired companies onto the Thrive platform.

Where did you go to school or get training?

I graduated high school during the dot-com boom and entered the workforce. I gained years of hands-on experience through various roles within our organization, ranging from engineering to management.

What do you most enjoy about working for Thrive?

In my current role on the Integration team, I have traveled throughout the U.S. and abroad and had the opportunity to meet new members of the Thrive team.

Any recent exciting projects at Thrive that you can tell us about?

Over the past year, I have worked to integrate six companies which has been a fantastic learning experience. All the roles I have had throughout my years at CITS and Thrive have helped give me a foundation for training new companies on the Thrive Platform. The fast dynamic environment is what I THRIVE in. I enjoy connecting with the people from the acquisitions and shepherding them into the Thrive family.

Are you interested in learning more about Thrive? Click here!

And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news and continue checking our blog for more in our “Thrive Employee Spotlight” series. Until next time…

Recently, the UK government outlined a new strategy to build cyber resilience in health and care organisations by the year 2030. The Cyber Futures programme takes the lead in bringing forward important Cybersecurity initiatives that protect health and adult social care services the nation relies on.

The comprehensive strategy for a cyber-resilient health and social care sector will ensure health services are better protected from cyber threats, further securing sensitive information and ensuring patients can continue accessing care safely. The plan includes strategies for identifying areas in the most vulnerable sector to utilise resources across the country to defend against cyber attacks.

Creating a cyber strategy of this magnitude would have been challenging for a large public sector giant like the NHS. As a result of this action plan, smaller private businesses are better equipped to follow this roadmap and adopt the same security mindset.

By embedding the same Cybersecurity framework and ideology of emerging technology as the NHS, other organisations can minimise the impact and recovery time of a cyber incident.

However, it’s not an easy road to go alone. That’s why it’s imperative to have a trusted Cybersecurity partner like Thrive to navigate the journey.

Here’s a breakdown of the five critical pillars of the UK government’s Cybersecurity strategy for the NHS that Thrive can also implement to fill in the gaps for your business.

1. Focus on the greatest risk and harm. Health and care organisations must be able to identify and secure their most vital assets and systems. This includes conducting regular risk assessments and implementing appropriate security controls. The first pillar focuses on identifying the areas of the sector where disruption would cause the most significant harm to patients, such as sensitive information being leaked or critical services being unable to function. Thrive conducts a Cybersecurity Risk Assessment led by Thrive’s (ISC)2 certified Strategic Consultants. The Thrive team reviews your organisation’s technology infrastructure and processes to identify potential vulnerabilities. Thrive then builds a strategic roadmap to future-proof your operations without compromising compliance.
2. Defend as one. The second pillar is uniting the sector to take advantage of its scale and benefit from national resources and expertise, enabling faster responses and minimising disruption. Health and care organisations must collaborate to share threat intelligence and best practices and develop coordinated incident response plans. The Thrive team is composed of technical and industry experts dedicated to ensuring that customers can optimise their business performance through the strategic design and implementation of a NextGen IT environment. Thrive’s unrivalled Cybersecurity services give you the experience, resources, and expertise to protect your essential data, SaaS apps, end users, and critical infrastructure.
3. People and culture. The third pillar engages leaders, grows and recognises the cyber workforce, and provides relevant cyber basics training to the general workforce. Health and care companies must foster a security culture with senior leaders actively engaged in cyber risk management. Additionally, organisations must invest in training and development for their staff, providing them with the knowledge and skills needed to identify and respond to cyber threats. Thrive’s Anti-Phishing and Security Awareness Training service provides ongoing security testing and training for your users to raise awareness of phishing, spear phishing, malware, ransomware, and social engineering attacks through targeted user campaigns and responsive training. Improving user awareness of these threats reduces the risk of human error resulting in security breaches and ransomware.
4. Build security for the future. The fourth pillar is embedding security into the framework of emerging technology to better protect it against cyber threats. Health and care organisations must be vigilant and adaptable to avoid cyber threats, with security measures continuously being monitored, tested and updated. To meet the highest security and compliance standards, health and care organisations must stay current on regulatory requirements and industry best practices. Thrive’s Managed Cybersecurity solutions leverage automation for speed and reactivity, experienced people for intelligent problem-solving, and durable solutions 24x7x365 from its Security Operations Centers (SOC). The Thrive security team builds and offers security solutions for the entire IT environment, from endpoints to the Cloud. Thrive’s customised Cybersecurity solutions protect customers’ systems and data end-to-end, relieving IT personnel.
5. Exemplary response and recovery. The fifth and final pillar is supporting every health and care organisation to minimise the impact and recovery time of a cyber incident. Hospitals, health systems, and doctor’s offices cannot afford critical infrastructure failure, security breaches or human error. Data backup and security and a disaster recovery plan (DRP) are essential. When networks go down or cyber attacks occur, Thrive offers NextGen IT business continuity solutions to resume your IT operations rapidly with minimal or no loss. Thrive’s Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) protects your critical business technology infrastructure, meeting the most stringent Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs).

The Road to Cyber Resiliency with Thrive

By using the UK government’s five pillars, health and care organisations can significantly reduce cyber attack vulnerability and improve response and recovery. Working together and investing in the right people, processes, and technologies can create a cyber-resilient system that protects patient data and critical services.

As business systems grow in complexity, there is an increased risk of vulnerabilities, exploits and security breaches. Thrive’s comprehensive and customised holistic Cybersecurity solutions protect your business, uncover and mitigate risks and meet stringent regulatory requirements.

Thrive’s security-first Cloud approach is flexible and economical, provides specific, actionable information and is backed by a 24x7x365 Security Operations Center that monitors your operations with industry-leading security technology.

Contact the Thrive team today to learn more.

As countless waves of technological evolution sweep through the healthcare industry over the next decade, healthcare records and systems are transforming into patient-to-patient interactions with real-time access to medical data and information.

Many healthcare providers, patients, and companies have yet to tap into the full potential of the Cloud because of data, talent and budget obstacles. However, a strategic IT partner like Thrive can help you overcome those challenges and soar in the Cloud.

DOWNLOAD our industry brief today!

“It’s really now about the opportunity to build a cybersecurity program for customers,” shares Rob Stephenson, CEO, Thrive Networks, Inc. In today’s episode of “Sunny’s Silver Linings” podcast, Rob and Sunny chat about the state of the channel and the future potential of M&A and cybersecurity in the MSP space.

Looking for an affordable way to implement or upgrade your security services? IT By Design and Vijilan have bundled their respective services and offer competitive pricing that will prove extremely attractive to MSPs and their customers. Click here for more details.