Monitoring Matters

It’s website takeover time! For some reason, I had an 80s flashback when I started to write this blog on the “40 under 40” takeover happening this afternoon on www.securitysystemsnews.com. With visions of “Forever Young” dancing in my head (yes, I had a hard time choosing between the Alphaville song from the early 80s or the Rod Stewart hit from the latter part of the decade), we continue to honor the outstanding young professionals who are making their mark in the...

I enjoy writing feel-good stories, and the story we posted today on our site is just that – a truly inspiring article on why you should never give up on your dreams. Min Kyriannis’s story is not your typical “Family immigrates to the United States in search of the American dream” scenario. It’s a lot more than that. Kyriannis grew up in New York in Flushing, Queens (which happens to be my hometown) and has worked in a variety of technology and security roles for...

And the ransomware attacks just keep on coming. Add Fortune 500 company Accenture to the ongoing list of major companies that have been victimized and compromised in recent months as the Dublin, Ireland-based global cyber consulting firm was breached last week by a cyber threat using a strain of ransomware known as LockBit. Reports indicate that the hackers, known as LockBit 2.0, demanded $50 million in exchange for the more than 6TB of Accenture’s data they stole. A threatening message...

It’s not often that we at Security Systems News write an article that just tugs at your heartstrings and makes you want to hug your loved ones a little tighter. I just put together a feature that really tells a story of courage and inspiration that I wish had a happy ending, but unfortunately does not. The story of security coach/mentor Jeff Snyder is one that was brought to our attention by Min Kyriannis, CEO of Amyna Systems, who informed us that he passed away in June at the much too...

Voluntary vs. Required. That debate regarding the sharing or reporting of vital information emerged in recent days after another salvo in the war on cyberattacks was fired in Washington, D.C. Last week, a bipartisan group of senators, led by Mark Warner (D-Va.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine), introduced a bill, titled the Cyber Incident Notification Act of 2021, that requires all federal agencies, contractors, and organizations considered critical to U.S. national security...

Two weeks ago, I blogged about the successful Moms in Security golf outing that four amazing women in our industry put together for a great cause. Feeding off that phrase – “amazing women in our industry” - something else happened that day at the golf outing that was the catalyst for this week’s blog. Following five hours on the golf course in 100-degree heat, I was about to have a fine meal of ribs, chicken and beans in the clubhouse. However, I was summoned by someone...

The pictures say it all. The hard work of the four amazing moms pictured above – (from left to right) Min Kyriannis, CEO, Amyna Systems; Antoinette King, PSP, Founder, Credo Cyber Consulting, LLC; Elisa Mula, Founder, EM Designs (EMD), LLC; and Janet Fenner, President, Defined Marketing - culminated in a successful day for the security industry, all for a wonderful cause. We at Security Systems News were proud to sponsor and be on hand for the inaugural Moms in Security Charity Golf Outing...

I guess the Baltimore City Council didn’t read my blog from two weeks ago. It should have. Maybe the council would have reconsidered the unfathomable decision it made on June 8 to approve what would be the most extreme ban by a local jurisdiction on personal and business applications of facial recognition technology.  The vote was 13-2 in favor of the ban, which would most certainly place security on the backburner at a time when security should be front and center on the priority...

Is it possible that security technology is criminal in nature? Sounds like that line of irrational thinking is what is behind one of the more puzzling decisions made just last week by the Baltimore City Council’s Public Safety & Government Operations Committee. The committee’s mind-boggling move on May 26 to advance a proposal that would ban nearly all applications of facial recognition technology in the city raises one simple question – What were you thinking? There’s...

As COVID-19 rates decline across the country, more and more workers are migrating back to their offices, trying to get back into some semblance of a routine that has not been present since the onset of the pandemic more than a year ago. Here in New York, workers who are fully vaccinated can return to their offices without wearing a mask, effective immediately. Even with all of these seismic shifts, as millions and millions of Americans continue to get vaccinated, and many employees are going...