Atlantic Business Technologies, Inc.

Author: Matt Lemke

Coping with COVID-19 and preparing for the future of digital.
Take a look at how COVID-19 has impacted our organization, what to expect in a post-pandemic world, and how we are embracing the future.

A new normal: working fully remote.

I personally am settling into week 9 of isolation and social distancing, it’s been fun to watch other people adjust to becoming remote workers.

In 2019, Atlantic BT decided that we needed to open our minds to people working full-time remote. This would help us recruit top talent across the East Coast and give employees flexibility they needed. This change also aligned well with my move to Ottawa, Canada, as I took the plunge into working fully remote for the first time.

We encouraged the remaining ABT-ers in Raleigh to explore working from home a few days a week to avoid traffic and maximize their flow.

What this means during this time of “Business as Unusual” is that Atlantic BT is already prepared to be fully operational as a remote team. We are still managing web applications, writing quality code, and settling into video conversations. Some of the benefits we are seeing include:
- Better written documentation
- More chatter that’s searchable and archivable
- Finding creative ways to socialize (We are still having our 2 4 7 mini game breaks for some virtual games at home.)
How will reopening impact our digital future?

While we understand that these unusual times are putting a strain on many of you in all facets of life, I think it’s important to focus on the post-pandemic world and look to our digital futures.

At ABT, we are taking this time to streamline our processes to provide more value at a lower cost, develop more useful and value driven baselines for our favorite platforms (WordPress, Drupal, Magento, Shopify, React), and tackle enterprise integration as we never have before.

If there is one thing we can count on, it’s that we as a collective humanity will emerge from this as changed for better and worse. While popular media wants to emphasize the worst, I want to think about the better for a bit.

Industrial Automation

We will emerge a truly digital society where curbside pickup and take out persist outside of the restaurant industry as a way to do business. This will force us to rethink industrial automation as it is related to B2C eCommerce.

Hopefully we can move a bit past the Gig Economy into the Robot Economy (I for one welcome our robot overlords, just wanted to get that out there before the Singularity).

IoT and Healthcare

We will be socially distancing for a bit and need to come up with new ways to take care of each other. In the digital world, we will see an explosion of IoT healthcare monitoring that will change the way we travel and we convalesce.

This explosion will put more pressure on privacy and security frameworks to encrypt and make portable this data that ultimately belongs to the individual. We will be better off for sharing this information globally in a secure way.

eCommerce transactions and shipping

Ecommerce will continue to grow at a covid-19 like pace (too soon?) – but we need to be prepared. Current credit card and shipping solutions won’t cut it.

As merchants see profound impacts to their ability to earn revenue, the credit card industry is going to have to ease costs and provide more security around transactions using biometrics, cryptocurrency, and temporary transaction numbers.

Shippers are going to have to figure out machine learning and how it applies to density and logistics in a new way.

We all see multiple delivery trucks pass our houses/apartments each day. We need to see true improvements in payment technology and logistics/supply chain improvements past what Amazon Prime has already taught us.

Increased work-from-home opportunities

It’s clear that working from home will become more common. We are already in the habit and have become comfortable with these setups. New tools and processes will continue to improve, and companies are beginning to realize to the benefits of remote work. Furthermore, we may use work from home as a solution to prevent the spread of future illness.

Reduced commuting will also allow our earth to heal a bit from the over consumption of fossil fuels and maybe actually put a dent in global warming.

While it’s hard to look to these long-term, more pressing issues, we will be able to make the case for more remote work and better integrated digital platforms to allow for connected remoteness while keeping our communication secure.

Let’s have a conversation.

As ABT prepares to thrive in the future and comes out of this “Business as Unusual” time hardened and ready to tackle these problems with creative agility, let us know if there is anything we can do to support you. We are truly a people-first company and no digital ask is too big or small. If you need help, let me know!
May 18, 2020
4 Ways to Be Prepared for Cybersecurity Threats

In today’s business environment, much of what we do takes place online. Critical business applications operate within the cloud. The amount of data stored online is staggering. Every organization has customers and consumers interacting with them via the Web. It’s become an integral part of how we interact and function. To not have access to the internet is to be at a significant disadvantage. This is an obvious and hard truth about the world we live in today.

Here is another hard truth. While there are many benefits to the internet, it also brings with it an increased number of threats. Every system connected to the Web is prone to hacking. And these attacks have the potential to bring your business to a halt.

Cybersecurity has continued to advance as new threats appear daily. It is no longer as simple as putting a firewall around a server. Today’s cyber threats develop quickly. In some cases, there still isn’t a solution available for many of these potential attacks. Additionally, there are other threats that unfold over the course of years. These usually result in the loss of millions of dollars. The Equifax breach is still deep into the recovery process, a year later. And now Facebook is scrambling to, well, save face, after a breach that affected more than 50 million users. If tech titans are still, clearly, vulnerable, what does that mean for the rest of us? As a familiar saying reminds us, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

4 Keys to Staying Ahead of Cybersecurity Threats

While you will never be able to create a completely safe, threat-free environment in your IT infrastructure, there are four steps you can take that will help you stay ahead of emerging cybersecurity threats.

Know your network and monitor your activity

One of the best ways to stem the tide of a cybersecurity threat is to regularly monitor your network. Sony certainly could have improved in this area when they were hacked in 2014 as it could have limited the damage and saved the company from a lot of embarrassment. At a minimum, you need to know what “normal” traffic and usage levels look like and be prepared to spot any abnormalities. We have a bank of monitors in our workspace designed to oversee the systems critical to our client’s businesses. Additionally, we use tools that provide automatic alerts around the clock to our IT team whenever issues arise. The goal of our team is to be able to spot a problem with a client’s systems and networks before it is noticed by the client and before it becomes a problem.

Understand your risk level

Like it or not, there are some companies, networks and business applications that are more valuable than others. High-value targets in the cybersecurity world are those that handle financial transactions, move large amounts of data, have access to personally identifiable information or have a recognizable name. Hackers go after these systems because there is a lot they can gain from it. To bolster your cybersecurity stance, you need to know your risk level. The more of these valuable assets you have (or handle), the higher your risk level. And the higher your risk level, the more diligent you have to be about locking down access to your critical systems and data.

Know where your critical data is and who has access to it

Cybersecurity would be a breeze if we didn’t have to provide access to our systems and data to employees, vendors and partners. Unfortunately, that’s not possible. Every day, employees within your organization use their access to get into these systems to do their jobs. Vendors and partners do the same. And each user, user account, and access point becomes yet another entryway for a hacker to gain access to your system. You must have policies and procedures in place governing who can access your system. Take steps such as locking down the IP addresses that approved individuals can use to access your network and applications. Also, regularly audit your list of users and access controls to identify gaps. This is one of the most effective ways to keep unauthorized users out of your applications.

Be prepared for an attack

As I noted earlier, no application, website or system can be 100% safe from cyberattack. New threats emerge every week and it is too difficult to predict what form the next attack will take. If you’ve taken each of the steps noted above, the final piece of your cybersecurity puzzle is to develop a plan of action in the event of an attack. What will you do? Will you shut down access? Will you stop transactions? How will you notify customers? Affected individuals? What will you do to try to recover the stolen information or assets? We’ve found in our work with clients that developing a solid game plan for what you’ll do in the event of a cyberattack and regularly practicing that plan is a great way to prepare your organization.

Cybersecurity Assessment and Strategy

No matter what your organization does, you are at some level of risk for cyberattack. Preparing for an attack, monitoring your regular operations, controlling access to your systems and being able to spot abnormal circumstances are the foundations of a good cybersecurity strategy. If you need help or merely want a second opinion about your organization’s cybersecurity position, reach out to our team at Atlantic BT. We can conduct a cybersecurity assessment and help you develop a strategy that will put you in a position of strength and provide you with peace of mind.

October 3, 2018
Why It’s Empowering to be a Proud AWS Public Partner

At Atlantic BT, we are dedicated to delighting our clients. It’s one of my favorite things about working here. This is more than just playing with a turnkey tool or service. We want every website, application, and hosting solution to make our clients’ lives easier. ABT is proud to be an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Public Sector Partner. This distinction fits perfectly into our philosophy of delight for our government clients.

AWS GovCloud and Public Partnership

AWS provides cloud-based hosting and infrastructure for all kinds of organizations. GovCloud is their AWS region designed specifically for US government agencies on the local, state, and federal level. Because these government agencies have unique compliance and security requirements, GovCloud makes it easier to tailor cloud environments to meet these rules. In addition, AWS GovCloud was the first FedRAMP cloud. This means that Amazon has been leading in this space as long as the space has existed. There is no cloud provider safer and better than Amazon Web Services.

As cities and states prepare to become “smart” and already smart cities/states become smarter, consuming services in cloud environments like AWS is inevitable. AWS Public Sector Partners are Amazon’s certified vendors to set up and customize their cloud environments for government agencies and organizations. Earning this certification takes AWS experience and expertise. ABT is proud to be a part of this group of vendors. This recognition shows our commitment to helping all government entities make safe, sound decisions.

GovCloud adds flexibility for government agencies to engage with AWS terms of service. This is extremely important. While private companies are not allowed to deviate from any AWS terms, GovCloud permits public agencies to adjust pricing to best fit their budgets. It also has essential compliance and security rules built into its system. This ensures that public agencies keep sensitive information safe.

Enter Atlantic BT, AWS Public Partner

Being an AWS Public Partner gives ABT that same flexibility. We can work with the pricing and architecture needs of any public agency. Then we can deliver the best possible cloud environment for their needs. We also have five AWS-certified experts who architect cloud environments for private organizations, like Mutual Drug. This allows us to share private sector experience with our public sector clients. We can fine-tune their cloud environments with better functionality and performance. We’re already doing this work in our ongoing projects with NC government and look forward to more opportunities going forward.

How did we get here? It’s tempting to chalk up this success to simply choosing the right technology and capabilities to master, then applying these solutions to every opportunity that comes along. But the truth is, we got here because of the effectiveness and empathy of our team. How they creatively approach problems while collaborating with clients matters. To really delight clients, you need more than intelligence and expertise. You need a spirit of cooperation that listens closely to a client’s unique situation. That is the inspiration to design an inclusive process to craft, test, and optimize technology. The result makes everyone take joy in their new solution.

When it comes to technology and our capabilities, we’re essentially unlimited. I don’t say that to brag, but rather emphasize that any competitive cloud provider could learn to use AWS well. Cloud capabilities will continue to change as new tech comes out. It’s the processes and people here at ABT that make me really proud—and excited— about what we have to offer for public sector agencies. We’re happy to introduce them to the cloud.

March 29, 2018
My Takeaways from the AWS re:Invent Conference

As an Amazon Web Services Partner, we always pay close attention to any new technology the AWS team announces. This makes the recent AWS re:Invent conference feel like Christmas morning—if Christmas lasted multiple days (So it’s more like Hanukkah!) and some of the presents you opened promised to change your entire life and business.

That might sound like an exaggeration, but last week AWS announced 61 new services and augmentations to existing services. This is impressive as it brings the number of services offered by AWS to 127 total—proving that the industry leader in cloud hosting is not only committed to staying in the lead, but truly dominating its market.

While we had 3 ABTers on the ground in Las Vegas, the rest of us watched the Keynotes over Amazon’s livestream all gathered in our Level 1 lounge. I personally feel it is important to hear the information from Andy Jassy (CEO AWS) and Werner Vogels (CTO Amazon.com) first hand. I also like seeing the reactions and discussions that erupt from my colleagues when the announcements happen.

For me, the COO for an AWS Partner like Atlantic BT, all these new services inspire a lot of excitement and speculation about how my team’s work is going to change—and more importantly, how we can leverage AWS for our clients’ digital platforms. In this post, I wanted to go over some of the new services that I’m most excited about.

AWS Fargate and Aurora Serverless – Reimagining IT Services

While we at ABT have only been exploring containers behind the scenes and currently don’t run any production workloads in containers, we’ve paid close attention to this technology. We also have been doing research and development into FaaS and utilize AWS Lambda infrequently. Our developers understand the power of this tech, and we are looking for the right client project. If you have some ideas drop me a line.

That said, the release of AWS Fargate and Aurora Serverless will be instrumental in both our adoption of containers and “serverless” (I get it…there are still servers). AWS Fargate takes over all of the container resource management and allows us to simply deploy containers into AWS using the control plane of our choice. This hands-off resource management is a tenant of why we rely on AWS and have been a Consulting Partner for 6 years.

Amazon Aurora Serverless is another exciting new service which creates the first ever serverless fully relational database that you pay for one minute at a time. This addition to the highly scalable AWS Aurora database technology makes Amazon’s database storage and usage more agile and affordable than ever. For our clients with unpredictable database usage, Aurora Serverless will allow us to batch hundreds of database requests and run them all in a minute—driving substantial cost savings.

Amazon Comprehend and Alexa for Business – Natural Language Processing Takes Over

Amazon announced six new machine-learning services at re:Invent, showing their commitment to leading in the AI and machine learning. Of these, the services that most intrigue me are those related to language comprehension and the applications of it.

Amazon Comprehend is a natural language processing service that finds value and insights in text. This description might sound modest, but consider the applications: you could use this machine-learning program to read a book or white paper and have the program sum it up for you. AWS Comprehend could also retrieve information from the internet for you, allowing users to give commands like “tell me the maximum building restrictions in the 27612 zip code.”

With Comprehend, Amazon is essentially giving us a digital researcher who can handle textual analysis from a variety of sources in 100 different languages. In the same vein, Amazon Alexa for Business offers organizations the power of a digital assistant who can respond to questions and commands based on information from different data sources. I could ask Alexa to find a meeting time and place that’s available based on the schedules of multiple colleagues, or compare the prices of different technology vendors.

My big takeaway from these re:Invent announcements is Amazon wants to make natural language processing the primary way we interact with technology. This might sound like a radical change, but when I consider that we still rely on input devices (mouse and keyboard) that haven’t radically changed since the 1970s, I can see why it’s time to evolve. It will be interesting to see how other tech giants like Google or Apple respond to these changes outside of their flagship phones.

Amazon GuardDuty Automates AWS Threat Detection

Another important advancement powered by machine-learning, Amazon GuardDuty also stands to simplify threat detection across AWS accounts and workloads. Using normal use patterns from data and application interactions, GuardDuty’s machine-learning technology automatically monitors AWS environments and alerts users to anomalies like repeated failed login attempts or outside traffic coming into your database.

For a security-minded company like ABT (And hey, we should all be security-minded these days!), this stands to radically speed our ability to recognize potential breaches before they happen. I’m particularly happy to see how easy it is to customize GuardDuty’s monitoring across different AWS environments, which should help us find the right security fit for each of our clients. And as my friend Ulf Mattsson wrote earlier this month, having strong cloud security in place is vital for any organization with a large network of connected devices.

The AWS Future at re:Invent and ABT

Because AWS hosting has been a foundational part of our business for the last several years, ABT remains committed to delivering the best possible value for our AWS customers. This makes me excited for what our team can do with all the new services Amazon just announced at re:Invent. To learn more about our ongoing work with AWS, visit our Cloud Services page.

December 15, 2017