Security around the clock with security monitoring from Netsecurity
– I sleep very well at night because I know that Netsecurity monitors continuously and can stop an attack before the hackers can do any damage, says Adam Moen, IT Manager in Kragerø municipality
We have always been concerned with IT security in Kragerø municipality, says IT Manager Adam Moen.
– After the hacker attack on Østre Toten municipality, we have worked even more dedicatedly with security. During the attack, all employees in Østre Toten municipality lost access to the systems, and residents' personal information was leaked. After this, a list of recommended measures came from KS. When an updated list came again in 2022, the item about security monitoring had been moved up to the highest priority.
– There are certainly municipalities today that have been hacked without knowing it
Adam Moen, IT manager in Kragerø municipality
The hacker attack on Østre Toten municipality shows that a hacker can be in the municipality's network and operate for a long time without being detected. This means they can do major damage to systems and leak sensitive information. – I think many municipalities would have an eye-opening experience if they saw how much activity was going on, says Adam. – There are certainly municipalities today that have been hacked without knowing it. For Kragerø municipality, Netsecurity is no excuse to relax, but a good partner to have on the team.
– We saw that Netsecurity was by far the best match for our requirements specifications. In addition, they appeared to be the most forward-looking in their solutions. Not least, they had the shortest implementation time
– We realized quite quickly that we were too small to do this ourselves, Adam explains. He contacted nearby municipalities to hear how they intended to handle the recommendation from KS, but at that time the other municipalities had not planned any major measures. Kragerø municipality decided to issue a public tender for security monitoring and contacted several IT security providers. And the choice fell on Netsecurity.
– We saw that Netsecurity responded by far the best to our specifications. – In addition, they appeared to be the most forward-looking in their solutions. Not least, they had the shortest implementation time, Moen explains. From the time Kragerø municipality entered into the agreement with Netsecurity, it took only a couple of weeks before the security monitoring was up and running.
Kragerø municipality has 2600 users, divided between municipal employees and students. They have worked a lot on internal awareness, especially among the employees. Moen says that it is difficult to reach so many people and get them to understand the seriousness of it. – Our biggest vulnerability is the users, says Adam. – All it takes is one person clicking the wrong link, and then we have a hacker inside our systems.
With this in mind, Adam and his colleagues feel that it is reassuring to have a partner like Netsecurity. – I sleep very well at night because I know that Netsecurity monitors continuously and can stop an attack before the hackers can do any damage, he says.
Security monitoring from Netsecurity detects and responds to suspicious activity in the infrastructure 24 hours a day, all year round. The monitoring from Netsecurity operates under the 1-10-60 rule: They detect intrusions in under 1 minute, analyze the incident within 10 minutes, and respond within 60 minutes. In 2022, the average response time was 9 minutes.
Monitoring 24/7/365 as Netsecurity does requires resources and up-to-date knowledge of how hackers work, something Kragerø municipality does not have the capacity to follow up sufficiently on its own. – We have a dedicated person at Netsecurity that we deal with, Adam explains. – We quickly get answers to questions along the way, and we also have a good sparring partner when it comes to new solutions and further priorities, he continues.
What was it like getting started with this service? – It was truly an eye-opener when we started with security monitoring from Netsecurity – my first thought was: Oh yes, there is so much going on, yes! explains Adam.
– It was truly an eye-opener when we started with security monitoring from Netsecurity. My first thought was: Oh yes, there is so much going on, yes!
Adam Moen, Kragerø municipality
In addition to the sense of security that the security monitoring provides, both Adam Moen and his colleagues in the IT department notice that they have freed up a lot of time in their daily work for other tasks.
– It is great for us to be able to concentrate on our tasks, while at the same time knowing that someone else is taking care of other tasks. In general, we experience very good sparring with Netsecurity. They are very service-minded and highly competent, says Adam.