PLDT Enterprise urges companies to adopt 'zero trust' security against increasing cyber threats

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PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of the largest integrated telecommunications company in the Philippines PLDT, promotes the advantages of implementing a zero trust architecture in strengthening businesses' cybersecurity measures amid the increasing demand for cloud and IoT-based (Internet of Things) systems in industries such as healthcare and gaming.

Zero trust security upholds principles of ‘never trust, always verify,’ assumption of breach, and explicit verification as it focuses on the premise that trust is never granted implicitly.

Jojo Gendrano, FVP and Head of PLDT Enterprise Core Business Solutions, said that “despite the innovations brought by cloud technology, security risks are present which could compromise data and potentially cause revenue losses for businesses.”

“Adapting a zero-trust cloud security platform could help institutions strengthen its network security wherein users and devices are always treated untrusted and continual authentication is applied,” Gendrano added.

According to cybersecurity firm Check Point Software, ransomware attacks on organizations worldwide increased 57 percent since January this year and had cost over $20 billion. The report cited the healthcare industry as the sector with the greatest number of attacks globally, with an average of 109 ransomware attack attempts per organization every week.

The gaming industry, meanwhile, has also been exposed to threats including distributed denial of service (DDoS), malware, and credential stuffing among others.

Last year, PLDT Enterprise partnered with NetFoundry for its PLDT Zero Trust Acceleration Platform (PLDT ZAP) which enables businesses to securely connect to business applications and cloud environments over an Internet connection.

Through PLDT ZAP, information from various devices is transmitted as encrypted packets, optimizing user experience while ensuring that data is secure. As the service integrates NetFoundry’s cloud-native zero trust platform, ZAP customers are able to deploy new private network in minutes thereby providing their companies with a competitive advantage in the markets they serve.

“Aside from that, PLDT ZAP is agile, performant, and flexible as it can easily address various solutions such as cloud migration and IoT integration,” Gendrano said.

Gendrano noted that cloud and IoT helped redefine industries such as healthcare by allowing medical institutions to efficiently gather and transmit information for more effective delivery of services.

Likewise, it was also the technology behind cloud gaming and streaming where players can access games through remote servers without the need for specific devices.

For more information on PLDT ZAP, visit https://www.pldtenterprise.com/solutions/internet/zero-trust-acceleration-platform

Fears for children as thousands evacuate Taal Volcano zone amid COVID-19 chaos

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Concern is mounting for the safety of children and families in Batangas as the Taal Volcano was raised to Alert Level 3 following a phreatomagmatic eruption yesterday which experts warned could be followed by further, more dangerous eruptions.

Some barangays in Agoncillo and Laurel –towns which are considered as high-risk areas- have undergone forced evacuation already. More than 7,000 residents in Laurel and nearly 14,500 people from Agoncillo are now affected.

In addition, communities around the Taal Lake are advised to evacuate, take precautionary measures, and remain vigilant for possible hazards and volcanic tsunami according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).

Authorities are evacuating hundreds of families from their homes to safer areas. But as the country continues to grapple with a second wave of COVID-19, Save the Children warned that another eruption will also increase the risk of the virus spreading.

Jerome Balinton, Humanitarian Manager at Save the Children in the Philippines, said:

“If the volcano erupts again, it could be deadly. Thousands of families and children have been forced to evacuate their homes and are temporarily sheltered at evacuation centers. We are also concerned that, amidst the chaos of the evacuations, families will be unable to follow social distancing guidelines and are at risk of being infected with the virus. There are 16 active cases of COVID-19 reported in Agoncillo and Laurel. If the evacuation of families becomes overwhelming, it may contribute to the spread of the virus.

With the country still reeling from the fallout of COVID-19, a life-threatening volcanic eruption is the last thing these areas need. Many families have already lost their homes and their livelihoods because of the pandemic. Disasters like this exacerbate their present condition and coping with life struggles.”

Atty. Albert Muyot, Chief Executive Officer at Save the Children in the Philippines, said:

“We are appealing to the local government units to ensure the safety and protection of children and their families during this crisis, as well as to develop their Comprehensive Emergency Program for Children (CEPC) to address the safety, protection, participation, and development of all children when emergencies or disasters strike.

Children’s rights to protection from all forms of harm, to be with their families at all times, to remain healthy, and to continue learning amidst the pandemic and emergencies such as the latest Taal Volcano eruption, should always be realized.”

Save the Children’s humanitarian teams are on stand by and ready to respond, and provide displaced families with temporary shelters and other essentials, as needed.

Philippine Post Office employees gets vaccinated

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Given their work on the frontlines of Covid-19 pandemic, more than 500 Philippine Postal Corporation (Post Office) employees and letter carriers have already received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, through the massive rollout of “Resbakuna program” of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and the City of Manila’s Health Department.

Postmaster General Norman “Mr. Postman” Fulgencio thanked Senator and Chair of the Senate Committee on Health Christopher "Bong" Go for assisting in the vaccination of post office workers and for his continuing effort to protect employees from contracting the virus to keep the workplace safe.

According to Postmaster General Fulgencio, it is necessary for their essential workers to secure vaccines most especially the letter carriers who are usually exposed in the field, as they continue to interact with the public in delivering mails and parcels.”

Deputy Chief Implementer of the national policy against COVID-19, Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs and Projects, and Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and chief operating officer Secretary Vince Dizon and GSIS President and General Manager Rolando Macasaet witnessed the ceremonial vaccination program for post office employees.

He also expressed his sincere appreciation to Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso for his initiative to organize a vaccination program for Post Office personnel.

Fulgencio promised to make the vaccine available and accessible to all essential post office workers.

Moreover, he lauded the government headed by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force against Covid-19 for continuously supporting the country's pandemic responses especially for government postal workers.

A special “Frontliners Stamp Frame” were also presented to Secretary Dizon and PGM Rolando Macasaet of GSIS respectively. Secretary Dizon praised the Postal Service for issuing the stamps in honor of the Frontline heroes in the fight against Covid-19. “We were told that the Philippines is one of the first country in the World to issue stamps for Frontliners”, he said.

Meanwhile, PGM Rolando Macasaet of GSIS offered the Coconut Palace which they owned; to be used as quarantine facility for post office workers should they turn out positive with Covid-19. This is important since Post Office Letter Carriers are highly exposed to the risk of getting infected with the virus. He also announced that GSIS will install a GW@PS Kiosk at Manila Central Post Office and grant GSIS Personal Accident Insurance for the benefit of all Post Office workers.