Belgium vote likely to make forming next government tough

Reuters | May 23, 2019

Linguistically-split Belgium holds a national election on Sunday that polls show is unlikely to allow Prime Minister Charles Michel to renew his centre-right government. Michel, 43, has been running the country of 11 million people in a caretaker capacity since December and could face many more months in that role if party leaders struggle to form a new coalition after the vote. In 2010, that task took a world record 541 days until Elio Di Rupo, who still leads the francophone Socialists, finally took office. “The lesson from 2010 is we can cope for some time with a caretaker government. There will be a government, but it could be in 2020,” said Carl Devos, political analyst at Ghent University. Belgium effectively runs two separate elections in the Dutch and French-speaking regions, with no national parties, after which it will somehow have to weld together a federal government from a more left-leaning south and right-leaning north.

Spotlight

Governments around the world are enacting stronger cybersecurity mandates in which Zero Trust features as a central theme. Eighty-eight percent of security leaders agree that adopting a Zero Trust approach is very important.1 But while desire and regulatory momentum is there, overall implementation is lagging.

Spotlight

Governments around the world are enacting stronger cybersecurity mandates in which Zero Trust features as a central theme. Eighty-eight percent of security leaders agree that adopting a Zero Trust approach is very important.1 But while desire and regulatory momentum is there, overall implementation is lagging.

Related News

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

BlueAlly Announces Acquisition of n2grate, Expands Access to Federal Government

BlueAlly | February 03, 2023

On February 02, 2023, a source capital portfolio company that delivers everything from hardware and software BlueAlly, announced it has acquired n2grate Government Technology Solutions; with specialist expertise, it provides service and offers IT solutions to its customers. BlueAlly and n2grate’s combined entity will help expand BlueAlly’s access to federal customers who can now benefit from an expansive suite of managed and professional services. n2grate has a wide range of end-to-end solutions that are best for large businesses and the government. The team has specialized knowledge and is set up to provide IT solutions that meet the IT needs of regulated industries and federal clients. In addition, the n2grate team knows a lot about networking, security, and infrastructure. George Barkley, CEO of BlueAlly, said, "the acquisition of n2grate provides strategic diversification to BlueAlly's core business while accelerating our maturation as a preferred national solution provider. Several of our core vendor alliances are immediately strengthened, ultimately helping us serve our clients more comprehensively." He also said, "We are excited to welcome a team of focused professionals with deep understanding of the federal space, and I have great confidence in the success of our combined efforts." (Source: Cision) About BlueAlly Founded in 1999, BlueAlly helps clients optimize, scale, and manage IT capacity to achieve the company's business goals. The company is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, with 700+ global engagements delivered successfully. It tops in providing Managed Services, Consulting Solutions, and Converged Infrastructure. In addition, the services of BlueAlly include Infrastructure Assessment and Advisory Services, managed services, Data Center Solutions and network and security solutions.

Read More

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY, GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

Skyhigh Secure Web Gateway Is Now Authorized by FedRAMP

Skyhigh Security | February 15, 2023

On February 14, 2023, Skyhigh, a Security Service Edge Leader, announced that its Skyhigh Secure Web Gateway achieves Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Moderate Authorization. Federal government agencies and government contractors are increasingly adopting cloud technologies to enhance efficiency, promote agility, and reduce costs. The FedRAMP Authorization enables these organizations to implement Skyhigh SWG, a component of the Skyhigh Security Service Edge (SSE) portfolio, to provide continuous, secure access for users anywhere, shield vital government data, and protect against today's advanced threats. The U.S. government program, FedRAMP, evaluates cloud security vendors based on a standardized security framework for cloud products and services, focuses on protecting sensitive federal data in the cloud. Its process demonstrates the Skyhigh SWG solution has been assessed and approved by the C-level security officers from the Department of Defense (DoD), the General Services Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. Skyhigh SWG enables authorized government users to connect securely to the cloud and web from anywhere and on any device. It prevents threats from entering an environment and sensitive data from leaving by monitoring inline traffic and acting as a gateway between users, websites, applications, and data. Multiple integrated technologies, such as Remote Browser Isolation (RBI), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), and Data Loss Prevention, are used by Skyhigh SWG to protect federal agencies from potentially malicious or unauthorized websites and cloud applications (DLP). The Skyhigh SSE portfolio safeguards data and prevents threats in the cloud through all Software-as-a-Service applications, Shadow IT, and Infrastructure-as-a-Service environments from a single, cloud-native enforcement point. It gives organizations to control and visibility of their data in the cloud, irrespective of where it resides. It offers a DLP engine with single user-friendly centralized management and reporting dashboard, a single policy framework through all data exfiltration vectors and multi-layered security technologies to protect all possible use cases in the federal government environment. About Skyhigh Security Skyhigh Security, headquartered in San Jose, California, is committed to assisting clients in securing the world's data. It protects organizations with data-aware and user-friendly cloud-native security solutions. Its industry-leading Security Service Edge (SSE) Portfolio goes beyond data access and focuses on data use, enabling organizations to collaborate securely from any device and location. It allows organizations to gain complete visibility and control and to monitor and mitigate security risks seamlessly, thereby reducing associated costs, enhancing efficiencies, and keeping up with the pace of innovation.

Read More

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY, CYBERSECURITY

Zetron to Deliver Cyber Resilience Assessments and Roadmaps to Kansas PSAPs

Zetron | March 15, 2023

On March 14, 2023, Zetron, one of the leading communications technology and service providers, announced it has received a contract from the North Central Regional Planning Commission (NCRPC) of Kansas (USA). The contract offers cyber resilience roadmaps and assessments for the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) of 34 counties throughout the states. As the fiscal agent for six of the seven Homeland Security regions in Kansas, the Homeland Security/Emergency Operations unit of the Kansas Highway Patrol applies for and administers Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) funding to subrecipients such as the NCRPC. State and local governments, including fire departments, police, and other public safety agencies, are increasingly susceptible to cyberattacks. As per the Verizon 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), the public sector had the second-most cybersecurity incidents and the fourth-most data breaches among major industries in 2018. In addition, a 2021 Fastly report found that of all cybersecurity alerts, 45 percent are false positives that can be frequently difficult to distinguish from genuine threats and malicious behavior. This results in getting valuable time wasted during an emergency. Zetron, with SecuLore Solutions, a cybersecurity partner and local services partners, will finish cybersecurity assessments and roadmaps of selected thirty-four counties across Kansas, with its population from 600,000 to less than 1300 people. Each counties' assessment will identify threats and provide prioritized, actionable recommendations for remediating vulnerabilities and enhancing the county's cybersecurity risk posture. Following the contract terms, cybersecurity assessments and road maps for Kansas counties selected by NCRPC Regional Project Managers and the Planning Team will be completed in multiple phases through March 2024. About Zetron Zetron is one of the leaders in mission-critical communications technology worldwide. The company offers integrated solutions with exceptional reliability and support. It was founded in 1980 with decades of experience serving the public and private sectors and a sterling reputation for superior quality and dependability. Based in Redmond, Washington, it has customers across all seven continents and in a variety of industries such as transportation, public safety, utilities, the federal government, natural resources and more. In addition, it delivers purpose-built solutions to be always available wherever mission-critical communications must be uninterrupted.

Read More