Through the start of 2021, the government services ecosystem buzzed with excitement around the Biden administration’s budget request and proposed infrastructure package. Contractors expect federal spending to flow toward initiatives such as IT modernization, supply chain risk management, cybersecurity and ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) ... READ MORE >
cybersecurity
3 things to know this week in energy: Major cyberattack, oil deals, pipeline permits
Biweekly, we highlight three things going on in the energy industry that we think you should know about. This week’s top item is the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack. Plus, we look at oilfield deal announcements and tensions around a pipeline that runs across Wisconsin and Michigan to Ontario. Here’s the latest. 1. Midstream pipeline cyberattack On May ... READ MORE >
5 trends from government services companies’ Q4 earnings calls
The government services ecosystem positioned itself in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2020 for the Biden administration’s key areas of focus—cyber, space, public health, technology-driven supply chains, the environment and sustainability goals. Top executives in the industry discussed such opportunities and strategic initiatives in recent weeks ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Dealmaking in the cybersecurity sector continues its strong year
Even in a volatile economic year, dealmaking in the cybersecurity sector continues to be robust. One of the largest cybersecurity deals this year involved RSA Security, which was carved out of Dell EMC at a transaction price of $2 billion. More recently, SentinelOne raised $267 million in its Series F financing that was led by Tiger Global Management. The ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: North America tech sector M&A reaches pre-pandemic levels
Since bottoming out in May, tech sector mergers and acquisitions in North America have been rising steadily. In October, dealmaking reached pre-pandemic levels last seen back in January and February of this year. Bright spots for M&A within the technology sector in recent months have been software, cybersecurity and fintech. Dealmaking has not shown ... READ MORE >
More promise, more problems: Cyberattacks threaten life sciences companies researching COVID-19 vaccine
Picture this scenario: Researchers at a biotech company are working tirelessly on a potential coronavirus vaccine and planning to start a phase three clinical trial soon. This work results in more visibility for the company, and an influx of capital investment. But with that greater visibility and investment comes added risk, especially in the form of ... READ MORE >
Cybersecurity, amid coronavirus, remains a top risk in health care
Cybersecurity remains a top risk within the health care industry as attackers are weaponizing COVID-19 and breaches continue to increase during the first quarter of 2020. In 2019, there were more than 500 reported breaches to the Office of Inspector General. Of the 500 breaches reported, the protected health information of 41 million individuals was ... READ MORE >
Shadow IT risk is growing as health care industry consolidates
As U.S. health care systems continue to consolidate, they must be aware of the information technology risks lurking in the shadows. The pace of consolidation remained strong last year, with approximately 1,600 deals. And while megamergers are expected to slow in 2020, larger organizations continue to purchase smaller systems through tucked-in ... READ MORE >
Data breaches are down but more effective
While the number of data breaches per year has doubled in the last decade, there were significantly fewer breaches in 2018 compared to 2017, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit advocacy group for victims of cybercrime (see chart below). Unfortunately, cybercriminals have had greater success in accessing sensitive personal and ... READ MORE >
Cyberthreats for middle market companies are increasing–RSM MMBI Survey
Unauthorized users will attempt to access proprietary data at more than half of the middle market businesses polled by the proprietary RSM US Middle Market Business Index survey in the first quarter—up significantly from 47 percent in 2018—illustrating that companies continue to battle the moving target of cyberthreats afflicting organizations of all ... READ MORE >