Channel Brief: Election Security Takes Center Stage, Blue Mantis Acquires HighTechnique

Election security is increasingly critical, especially as we approach this November's presidential election. In Florida, ABC News reported that the state's primary election was marred by a glitch that kept Florida county elections officials from immediately posting primary election results on Tuesday night. An elections technology company has taken full responsibility.

ABC News said that while the problem didn't affect voters or ballot counting, there were still unanswered questions from Tallahassee-based VR Systems about how widespread the problem was, why it wasn't prepared for websites that slowed or crashed, and how it's going to fix a problem that popped up during a low-turnout primary when it deals with a much larger demand for information during a hotly contested presidential election in less than three months.

As our sister site MSSP Alert reported, MSSPs, MSPs and other cybersecurity providers are increasingly called upon to maintain (and restore) election security while helping stop the spread of misinformation and protect candidates from attacks on their websites and other forms of campaign communications.

Today, there are real, documented threats from nation-state actors that will require top-level cybersecurity expects to meet such challenges. But, as the glitch Tuesday proved, there are also threats from technology failures and glitches that we need to be prepared for.

As always, drop me a line at [email protected] if you have news to share or want to say hi!

Grab your coffee. Here's what else you need to know today.

Today’s Tech, Channel and MSP News

1. Blue Mantis acquires HighTechnique: MSP Blue Mantis has acquired HighTechnique, an independent cybersecurity services provider. This acquisition enhances Blue Mantis’ networking and cybersecurity capabilities, particularly in serving public sector clients who require advanced compliance and business protection, the companies said in a statement. Braintree, Mass.-based HighTechnique has expertise in network and cybersecurity expertise, especially with public sector clients, including cities, towns, and municipalities. The acquisition will bring a valuable combination of established relationships and a deep understanding of this critical market segment to Blue Mantis.

2. Jamf joins Okta Elevate program: Apple management and services firm Jamf has joined the Okta Elevate Partner Program to drive further go-to-market alignment and accelerate product innovation between the companies, the companies said. Jamf and Okta worked closely together on first-to-market support for Apple’s Platform Single Sign-On, and the annual Okta Businesses at Work report shows that Jamf is among the most popular apps for organizations using Okta.

3. Percona adds new board directors: Open source database software and services firm Percona announced the addition of John Newton, co-founder of Alfresco and Documentum, and Rob Young, a veteran of the open source software ecosystem – as independent directors to its board. The addition of Newton and Young will help Percona continue to innovate and deliver database software and solutions to its customers, the company said, and ensure the company maintains high levels of governance and data security. Congratulations!

4. Malwarebytes urges action on ransomware defense: The increase in ransomware requires organizations to implement around-the-clock monitoring and investigation of cyber threats. The news (and advice) comes via a new report from Malwarebytes, “ThreatDown 2024 State of Ransomware,” which shows significant shifts in the tactics and strategies employed by cybercriminals. Accordingly, Malwarebytes urges security teams to “be smart” about how they allocate their limited time and resources and be vigilant to changes in the threat landscape.

5. IFT identifies areas for efficiency improvement: Business process outsourcing company Integrated Financial Technologies (IFT) Operational Assessment projects identified six back-office areas where many businesses lack efficiency. These areas include use of antiquated technology, inadequate data storage, siloed departments, the assignment of specific employees as a single point of information, the inability to cross-sell products, and lack of corporate documentation. These are all areas where MSPs and MSSPs can find opportunity to help customers improve efficiency and make their back office processes better.

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