Galway startup Octiga has launched a product that promises stronger security for users of Microsoft 365 .

Octiga Office 365 Secure Suite aims to automate cybersecurity for SMEs that use Microsoft 365 but don’t have the in-house resources or expertise to manage the risks posed by use of the cloud platform.

The startup was founded by Rob McFeely and Sash Vasilevski two years ago and is based at the Portershed, a technological innovation hub in Galway city.

McFeely (pictured) said: “Microsoft 365 is a great platform for a new era of remote working and cloud-based collaboration. However, it has the potential to introduce new risks into the heart of your business.  The Octiga product is automated, integrates directly online with a customer’s Microsoft 365 and requires no technical expertise.

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"Octiga can provide assurance and confidence that cyber-attacks are detected, identified, and automatically remediated before they impact the business”.

More than a million businesses worldwide use Microsoft 365 as their cloud platform.

The Octiga website carries a long list of vulnerabilities that cloud working can create for a business, together with some highly technical tutorials on what to do about them. It concludes with the welcome news that all the checks and protocols set out in the tutorials can be easily checked, updated and monitored using Octiga Secure Suite in just a few clicks.

“We have created easy-to-use interfaces and wizards to guide you through these configurations and alert you of risky protocols,” McFeely added. The full premium service from Octiga costs €2 per mailbox per month.

Microsoft Research

New research commissioned by Microsoft Ireland reveals that just over one in four remote workers have experienced a cyber-attack personally, while 45% of employers have asked their employees to use their personal devices for work since the start of the pandemic.

The study surveyed 500 employees and 200 business decision makers in September 2020 about remote working, digital security behaviours, and the concerns they now face.

The research shows that only 17% of remote workers currently believe that the software and technology provided has done enough to protect their data.

According to Microsoft, the research points to some potentially dangerous cybersecurity issues amongst remote workers:

+ Personal emails: 30% of workers still use personal email accounts to share confidential work materials.
+ Poor Password Hygiene: One third of workers use the same password to log into work and personal devices.
+ Unregulated access: Nearly half  face/navigate no security restrictions when accessing work-related documents and materials remotely.

Microsoft’s most recent global Digital Defence Report, published in September, identified an escalation in both the level and sophistication of attacks. Microsoft says it blocked over 13bn malicious and suspicious mails, out of which more than 1bn were URLs set up for the explicit purpose of phishing credential attacks in 2019.

Des Ryan, Solutions Director for Microsoft Ireland, said: “Cyber hackers are opportunistic, skilled, and relentless. While our physical work locations may have changed, our responsibilities in protecting organisational data and complying to data regulations have not.

“Now is the time to address this with an increased investment in cybersecurity, secure devices, tighter policies, increased support, and education for employees so they can play an important role in not only protecting themselves but also their organisations.”