Our Commitment to Clients, Employees and Partners
Given the current outbreak of COVID-19 and the impact the virus is having on our clients, partners, employees, and communities, we have taken steps to deliver continuous service to our clients. We are closely monitoring and continue to take direction from global, federal, and local health officials like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The underlying principle that guides us is keeping our employees and clients safe while continuing to provide the excellent services clients have come to expect from us, in a manner to help ensure your systems remain in operation without any negative impact.
Business Continuity
Resources and Tools
We will continue to closely monitor the situation and do all that we can to protect you and our employees and to ensure that you continue to receive the service that you have come to expect from Secure-24 | NTT. We will advise you of service notifications through your account contacts and communication channels. Below are valuable offers from our strategic partners to assist in the successful execution of your BCP, along with additional tools:
Communications – Cisco WebEx has expanded its free offerings to allow employees to stay connected to and continue business operations. The company has broadened this offer to include security for remote employees by providing extended free licenses and expanded usage counts at no extra charge for three key security technologies that are designed to protect remote workers anywhere, anytime and on any device.
Security Advisory – Ransomware Threat Advisory (May 4, 2020)
Security – Cloudflare is waiving the price of Access seats for remote work models for clients through September 1, 2020.
Collaboration – Microsoft is providing free enterprise access to Microsoft Teams.
Guide: Tips for Identifying COVID-19 Phishing Emails
Guide: Free Resources to Protect Devices
Guide: Best Practices for Working from Home
Secure-24 Podcast: Your Entire Workforce is Remote, Now What?
Stay Informed
Below are helpful resources for the U.S. Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization:
- WHO Daily Situation Reports
- CDC Travel Guidance
- CDC Frequently Asked Questions
- CDC Prevention and treatment recommendations
- CDC Corona Virus Daily Updates
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Secure-24 | NTT’s Business Continuity Plan (BCP)?
Secure-24 | NTT maintains a robust BCP with detailed instructions on communication plans, how to recover or mitigate the loss of management services to clients, and details how Secure-24 | NTT utilizes N+1 or N+N architectures to maintain services to clients. Our BCP is designed to ensure that Secure-24 can respond to Significant Business Disruption (SBD) event as rapidly as possible. The goal of the BCP is to minimize the impact of an SBD and to recover operations quickly, effectively reducing any resulting service interruptions for our clients while providing a safe working environment for our employees.
Has the Integrated Operations Center (IOC) initiated a BCP?
Yes. Employees have been instructed to work remotely from home. In the US, all employees began working from home on March 13. In India, employees have been working from home since March 16.
Is the IOC capable of supporting end users with the same level of support while working from home?
Yes. All IOC team members have access to the necessary tools and resources to provide support regardless of the location.
Is the IOC running skeleton coverage?
No. The IOC operates 24x7x365 and is staffed to respond to and support end user support requests.
What is the status of Secure-24 | NTT data centers?
Secure-24 | NTT data centers are “essential” and continue to operate, with personnel onsite 24×7.
How has the security threat vector changed? What are your recommendations?
Amid COVID-19, the security threat has dramatically changed. Our security teams are receiving increased reports about cybercriminals targeting remote and healthcare workers with phishing emails claiming “coronavirus awareness” or “COVID-19 awareness”. These emails are requesting users register for a non-existing seminar and are attempting to capture user credentials. Other phishing is leading users to seemingly legitimate websites, including at least one coronavirus heat map, to deliver malware.
Recommendations to protect against phishing scams:
- Enable Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) on all remote access tools and users.
- Confirm that Next Gen AV/ EDR is in place on remote and BYOD devices connecting to corporate applications/systems.
- Continue security awareness training with your users and include formation in BCP communication, to increase employee awareness of potential threats.
Additionally, since most employees will now be using VPN systems, they are more likely to fall for phishing attacks that steal VPN account credentials. We recommend that you enable MFA
on VPN accounts, ensure user endpoints are patched and that your VPN solution is up-to-date.
How can I get updates from Secure-24 | NTT on COVID-19?
Secure-24 | NTT will advise you of any important service notifications via your account contacts and communication channels. If you have questions or concerns regarding COVID-19, we are requesting that you contact your Customer Success Manager. Also, frequently visit our COVID-19 Resource Center for the latest updates.
If you have additional questions regarding COVID-19 and our response, Secure-24 requests that they be channeled through your Customer Success Manager.