A Conversation with Ntirety’s SVP of Operations, Randy Franklin

Many IT leaders seek solutions to intractable problems and want a partner to give them a straightforward, pragmatic, and honest set of recommendations.

IT leaders respect partners who deliver on their commitments and understand that success must be mutual.

– Randy Franklin, SVP of Operations, Ntirety

 

Ntirety recently welcomed Randy Franklin as our Senior Vice President of Operations. Randy brings over 24 years of experience in customer-facing IT service solutions, and a fresh perspective to our operations team.

Randy will play an instrumental role in supporting the onboarding and evolving needs of our customers, serving as their principal advocate, and seeking ways to improve the clients’ experience with Ntirety services.

We sat down with Randy to discuss the experiences that led him to Ntirety, along with his insights on the IT industry today, and his plans to drive operational excellence.

 

How did you get into technology and what drew you to it?

I think it occurred naturally as I have always been drawn to technical products and services and have always had a service-oriented mindset. I draw a lot of enjoyment from helping people use technology to make things easier for themselves.

What experiences from your previous roles are you excited to bring to Ntirety?

I am fortunate that I have had a wide array of experiences. I have spent many nights and weekends on-call and working high-stakes maintenance windows in data centers. I have worked alongside sales teams, building confidence in prospective clients that we can deliver on their expectations. I have led large client service teams at several managed services providers, creating empathy between the teams to stretch and deliver scalable and supportable solutions. I have held the CIO role in a large enterprise, where I was responsible for the internal IT infrastructure, security, and enterprise applications that support thousands of employees while brokering the needs of multiple internal stakeholders with competing pressures. I have also been a Sales Executive, carrying a quota and expected to find and secure new revenue. These experiences provided a 3-D view of the client journey, helping internal teams, clients, and business stakeholders find success in multifaceted relationships.

What motivates or inspires you as a leader in this field?

I want to help others achieve their goals. I am happy when I can deliver a solution for another person or help them through a challenge. I have always felt that the most impactful thing you can do is help others achieve their goals and learn how to overcome challenges.

What are some of the primary challenges facing IT leaders today?

Many IT leaders seek solutions to intractable problems and want a partner to give them a straightforward, pragmatic, and honest set of recommendations. IT leaders respect partners who deliver on their commitments and understand that success must be mutual.

What are some trends in the IT industry you’re noticing?

More and more services are moving to consumption-based models. This is great because individuals and companies pay less for access to technology (like per-seat licenses) and more for outcomes that deliver meaningful value. This shift will raise the bar for all providers while reducing costs and increasing consumer service quality.

Do you have any advice for organizations that are resource constrained and trying to do more with less?

Before investing in technology, review the functions and processes to see where activities can be streamlined or even eliminated. There is a constant push to automate everything. Automation will likely deliver faster results if you master the manual method first.

What are some proactive measures that any organization can take to withstand and recover from cyberattacks?

Limit the amount of information you collect and retain. Invest in a robust identity provider, like Azure Active Directory, and integrate it into as many of your technologies as possible, then enable multifactor authentication.

What do you do to recharge and stay inspired when you’re not working?

I enjoy reading, going on very long hikes, and camping. I especially like my Peloton bike and meditation.

What are you looking forward to most about this role?

I am most excited about the fact that Ntirety is a truly differentiated service provider. With our unique combination of Data, Security, and Compliance services, which can be delivered on any infrastructure, we can ensure success for nearly any business.

 

Randy’s appointment coincides with the broader expansion of our leadership team, reflecting Ntirety’s plans for innovation and accelerated growth. His expertise and leadership will play a pivotal role in helping Ntirety continue to deliver exceptional service and serve the evolving needs of our customers.

Follow Randy Franklin on LinkedIn.

The CrowdStrike Impact and the Ntirety Response

By Steven Spence, SVP Customer Operations, Ntirety

Businesses around the globe experienced major disruptions to their IT stacks on July 19, 2024 due to a CrowdStrike update. Ntirety would like to take a moment to inform customers how we approached this challenge on their behalf.

The Cause of the Outage

According to CrowdStrike, the outage was caused by a defect found in a Falcon content update for Windows hosts. Ultimately, this was caused by a bug in their validation software and a process error with their Rapid Response Content release testing. CrowdStrike has pledged to improve in both of these areas.

While we’ve all experienced impact from issues around people, process, or hardware failures, for managed services providers like Ntirety, ensuring the security and stability of customers’ IT environments is the top priority. The cause of the recent global disruption highlights one of the challenges of protecting even the most secure IT systems.

The Ntirety Customer Experience

Fortunately, the CrowdStrike incident had no effect on the Ntirety Security Services technology stack and customers utilizing the full Ntirety Managed Security Services experienced no disruption in service.

The primary benefit to Ntirety customers during this event is that Ntirety is not just a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) but also an award-winning Managed Service Provider (MSP), managing not just security services, but also infrastructure. What this means is that customers are able to utilize their own tech stacks and, should that technology fail, Ntirety is there to provide support and recovery services. Some of our customers do utilize CrowdStrike applications within their environments. For these customers, Ntirety supported remediation efforts as they became available.

Ntirety Support Engineers worked with our customers to remediate the impact during this outage. For those customers who rely on Ntirety’s Monitoring Insights platform, Ntirety notified affected customers as applications became unresponsive, even as remediations were simultaneously occurring based on runbooks designed in conjunction with these customers. Conference bridges were available where necessary, and engineers worked around the clock until all customers impacted were back online and running fully.

As a customer, when an incident of this magnitude occurs, it’s understandable to ask yourself, “What could I have done differently to avoid being impacted?”

The CrowdStrike defect was not caused by a cyber incident or a product quality issue. It was related to a process issue that CrowdStrike is taking steps to remediate. Responsible technology suppliers take quality control issues very seriously, and issues like the recent outage are extremely rare.

The Ntirety Commitment to Customers

As a Services company entrusted with critical systems and data, we at Ntirety deeply value our customers and are invested in their continued success. We state our commitment via a Customer Pledge that we take very seriously:

  • Put Customers and Partners first. Always.
  • Deliver peace of mind continually and rapid resolution, if necessary.
  • Invest in world-class systems and people.
  • Innovate with performance and value in mind.
  • Be transparent.

Here is how we put these commitments into practice.

Comprehensive Security Services
Our comprehensive suite of managed security services is designed to ensure your systems always remain secure and operational.

Rapid Response
When disruptions occur, the Ntirety team addresses issues immediately, minimizing downtime and maintaining business continuity.

Proactive Management
Our 24x7x365 Security Operations Center (SOC) constantly monitors for potential threats, quickly identifying and resolving issues to prevent disruptions.

Unmatched Expertise
Our cybersecurity experts bring deep knowledge and experience, providing the highest levels of service.

In today’s interconnected world, having a trusted and responsive Managed Service Provider (MSP) is not just a competitive advantage—it’s a necessity. With Ntirety, you can rest assured that your system and security needs are in capable hands, empowering you to focus on what you do best: running your business.

To learn more about Ntirety Managed Services, schedule a consultation.

The Evolving Role Of Cybersecurity Operations In A Rapidly Changing World

Today’s evolving cyber threat landscape poses a significant challenge to organizations around the world. With the emergence of nefarious AI-powered threats and state-sponsored entities, the security industry finds itself at a crossroads. From sophisticated cyberattacks to internal vulnerabilities, threat complexity is escalating and creating pervasive and multifaceted risks. This environment requires innovative solutions, prompting a shift in traditional security paradigms towards a more integrated, data-driven approach.

Security Silos No More

The days of siloed security operations are behind us. Cybersecurity is now a critical conversation occurring at the highest levels of business and being intricately woven into every facet of operations. Amidst this paradigm shift terminology has evolved, moving from ‘security’ to ‘risk and resilience.’ The emerging lexicon underscores the strategic role comprehensive security must play in safeguarding an organization’s bottom line.

As this transformation in business security gains momentum and efficacy, it indicates a positive evolution in security practices. It also emphasizes the necessity for security professionals to possess a keen understanding of business dynamics. Security strategies now demand a holistic view that spans the entire organization and IT infrastructure, to not only protect against threats but enhance business activities and demonstrate tangible value from investments in security technologies and solutions.

Navigating Internal and External Threats with Agility

The current security landscape is exceedingly complex. Organizations must contend with external hackers and internal employees who misuse resources (consciously or unconsciously) or engage in nefarious activities. The adoption of zero-trust models and emphasis on identity threat management in the face of these risks exemplifies a shift towards more sophisticated, data-driven security practices. These approaches not only defend against known threats, but also anticipate and mitigate potential vulnerabilities from within.

Security operations have pivoted as a result, and are embracing business intelligence tools and data to shape priorities, strategy, and decision-making. This shift away from traditional methods reflects the growing sophistication of enterprise security leaders, and their adeptness at translating data into actionable insights.

Beyond Traditional Defenses: Embracing Comprehensive Security

Modern security has evolved from a peripheral concern to a central element of strategic business planning. The harsh reality is that companies can now face closure due to a security breach, as demonstrated by numerous unfortunate instances. This shift signifies a transition from conventional security protocols to a comprehensive security model that integrates every facet of organizational operations. This model surpasses mere defense against attacks; it aims to establish an ecosystem where security is deeply ingrained in the fabric of business processes. Through such integration, organizations enhance their ability to effectively anticipate, respond to, and recover from cyber threats.

The Elusive Cybersecurity Nirvana

Technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), have revolutionized security monitoring. These technologies enable organizations to detect and respond to threats more efficiently by analyzing vast amounts of data to identify patterns and predict potential security incidents. Comprehensive security encompasses a multifaceted approach that extends beyond these technological defenses to include policy, governance, and human factors. It blends business acumen with security expertise, integrating solutions into an interconnected system that supports business continuity and creates value.

Yet achieving this cybersecurity excellence, or “Nirvana,” can be challenging. Some organizations lack the staff or strategy needed for effective implementation. Partnering with external service providers can bridge these gaps, as partners can embed a cybersecurity culture across the entire IT stack, beyond just the outer defensive layers. While many vendors focus on point solutions, organizations should seek partners capable of managing the entire stack from data and infrastructure to embedding security and compliance throughout the organization.

Building a Resilient Future

In today’s cyber world, security operations are constantly in motion, and the need for a holistic, adaptive security strategy has never been more pressing. As organizations navigate the intricacies of the threat landscape, cybersecurity success will be defined by an emphasis on risk and resilience, alongside a proactive, data-driven approach. This integration of security monitoring services within a comprehensive security framework represents a pivotal shift in how organizations approach cyber defense. By seamlessly combining advanced monitoring capabilities, strategic planning, and a profound understanding of business operations, organizations can establish a resilient security posture. Such a posture not only safeguards against existing threats, but anticipates and mitigates future challenges.

To achieve success organizations must also embrace humility in acknowledging their limitations and seek assistance from comprehensive security providers. Avoiding the temptation of siloed point products, organizations should prioritize partnering with providers capable of managing the entire stack. This collaborative approach ensures a cohesive and robust defense against the dynamic landscape of cyber threats.

Looking for support in combating all the internal and external cyber threats your organization faces? Contact us to get started.

 

This article was originally published in Forbes.