CloudFirst

We're excited to attend our second Global Telecom Solutions (GTS) Open House next week! Now celebrating its 25th year, the annual GTS Open House brings together customers, technology partners, and industry experts for a day of education, networking, and conversations around the latest technology innovations. Join our AI & Emerging Technologies panel discussion at 2:45 PM on Floor 2, where Justin Cawood will join fellow industry experts to discuss how organizations are using AI, automation, and intelligent customer engagement to improve operations and drive measurable business outcomes. Stop by the CloudFirst booth to learn how we're helping organizations modernize IT, strengthen cybersecurity, optimize service management, and accelerate digital transformation. Plus, we've got a few treats waiting for visitors! We're proud to support this year's event as a Platinum Sponsor and look forward to connecting with customers, partners, and industry peers. See you there! Vanessa Rodolico Kelsey Zigarelli Kevin Piket #GTSOpenHouse #CloudFirst #ArtificialIntelligence #Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is not a collection of products. It is a continuous process. Too often, organizations invest in security tools that operate independently, creating gaps in visibility, protection, and response. CloudFirst Unified Defense brings these capabilities together in one managed security solution. Behind the solution is the Unified Defense Framework, a model built around four essential areas: • Assess • Protect • Recover • Assure Effective security is not just about preventing attacks. It is about building resilience before, during, and after an incident. #CloudFirst #Cybersecurity #MSSP #ManagedSecurity

For years, CloudFirst has been known for helping organizations get the most from IBM infrastructure. Today, our customers face a much broader security landscape. That's why we're introducing CloudFirst Unified Defense, our managed security approach designed to help organizations assess risk, protect critical systems, recover quickly, and continuously strengthen their security posture. Built to support Microsoft, hybrid cloud, IBM Power, and enterprise environments, Unified Defense reflects the broader security capabilities CloudFirst brings to every engagement. More to come. #UnifiedDefense #CloudFirst #MSSP #Cybersecurity

Got standing admin rights? We need to talk 😬 Compromised identity is how most successful breaches and ransomware attacks start. 🧑💻 But access management is too often misconfigured, or --even worse-- largely forgotten. Microsoft PIM eliminates standing privilege by granting access only as necessary. When combined with single sign-on for IBM i, you can use the same Entra identity for Microsoft 365, 5250 sessions, and more. 👉 We've got a new blog about identity and access management and how to deploy Privileged Identity Management (PIM) across Microsoft Intune, Entra ID, and other Microsoft software. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/g47FZv4h #CyberSecurity #ManagedSecurity #IdentitySecurity #IBMi #MicrosoftPartner 

Great partnerships are built on great relationships, and the strongest relationships extend beyond the workplace. We were proud to sponsor this year's Chicago Dogs for the Dogs event with TLV Charities, bringing together partners, customers, friends, and families for an evening of connection and community. As Kevin Piket shared, a sincere thank you to Cindy O'Connell, Rafael Renteria, Michelle Mares (Labern), and the entire TLV Charities team for hosting this outstanding event. We're grateful to be part of such a collaborative community and are already looking forward to next year!

⏰ Hear that alarm? It's the insurers and auditors asking about your last cyber recovery drill. Having backups is ❌ NOT ❌the same as knowing you're able to recover from them. Don't leave it to chance. CloudFirst's Unified Defense Framework treats continuity and recovery as a cyber defense layer, not an IT operations checkbox. That means validating RTO and RPO against actual business objectives. The proof is in the pudding for your underwriters, your auditors, and your board. 👉 Get in touch with CloudFirst, and we'll help you fix the problem before they even think to ask about it. Read more on the blog: https://lnkd.in/ggPJNVYM #DisasterRecovery #Cybersecurity #BusinessContinuity #RansomwareRecovery

Enterprise AI is moving toward multi-model environments. Microsoft supporting both Claude and GPT inside Copilot reflects a larger shift: organizations are evaluating AI based on operational fit, governance, and workflow alignment, not just model popularity. Different models solve different business problems. The long-term challenge will be managing AI strategically across enterprise operations. More here: https://hubs.ly/Q04jd0Dv0 #AI #Microsoft365 #EnterpriseAI #CloudFirst

Many internal IT teams are spending too much time maintaining operational stability and not enough time driving strategic progress. Patch management. Backup validation. System monitoring. Compliance preparation. All necessary. None directly tied to innovation. The right managed services model reduces operational burden while improving resilience, continuity, and accountability. More here: https://hubs.ly/Q04jgtFW0 #ManagedServices #OperationalResilience #ITOperations #CloudFirst

Most organizations do not fail ransomware recovery because they lack backups. They fail because recovery was never operationally validated. Isolation. Clean restore capability. Verified recovery objectives. Those are the capabilities that determine whether organizations recover under pressure. Recovery confidence comes from tested discipline, not assumptions. More here: https://hubs.ly/Q04jd12P0 #Cybersecurity #Ransomware #BusinessContinuity #CloudFirst

Cloud infrastructure decisions are no longer just about where workloads run. They are about operational accountability. IBM PowerVS provides infrastructure flexibility, but many organizations still face significant responsibility for architecture, optimization, security, and ongoing management. CloudFirst takes a different approach: one operational model, proactive support, and managed outcomes for mission-critical workloads. The difference is not just infrastructure. It is operational ownership. More here: https://hubs.ly/Q04jd6v_0 #IBMPower #HybridCloud #OperationalResilience #CloudFirst