From the Desk of the MD – May 2013

Welcome to this winter edition of our newsletter. As we start to break out the warm blankets and clothing and face up to the changing seasons, it is nice to know that some things remain constant. We are, of course, talking about Ascent’s continued focus on keeping you informed of the latest developments in the Enterprise Database Management space.

Database Security and Compliance

It is quite alarming to note that the Norton Cybercrime Report suggests that South Africa is home to the third-highest number of cybercrime victims in the world, behind only Russia and China.

More pertinently, the primary threat to businesses comes not from hackers, but from insiders – usually middle and senior managers – with access to sensitive or strategic company data. Clearly, Database Security and Compliance is an issue that is weighing heavily on the minds of most CIOs.

Ascent can help allay these security fears, as we support the three leading industry standard security solutions, namely McAfee, Imperva and IBM InfoSphere. This means we can supply you with the solution that is most applicable to your specific environment. Don’t be just another cybercrime statistic – Contact Us to help you solve your Database Security and Compliance challenges.

Microsoft Tech-Ed Africa success

Ascent Technology was invited by Microsoft to deliver two presentations at the recent Tech-Ed Africa event held in Durban. The two sessions delivered by Danie Loots, one of our Principal Database Consultants were particularly well attended by delegates, indicating the importance placed on Enterprise Database Management by IT professionals.

We were also happy to see many of our existing clients at the event, and spent a number of fruitful hours after the presentations, discussing Enterprise Database Management issues and answering questions from current and prospective clients alike.

In particular, we noted the amount of interest displayed by delegates in obtaining additional information around the subject matter presented by us. This has led to a number of meetings with prospective clients, and we are looking forward to following up with them and answering any additional questions they may have. There is no doubt that Tech-Ed Africa was an enormous success and Ascent certainly looks forward to participating again in 2014.

Did you know?

As an Ascent contract client, a key benefit available to your business is the fact that you can further engage us to deliver customised workshops and training around subjects like coding for optimal performance, optimising reporting services reports or even for a more general overview of your database environment.

These workshops are tailored to your company’s specific requirements and are designed to help you enhance your database environment, assisting you to bridge any gaps you feel might exist in your Enterprise Database Management knowledge. To find out more about these workshops, please Contact Us.

The Last Word

With winter and cold weather bearing down on us, all that remains is to wish you well – Keep warm and above all, remember to ensure that your company’s generator is properly serviced and well fueled.

By: Johan Lamberts