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A Wake-Up Call for Cybersecurity Diversification

A Wakeup Call for Cybersecurity Diversification

Crowdstrike Cybersecurity Firm Worldwide Outtage

The CrowdStrike Outage: A Wake-Up Call for Tech Diversification

Recently, a significant global tech outage was triggered by an update from CrowdStrike, a leading cybersecurity firm. This incident has had widespread repercussions, disrupting businesses across the globe and highlighting the vulnerabilities within our interconnected digital infrastructure. This outage served as a stark reminder of the importance of diversifying your technology stack.

On July 19, 2024, as a result of a faulty update to CrowdStrike Falcon sensor configuration for Windows systems, intended to enhance security by targeting newly observed malicious activities, there was an inadvertent logic error that led to widespread system crashes and blue screens of death (BSOD) on affected machines.

According to CrowdStrike and other sources, the timeline of cybersecurity events was as follows:

July 19, 2024, 04:09 UTC: CrowdStrike released a sensor configuration update, Channel File 291, to Windows systems as part of their ongoing operations. This update triggered a logic error that caused system crashes on impacted machines​.

July 19, 2024, 05:27 UTC: CrowdStrike identified the issue and reverted the changes, but by then, many systems had already been affected. The update impacted Windows 10 and later versions, but did not affect Mac and Linux systems, which also happen to have an inherently different kernel architecture.

Immediate Impact: The faulty update caused significant disruptions globally. Approximately 8.5 million devices were affected, leading to outages in various sectors, including airlines, healthcare, and financial institutions. Notably, 5,078 flights were canceled worldwide, and operations at numerous airports were disrupted​. Delta Airlines is still struggling to return to normal operation as of July 23.

July 19-22, 2024: CrowdStrike and Microsoft worked together to provide remediation steps. Affected machines required manual intervention to delete the faulty .sys file from the CrowdStrike directory. This process involved booting into Safe Mode or the Windows Recovery Environment, making recovery a time-consuming task for large organizations​. There are reports that cloud remediation is possible, but users must opt-in by submitting a request via the support portal and requesting to be included in cloud remediation and then rebooting.

*Timeline sourced from bitsight.com

The Impact of the CrowdStrike Outage

The CrowdStrike update outage caused a ripple effect that affected businesses of all sizes. From small startups to large enterprises, the fallout was felt across various industries. Critical operations were halted, data access was impeded, and communication channels were disrupted. This event underscored how reliant we’ve become on single points of failure within our tech ecosystems.

Microsoft estimated that approximately 8.5 million Windows devices were directly affected by the CrowdStrike error.

Key Impacts Included:

  • Operational Downtime: Many businesses experienced significant downtime, leading to lost productivity and revenue.
  • Data Access Issues: The inability to access crucial data impeded decision-making processes and business operations.
  • Communication Breakdowns: Disrupted communication channels hindered collaboration and customer service efforts.
  • Security Concerns: The outage raised questions about the security and reliability of relying on a single cybersecurity provider.

Zinfinity Can Help You Diversify By:

  1. Minimizing Single Points of Failure
  2. Spreading Risk Across Multiple Platforms
  3. Enhancing Resilience by Diversifying
  4. Improving Security with Multiple Layered Solutions
  5. Providing Manual Workarounds and Alternative Communication Channels for Operational Continuity

Moving Forward

As we navigate an increasingly interconnected digital landscape it’s crucial to take proactive steps to diversify and protect your business. By taking these steps, businesses can safeguard against the ripple effects of large-scale tech disruptions and ensure continuous, secure operations.

Zinfinity is partnered with some of the top cybersecurity providers in the industry.  Let us help you build a more robust and diverse security ecosystem. Contact us today to learn more about our comprehensive technology solutions.

 

Zinfinity Recognized as the North America Rising Star Dell Partner of the Year 2024

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Las Vegas, NV – May 22, 2024 – Zinfinity, a leading provider of innovative IT services and solutions, has been honored with the North America Rising Star Partner of the Year award at Dell Technologies World in Las Vegas. This recognition underscores Zinfinity’s commitment to excellence and its exceptional performance in driving growth and delivering value through Dell solutions.

The North America Rising Star Partner of the Year award is a testament to Zinfinity’s rapid ascent and outstanding achievements in the realm of innovative technology solutions. With a focus on forging strong relationships with Dell sales teams and leveraging Dell’s cutting-edge technologies, Zinfinity has demonstrated remarkable success in accelerating growth and driving revenue in the data center segment.

Bryan McCandless, Bill Scannell, Gregg Ambles, Joe Barrett, Pete Trizzino
Zinfinity accepts Dell Rising Star award 2024

“We are incredibly honored to receive the North America Rising Star Partner of the Year award from Dell,” said Joe Barrett, CEO of Zinfinity. “It has been a wild ride, and this award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, as well as our strong collaboration with Dell. We remain committed to driving innovation, delivering exceptional value, and empowering our clients to achieve their business objectives.”

Zinfinity continues to set new benchmarks for excellence and innovation, and this prestigious accolade further solidifies its position as a leading player in the industry.

Bryan McCandless, 

Bill Scannell

Gregg Ambles

Joe Barrett

Pete Trizzino

 

 

 

 

About Zinfinity

Zinfinity is a global provider of technology solutions and services with a focus on Cyber Security, Cloud and Digital Infrastructure. Zinfinity is redefining the approach and engagement model by understanding business needs and designing outcomes that leverage world class solutions. Zinfinity utilizes the power of technology to transform our customers’ vision into reality, enabling them to focus on what truly matters, their business. We are committed to delivering exceptional business outcomes backed by unparalleled service and support. For more information, please visit: http://www.zinfinity.tech/.

 

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Zinfinity Announces Bryan McCandless as VP of Partner Management

Bryan McCandless joins Zinfinity

We are thrilled to announce that Bryan McCandless has joined the Zinfinity dream team as our new Vice President of Partner Management. Bryan brings a wealth of experience and an outstanding track record in partner alliances and marketing management.

A Seasoned Professional

Bryan’s journey in the tech industry is nothing short of impressive. He joins us from Computacenter, where he served as the Director of Partner Alliances. During his tenure, Bryan was instrumental in forging strategic partnerships that drove significant growth and innovation. His ability to build and nurture relationships has been a cornerstone of his success.

A Perfect Fit for Zinfinity

At Zinfinity, we pride ourselves on our collaborative and forward-thinking culture. We believe that Bryan’s extensive experience and dynamic approach align perfectly with our vision and values. His proven ability to drive partner engagement and foster mutually beneficial relationships will be pivotal as we continue to expand our network.

Bryan’s role as Vice President of Partner Management will involve overseeing our partner ecosystem, identifying new partnership opportunities, and ensuring that our partners receive the support and resources they need to succeed. His leadership will be crucial in maintaining and strengthening the trust and collaboration we have built with our partners over the years.

A Personal Touch

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Bryan is a person of great character and integrity. Additionally, those who have worked with him speak highly of his dedication, positive attitude, and unwavering commitment to excellence. We are confident that his presence undoubtedly elevates our partner management capabilities and contribute to the positive and supportive environment we strive to maintain at Zinfinity.

Looking Ahead

We are excited about the new possibilities and growth opportunities that lie ahead. His wealth of experience and fresh perspective will undoubtedly help us reach new heights. Furthermore, we are proud to have him on our team and look forward to the significant impact he will make as our Vice President of Partner Management.

Please join us in welcoming Bryan McCandless to Zinfinity!

Feel free to share this post on your social media channels and help us spread the exciting news!

Endor Labs & Zinfinity To Safely Enable OSS

Endor Labs & Zinfinity Parter To Help Enterprises Safely Adopt OSS

We’re excited to announce our latest partnership with Zinfinity as a strategic partner. Zinfinity is a global provider of technology solutions and services with a focus on Cyber Security, Cloud and Digital Infrastructure.

This announcement comes at the heels of Endor Labs’ recent $25M seed funding, which was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Dell Technology Capital, and Sierra Ventures, and several industry luminaries who have recognized the massive problem Endor Labs is solving. These include CEOs and executives from Palo Alto Networks, Zoom, Snowflake, Zscaler, Netskope, Rubrik, Databricks, Microsoft, and more. Endor Labs has also received support from the Silicon Valley CISO Investment group (SVCI), through which 30+ CISOs personally invested in the company.

“Eighty percent of the code in modern applications is the code your developers didn’t write but depend on open source packages. When our founding team was leading the Prisma Cloud engineering group at Palo Alto Networks, we realized the true magnitude of this issue,” said co-founder and CEO Varun Badhwar. “Our mission now is to enable OSS to live up to its true potential without introducing unnecessary risk. With their years of experience and expertise, the Zinfinity team is an invaluable partner to share this mission with.”

“Open Source Software is paramount to creating the speed to market organizations need to stay competitive today. Similar to the cloud native approach, OSS lets companies move faster, but doesn’t come without risk.” says Joe Barrett, CEO & Co-Founder of Zinfinity. “Endor Labs provides the market with the tools to safely adopt OSS at scale, without sacrificing the agility it promises.

About Zinfinity

Zinfinity is a global provider of technology solutions and services with a focus on Cyber Security, Cloud and Digital Infrastructure. Zinfinity is redefining the approach and engagement model by understanding business needs and designing outcomes that leverage world class solutions. Zinfinity utilizes the power of technology to transform our customers’ vision into reality, enabling them to focus on what truly matters, their business. We are committed to delivering exceptional business outcomes backed by unparalleled service and support. For more information, please visit: http://www.zinfinity.tech/.

About Endor Labs

Endor Labs helps developers spend less time dealing with security issues and more time accelerating development through safe Open Source Software (OSS) adoption. Our Dependency Lifecycle Management™ Solution helps organizations maximize software reuse by enabling security and development teams to select, secure, and maintain OSS at scale. The Endor Labs engineering team includes some of the world’s leading static analysis experts, including 7 PhDs and senior engineers from Meta, Uber, Amazon, and Microsoft. Endor Labs was founded by industry veterans Varun Badhwar and Dimitri Stiliadis, and is backed by Lightspeed & Dell Technologies Capital, as well as executives at companies like Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler, Zoom, Google, and more.

Learn more about Endor Labs here.

ColorTokens and Zinfinity Partner to Address Key Challenges Organizations Face During Cyberattacks

Zinfinity and Colortokens Partner to Fight Cyberattacks

Partnership to Tackle Top Cybersecurity Priority: Preventing Damage When Bad Actors Get In

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — ColorTokens Inc., a leading innovator of the autonomous Zero Trust cybersecurity solutions, today announced that it has partnered with Zinfinity, a global provider of technology solutions and services, to address the number one need in security–how to prevent damage when cyber attackers undoubtedly get in.

Regardless of the industry, cyber security must be top of mind for all organizations and business leaders. As an industry leader, Zinfinity enables their customers to create agile, flexible, efficient and secure technology platforms.

“At Zinfinity, we realized we must add a zero trust and micro-segmentation leader to our portfolio of solutions and sought to find a market disruptor with exceptional solutions. We are very excited to join forces with ColorTokens to provide secure solutions that protect our clients’ data,” said Joe Barrett, CEO at Zinfinity. “Security is at the forefront of our go-to-market strategy and we are pleased to partner with ColorTokens as they continue to innovate and lead the micro-segmentation market.”

Through its award-winning solutions, ColorTokens simplifies, accelerates and automates security operations to defend against attacks on data centers, hybrid models, cloud-based applications, dynamic applications, endpoints, individual users, devices and more. This preparation is crucial, as organizations should always be ready for how they will plan to respond when they face the next cyberattack. Zinfinity knows that all organizations are at risk of cyberattacks, so it is crucial that they are familiar with the necessary steps to take when an attack does occur, in order to limit the damage and secure their organizations.

“You can’t rely simply on perimeter security to stop a breach,” said Mukesh Singh, Vice President of Sales, Americas at ColorTokens. “ColorTokens brings visibility into cyberattacks targeting the end-point, perimeter or the cloud, attempting to navigate the network undetected. Simplicity and ease of use offered by ColorTokens enable Zinfinity to deliver an improved security posture to their customers. This is crucial as cyberattacks continue to occur at a rapidly increasing pace. We’re looking forward to delivering our solutions to new markets and keeping security a top priority in all aspects of the technological world.”

About Zinfinity

Zinfinity is a global provider of technology solutions and services with a focus on Cyber Security, Cloud and Digital Infrastructure. Zinfinity is redefining the approach and engagement model by understanding business needs and designing outcomes that leverage world class solutions. Zinfinity utilizes the power of technology to transform our customers’ vision into reality, enabling them to focus on what truly matters, their business. We are committed to delivering exceptional business outcomes backed by unparalleled service and support. For more information, please visit: http://www.zinfinity.tech/.

About ColorTokens

ColorTokens Inc.. is a leading innovator in SaaS-based Zero Trust cybersecurity solutions that provides global enterprises with a unique set of products and services for securing applications, data, and users across cloud and hybrid environments. Through its award-winning Xtended ZeroTrust™ Platform and context-aware machine learning-powered technologies, ColorTokens helps businesses accurately assess and improve their security posture dynamically.

As cloud adoption grows, traditional perimeters get redefined, and new attack vectors and threat actors materialize, corporations recognize their security posture needs to reflect their Zero Trust philosophy. ColorTokens’ technology allows customers to achieve Zero Trust by using rich, meaningful contextual information about the application, microservice, or protected resource, so customers can apply Zero Trust with as secure of a perimeter as they can. ColorTokens’ cloud-based SaaS platform can automatically deploy next-generation security controls and increase security posture dynamically without any new hardware, downtime, reboots or changes to a client’s existing systems.

For more information, please visit www.colortokens.com.

SOURCE ColorTokens

Zinfinity Welcomes Mikael Balderach To The Team

Welcome to the Dream Team!

Zinfinity Welcomes Mikael Balderach to the Team

We are thrilled to announce that Mikael Balderach has joined the Zinfinity team as our new Senior Account Executive. Mikael, based in Austin, TX, brings a wealth of experience and expertise in enterprise technology solutions, making him a perfect fit for our growing team.

A Proven Track Record

Mikael joins us from Dell, where he excelled as an Enterprise Account Executive. His tenure at Dell was marked by significant achievements in driving enterprise solutions, fostering client relationships, and delivering tailored solutions.  Mikael’s experience at Dell has equipped him with deep insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by enterprise clients, positioning him to provide unparalleled support and innovative solutions to our customers.

Extensive Experience in Tech Solutions

Before his successful stint at Dell, Mikael gained invaluable experience on the partner side with Sigma Solutions and SHI. His roles in these organizations involved working closely with clients to understand their unique requirements and delivering customized technology solutions that drive efficiency and growth. Mikael’s extensive background in the tech industry and his hands-on approach to problem-solving make him an asset to our team and clients alike.

A Vision for the Future

At Zinfinity, we are committed to providing cutting-edge solutions and services that empower businesses to thrive in an ever-evolving digital landscape. Mikael’s vision aligns perfectly with our mission, and we are confident that his expertise will play a pivotal role in our continued success. With Mikael on board, we look forward to expanding our reach, enhancing our service offerings, and exceeding the expectations of our clients.

Please join us in welcoming Mikael Balderach to the Zinfinity family. We are excited about the future and the opportunities that lie ahead with Mikael as part of our team.

Stay tuned for more updates and insights from Mikael and the rest of the Zinfinity team as we continue to innovate and lead in the tech solutions space.  If you’d like more information on joining the Zinfinity team visit us at https://www.zinfinity.tech/careers/

About Zinfinity

Zinfinity is a leading global provider of comprehensive tech solutions, dedicated to helping businesses achieve their goals through innovative technology and expert guidance. Our team of seasoned professionals is committed to delivering exceptional service and customized solutions that drive success.

Welcome aboard, Mikael! We are excited to see the great things you will accomplish with us.