Strategic Cybersecurity Partner, Sentinel One, Ranked #4 Fastest Growing Technology Company by CNBC
June 25th, 2021 by Function4
Function4's Clients to Benefit from Early-Stage Partnership With Cybersecurity Firm
SUGARLAND, TX -Function4, a leading managed technology services provider (MTSP), recently announced that one of their earlystage strategic partners, Sentinel One, was recently listed as the #4 Fastest Growing Technology Company by CNBC (https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/25/sentinelone-disruptor-50.html). Function4 utilizes several key strategic partnerships to deliver elite-levels of cybersecurity to its customers' and to protect their IT infrastructure. The management team at Function4 recognized the power of the technology that Sentinel One could offer its customers and formed a strategic partnership with them early on, before their catalytic rise. As a result, Function4's customers are enjoying cybersecurity and IT defenses that are extremely wellprotected with the assistance of one of the largest companies in the cybersecurity industry. In an era where many business owners are growing more concerned with cybersecurity breaches, after many heard about the recent Colonial Pipeline and JBS Ransomware Attacks, which cost the CEOs of each organization $4.4M and $11M to resolve, respectively, Function4's customers can rest assured that they have some of the biggest, most successful and extremely sophisticated players in IT security defending their sensitive data.
One of the recent cybersecurity breaches that captured media attention was the SolarWinds SUNBURST breach, which was so controversial because it breached seemingly impenetrable U.S. government and large corporate systems. However, networks that were protected by Sentinel One, like Function4's customers for example, were completely unaffected by this breach and shrugged off the attack. When asked how they foresaw such an important strategic partnership, Ed Hoffmann, Managed Services Development at Function4, responded, "It's our job to foresee potential threats and to resolve them before they ever become a concern for our clients. We are constantly scanning the technological horizon so our customers constantly remain ahead of the curve. We partnered with Sentinel One three years ago because we knew how critical it was for us to add in additional layers of cybersecurity for our customers, so that when these sorts of attacks affected other companies, our customers would remain safe. We are constantly finding new ways to fortify our clients' defenses from breach so that they remain empowered during this ‘Wild West' era of cybersecurity."
While many business owners are beginning to more fully grasp the prevalence of cybersecurity as a threat to not only large enterprises, but small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), as well, only a few know how to proactively secure their organizations. Hoffmann then added, "While there are a few things that are definite best practices, like utilizing layers of security, a security operations center (SOC) and enabling 2-step authentication for employee logins, each company is unique in terms of mounting an appropriate defense strategy." Additionally, he shared, "As a business owner, the last thing you need to be doing is tinkering with your IT security, especially when the health of your organization depends on you remaining focused on revenue growth, strategic planning and the bigger picture. We take great pride in helping our customers offload their IT management, so our clients can do what they do best, which ultimately increases their profitability."
With ransomware attacks growing in frequency, it's useful to understand at which thresholds government assistance becomes available to the average business. The FBI intervenes when a ransomware demand is in excess of $250,000, whereas attacks in the $50,000 to $250,000 range are handled by state governments. Any ransomware demands below $50,000 are handled by whichever local government has jurisdiction. The only challenge with this is that many smaller, local government agencies are grossly under resourced, in terms of cybersecurity talent, which ultimately returns the burden back to the business owner, making SMBs an ideal target for cybercriminals in the near future. This gap is what has led to an outpouring of cybersecurity firms who cater to SMBs offering all sorts of services to shield them from any disturbances.
Despite the somber nature of this industry, companies like Function4 are keeping businesses protected so that they can thrive despite the nuisances caused by the modern cybercriminal. Hoffmann concluded, "Ultimately, our job is to help our clients regain the peace of mind that they're entitled to feel as they face the other daily pressures of running a business. The less time they spend on cybersecurity the healthier their organizations become financially and then our partnership becomes a competitive advantage as they scale to new heights."
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