Ostratto - Blog | Ostratto by CameronOstratto - Blog | Ostratto by Cameronhttps://www.ostratto.com/blogs/author/cameronFri, 06 Nov 2026 19:35:15 +0100http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[Streamline Your Workflow with the 10 Best Zoho Apps]]>https://www.ostratto.com/blogs/post/streamline-your-workflow-with-zohoA useful guide that you can use to learn about Zoho, understand what software they have on offer, and find out how these products can be used to add value and streamline your business.]]>
A useful guide that you can use to learn about Zoho, understand what software they have on offer, and find out how these products can be used to add value and streamline your workflow. We've made things simple for you with access to a free trial for each product in the list.

What is Zoho? | Featured Products | Zoho CRM | Zoho Books | Zoho Expense | Zoho Inventory | Zoho People | Zoho Projects | Zoho Desk | Zoho Forms | Zoho Voice | Zoho Sign | Why Zoho? | Why Ostratto?


​​What is Zoho?


Zoho Corporation is a software company that offers a unique and powerful suite of tools that can help you transform the way you work. It was founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas in Pleasanton, California, and now operates across the world with offices in London, Austin, Beijing, Tokyo, and Chennai. They have developed a wide range of tools to make an impact on every aspect of your business, with products designed to be user-friendly and applicable for all.


Here at Ostratto, we love to use Zoho One, as it encompasses all of the cloud software available with Zoho on one platform. It helps us to manage business operations across the company, and streamline the way that we work. I’m writing this blog to offer you some more information about different Zoho products and outline the ten best apps that we use every day at Ostratto, to help you understand how they can be a helpful addition to your software suite.



​​Featured Products

#1: Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is an industry-leading tool, and has been for many years, with an extensive feature set offered at competitive pricing. It’s highly customisable, uses omnichannel communications, offers sales and marketing automations, uses artificial intelligence, and even has its own mobile app.


Learn More About Zoho CRM

#2: Zoho Books

Zoho Books is a comprehensive accounting platform that is designed for growing businesses, and it’s recognised by HMRC for its VAT integration. It has an extensive feature set that allows you to create quotes, invoices, sales orders, and bills with ease, and an advanced set of reporting measures to help you make the most of your finances. 


Learn More About Zoho Books

#3: Zoho Expense

Zoho Expense streamlines the expense management process with a mobile-first approach, understanding that most of its users will upload their information on-the-go. It’s fully customisable with many controls for administrators, which helps you to keep track of everyone’s expenses and ensure that they comply with company policy.


Learn More About Zoho Expense

#4: Zoho Inventory

Zoho Inventory helps you to track inventory across multiple warehouses, synchronise stock to sell across multiple channels, and manage order fulfilment with extensive shipping functions. It has many integrations to help you connect both sales and shipping platforms, and reporting functions that help you to stay on top of your operations.


Learn More About Zoho Inventory

#5: Zoho People

Zoho People is a Human Resource Management (HRM) software that has been designed to make managing your employees simple and efficient. It can help you to track the attendance, performance, and development of all your employees, with accessible enterprise-level functionality at an affordable price.


Learn More About Zoho People

#6: Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects has an extensive feature set, helping you to manage and coordinate complex projects with ease. You can view timescales on Gantt charts, track hours with timesheets, and automate tasks to streamline your workflow. You can even manage projects on the go with its mobile app!


Learn More About Zoho Projects

#7: Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk is a completely customisable service desk that will help you manage customer queries across your portfolio. It has many comprehensive integrations with communications platforms, including social media, and uses artificial intelligence to help you create responses quickly.


Learn More About Zoho Desk

#8: Zoho Forms

Zoho Forms can help you to create visually appealing forms with custom branding to efficiently collect and manage information. You can automate forms to send notifications once they're completed, and automatically link info with contacts in your CRM, saving you time.


Learn More About Zoho Forms

#9: Zoho Voice

Zoho Voice is an easy-to-use business telephony and call centre solution that integrates easily with CRM and Desk. You can use it to make and receive business calls on customisable phone numbers with excellent line quality and great mobile capabilities.


Learn More About Zoho Voice

#10: Zoho Sign

Zoho Sign can transform your paperwork with its digital signature solution, helping you to save time and money. You can create reusable templates with custom branding, bulk send documents and track their progress, and create workflows to automate document flow. 


Learn More About Zoho Sign

​​#1: Zoho CRM

What does Zoho CRM do?

Zoho CRM is an industry-leading tool, and has been for many years, with an extensive feature set offered at competitive pricing. It’s highly customisable, uses omnichannel communications, offers sales and marketing automations, uses artificial intelligence, and a mobile app.


Why do we like Zoho CRM?

Zoho CRM is an ideal solution for small-to-medium businesses looking to get their hands on enterprise-level software at an affordable price. It’s highly customisable with an extensive feature set, meaning that you can choose from a wide range of features and make it work for you.


Example: Leads Page from Zoho CRM
Example: Leads Page from Zoho CRM
Example: Kanban View in Zoho CRM
Example: Kanban View in Zoho CRM
Example: Lead Details in Zoho CRM
Example: Lead Details in Zoho CRM

As with most Zoho products, its CRM integrates well with other software and this can be very advantageous. If you connect your mailbox to Zoho CRM it will collect all the information you have on each lead and add it to their profile. You can send emails directly from the CRM, and their data will be tracked for you to review. It makes it easy to see how effective your marketing is, and track which leads are engaging with your content.


Streamlining your sales process has never been easier, with the ability to create workflow automations that start with lead creation and end with you closing the deal. You can set these up in any way you like, to ensure that you never leave a lead behind. It’s simple to import new leads, with a straightforward process and many integrations. You can also customise the way you view your sales process, with both list view and kanban options.


Zoho’s enterprise-level data security can help you to stay compliant with data regulation without any extra work. You can create departments and set rules to configure the view for each team member, ensuring that they remain focused on their work and only access to relevant information. Zoho CRM also has extensive analytics and reporting  to help you track the performance of your team, and see where you need to improve.


What are its Key Features?

✔ Highly Customisable Interface

✔ Omnichannel Communications In-App

✔ Comprehensive Workflow Automations

✔ Simple Lead Importing

✔ Enhanced Privacy Protections


How to get started with Zoho CRM

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!


Start Your Zoho CRM Free Trial

​​#2: Zoho Books

What does Zoho Books do?

Zoho Books is a comprehensive accounting platform that has been designed for growing businesses, with extensive features and advanced reporting capabilities. It is a HMRC recognised accounting software that can help you be compliant with the MTD (Making Tax Digital) initiative and save time with the ability to pay your VAT directly through Zoho Books. Its features include workflow automation, time tracking for projects, and inventory management. You can report on anything to do with your company’s finances, with an extensive set of preset reports and the ability to make your own custom ones too.


Why do we like Zoho Books?

Zoho Books is an excellent platform for making new sales, with simple access to all the forms that you need throughout the customer journey. You can share access to these directly with customers through Zoho Books, saving time and simplifying the process. We love the amount of currencies available, offering support for international transactions, and the expansive number of languages supported too. It has an expansive set of integrations, with the ability to work with over 50 external applications, meaning that Zoho Books can work around you, and communicate with most software.


Example: Dashboard View in Zoho Books
Example: Dashboard View in Zoho Books
Example: Estimates in Zoho Books
Example: Estimates in Zoho Books
Example: VAT Filing in Zoho Books
Example: VAT Filing in Zoho Books
Example: Reporting in Zoho Books
Example: Reporting in Zoho Books

What are its Key Features?

✔ HMRC Recognised Software
✔ Comprehensive Feature Set
✔ Customizable Records and Forms
✔ Multi-Currency and Multi-Language
✔ Expansive Integrations (50+)
✔ Access via Mobile App
✔ Customer Portal Included

How to get started with Zoho Books

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!


Start Your Zoho Books Free Trial

​​#3: Zoho Expense

What does Zoho Expense do?

Zoho Expense streamlines the expense management process with a mobile-first approach, understanding that most of its users will upload their information on-the-go from iOS, Android, and Windows devices. It’s fully customisable with many controls for administrators, which will help you to keep track of everyone’s expenses and ensure that they are compliant with your organisation's policies.


Why do we like Zoho Expense?

Zoho anticipated that most employees looking to be reimbursed for expenses will be looking to do so on their mobile devices, recording their expense receipts on the go. We love the ability to capture receipts using the Zoho Expense app. It also has a useful Chrome Extension that allows you to capture receipts on your webpage with a couple of clicks, streamlining the process for when you make new bookings.


Example: Dashboard in Zoho Expense
Example: Dashboard in Zoho Expense
Example: Trips in Zoho Expense
Example: Trips in Zoho Expense
Example: Receipt Scan in Zoho Expense
Example: Receipt Scan in Zoho Expense
Example: Analytics in Zoho Expense
Example: Analytics in Zoho Expense

What are its Key Features?

✔ Extensive Integrations

✔ Modern Mobile Application

✔ Company Card Integration

✔ Great Customisation

✔ Advanced Reporting


How to get started with Zoho Expense

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!


Start Your Zoho Expense Free Trial

​​#4: Zoho Inventory

What does Zoho Inventory do?

Zoho Inventory helps you track inventory across multiple warehouses, synchronise stock to sell across multiple channels, and manage order fulfilment with extensive shipping functions. It has integrations that help you to connect both sales and shipping platforms, and reporting functions that help you to stay on top of your operations.


Why do we like Zoho Inventory?

We like Zoho Inventory as it enables you to manage your stock across multiple websites, easily transfer stock between those warehouses, and ship orders from multiple warehouses in the same order. It supports multiple currencies and dropshipping, making it an asset for any organisation looking for a better way to manage their inventory.


Example: Dashboard in Zoho Inventory
Example: Dashboard in Zoho Inventory
Example: Sales Orders in Zoho Inventory
Example: Sales Orders in Zoho Inventory
Example: Packages in Zoho Inventory
Example: Packages in Zoho Inventory
Example: Reporting in Zoho Inventory
Example: Reporting in Zoho Inventory

What are its Key Features?

✔ Extensive Shipping Functions

✔ Supports e-Commerce

✔ Tracks Across Multiple Warehouses

✔ Manage Sales & Purchase Orders In-App

✔ Great Reporting Options


How to get started with Zoho Inventory

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!


Start Your Zoho Inventory Free Trial

​​#5: Zoho People

What does Zoho People do?

Zoho People is a Human Resource Management (HRM) software that has been designed to make managing your employees more simple and efficient. It can help you to track the attendance, performance, and development of all employees, with accessible enterprise-level functionality to streamline your management processes.


Why do we like Zoho People?

We love Zoho People for its expansive feature set and easy user interface. Its functions cover every possible use-case for HRMs, with efficient time tracking and management systems. It’s ideal for small businesses looking to streamline their expansion, and medium businesses who want a more complete picture of their workforce.


Example: Profile Page in Zoho People
Example: Profile Page in Zoho People
Example: Features in Zoho People
Example: Features in Zoho People
Example: Self-Service Portal in Zoho People
Example: Self-Service Portal in Zoho People
Example: News Feed in Zoho People
Example: News Feed in Zoho People

Managers who use Zoho People are able to set up the software to company specifications and then take a backseat on the HRM process, with easy-to-use self-service portals for employees doing most of the work for you. You can track attendance, time spent across projects, and annual leave seamlessly, allowing you to focus on reaching your business goals through the comprehensive performance management functions. You can schedule appraisals, create goals, and receive feedback easily.


Employees have complete control over their attendance, leave, and time tracking with Zoho People. They can change any personal information with its self-service functions, manage their calendar and workload across multiple Zoho apps, and view everything they need to know about their employment in a handy branded portal. Most of these functions can be done in the Zoho People mobile app too, allowing employees to update their information on-the-go with ease.


What are its Key Features?

✔ Employee Self-Service Portal

✔ Timesheets & Time Tracking

✔ Efficient Performance Management

✔ HR Process Automation

✔ Extensive Reporting & Analytics

✔ Mobile App for Employees


How to get started with Zoho People

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!


Start Your Zoho People Free Trial

​​#6: Zoho Projects

What does Zoho Projects do?

Zoho Projects has an extensive feature set for an affordable price, helping you to manage and coordinate projects across your company with ease. You can view timescales on Gantt charts, track hours worked with timesheets, and automate tasks to streamline your workflow.


Why do we like Zoho Projects?

We love Zoho Projects for its excellent feature set, such as Gantt charts, tasks, reporting, documents, and milestones. You’re able to track time against each task within a project, which can be attributed to your Zoho People & Books for time management and accurate project costing. 


Example: Gantt Chart in Zoho Projects
Example: Gantt Chart in Zoho Projects
Example: List View in Zoho Projects
Example: List View in Zoho Projects
Example: Calendar View in Zoho Projects
Example: Calendar View in Zoho Projects
Example: Feed View in Zoho Projects
Example: Feed View in Zoho Projects

What are its Key Features?

✔ Gantt Chart / Kanban / Task List Views

✔ Task Allocation & Time Tracking

✔ Mobile Application (iOS & Android)

✔ Collaboration Functions

✔ Reporting & Analytics


How to get started with Zoho Projects

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!


Start Your Zoho Projects Free Trial

​​#7: Zoho Desk

What does Zoho Desk do?

Zoho Desk is a completely customisable service desk that will help you manage customer queries across your organisation’s portfolio. It has comprehensive integrations with communications platforms, and uses artificial intelligence to help you create responses quickly.


Why do we like Zoho Desk?

We love Zoho Desk as it helps us to manage customer service tickets with ease, through convenient contextual support, AI assistance, and detailed analytics. It’s ideal for small businesses looking for enterprise-level customer service capabilities at an affordable price.


Example: Dashboard in Zoho Desk
Example: Dashboard in Zoho Desk
Example: Performance View in Zoho Desk
Example: Performance View in Zoho Desk
Example: Ticket View in Zoho Desk
Example: Ticket View in Zoho Desk

What are its Key Features?

✔ Customisable Performance Dashboards

✔ Self-Service Portal for Customers

✔ Knowledge Base for Customers

✔ Automatic Ticket Routing

✔ Mobile App Support


How to get started with Zoho Desk

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!


Start Your Zoho Desk Free Trial

​​#8: Zoho Forms

What does Zoho Forms do?

Zoho Forms can help you to create visually appealing forms with custom branding to efficiently collect and manage information. You can automate these forms to send notifications once completed, and automatically link information with contacts in your CRM.


Why do we like Zoho Forms?

We like Zoho Forms because it allows us to create highly functional branded forms with its easy to use no-code creator, with an array of fields to choose from, field validation to ensure accurate data is recorded, and full customizability to meet most business requirements.


Example: Customisation in Zoho Forms
Example: Customisation in Zoho Forms
Example: Entry Tracking in Zoho Forms
Example: Entry Tracking in Zoho Forms
Example: Settings in Zoho Forms
Example: Settings in Zoho Forms
Example: Sharing in Zoho Forms
Example: Sharing in Zoho Forms

What are its Key Features?

✔ Full Customisation & Branding

✔ No-Code Form Creation

✔ Secure Data Collection

✔ Comprehensive Integrations

✔ Reporting & Analytics


How to get started with Zoho Forms

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!


Start Your Zoho Forms Free Trial

​​#9: Zoho Voice

What does Zoho Voice do?

Zoho Voice is an easy-to-use business telephony and call centre solution that integrates seamlessly with CRM and Desk. You can use it to make and receive business calls on customisable phone numbers with excellent line quality and mobile capabilities. 


Why do we like Zoho Voice?

We love Zoho Voice for its integration with other Zoho products. It can communicate with Zoho CRM to identify and recognise phone numbers, record voicemail messages and important conversations, and create notifications to bring your attention to new inbound leads.


Example: Dashboard in Zoho Voice
Example: Dashboard in Zoho Voice
Example: Agents in Zoho Voice
Example: Agents in Zoho Voice
Example: Add-Ons in Zoho Voice
Example: Add-Ons in Zoho Voice

What are its Key Features?

✔ Inbound & Outbound Calls

✔ Call Queueing, Forwarding, Transfers

✔ Personal & Departmental Extensions

✔ Customizable Phone Numbers

✔ Call Centre Capabilities

✔ Simple Dialling System


How to get started with Zoho Voice

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!


Start Your Zoho CRM Free Trial

​​#10: Zoho Sign

What does Zoho Sign do?

Zoho Sign can transform your company’s paperwork with its digital signature solution, helping you to save time and money. You can create reusable templates with custom branding, bulk send documents and track their progress, and create workflows to automate document flow.  It's highly secure too, with comprehensive encryption technology.


Why do we like Zoho Sign?

We like Zoho Sign because it helps to streamline signature collection and document processing in a secure and reliable way. It helps you save time through template creation and workflow configuration, and you can track the progress for each document sent easily. It’s compliant with many e-signature laws across the world.


Example: Documents in Zoho Sign
Example: Documents in Zoho Sign
Example: Sending in Zoho Sign
Example: Sending in Zoho Sign
Example: Sharing Templates in Zoho Sign
Example: Sharing Templates in Zoho Sign

What are its Key Features?

✔ Leading Data Security

✔ Completely Custom Branding

✔ e-Signature Capabilities

✔ Bulk Document Sending

✔ Reusable Templates

✔ Tracking & Reporting


How to get started with Zoho Sign

We’ve made life a little easier for you with this free trial. Every Zoho product starts with a free trial so you can see if you like it and go from there. If you have any questions, let us know!


Start Your Zoho Sign Free Trial

​​Why Zoho?

Zoho is one of the most affordable software developers for small-to-medium sized businesses, with comprehensive features across all of their applications for a price that doesn’t break the bank. You won’t find another software suite that has the integrations, the features, and the price points that Zoho has to offer, and the great thing is that their pricing is flexible so you can start small and scale up to enterprise level with ease.


We use most Zoho applications for our daily tasks, and they have helped to streamline our business processes and workflow immensely. They integrate well with Google Workspace, communicate data across the company to improve efficiency, and keep our company data secure at all times. If you’re looking for any of the above products, we recommend that you take a look at starting a free trial and have a go! We’re here to help answer any questions if you have them.


​​Why Ostratto?

Ostratto is a team of technical professionals that are here to assist you and your business on a truly personal basis. We have the skills and expertise to deliver comprehensive, cost-effective solutions, and will work to integrate Zoho software into your business in a way that meets all of your needs. We’re here to help you to find the most suitable products, and provide you with ongoing support throughout your time with us.


We've been partnered with Zoho for over five years, and have worked with their teams to develop their products for the UK market. We work with businesses from a wide range of sectors from leisure through to manufacturing. We are proud to be a part of all of our customers' businesses, integrating ourselves as trusted advisors and measuring our success on theirs. Wherever your organisation is right now, and wherever it wants to be in the future, we can help you to streamline your workflows and make your work less work with the right software solution.


]]>Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:32:13 +0000<![CDATA[Ransomware Threat Update: 2024]]>https://www.ostratto.com/blogs/post/2024-ransomware-threat-updateAn explanation of how the threat of ransomware attacks on organisations has developed throughout 2024, drawing on data from the Sophos State of Ransomware survey and explaining how Intercept X can offer advanced defences against this prevalent threat.]]>

An explanation of how the threat of ransomware attacks on organisations has developed throughout 2024, drawing on data from the Sophos State of Ransomware survey and explaining how Intercept X can offer advanced defences against this prevalent threat.


What is Ransomware? | What's New In 2024? | Industries at High Risk | Actions to Protect Your Business | How Intercept X Protects Your Business | Ostratto: Your Security Provider | Book Your Free Discovery Call


​​What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that, if installed, can stop you from gaining access to your systems and will then demand that you pay the perpetrator to regain access – in other words, it will hold your systems to ransom. Ransomware can come in many shapes and sizes, below are a few of the most common types that we outlined in 2023. Want to find out how to protect your company? Skip down to Protective Actions.


Types of Ransomware Attack

Computer locked by a ransomware attack.
Graphic by Pixabay

Crypto Ransomware, also known as "encryptors", is one of the most common and dangerous types. This kind encrypts files and data, rendering the material useless without the decryption key. Unlike the other types below, crypto ransomware may infiltrate your systems in several different ways. 


Phishing refers to one of the methods in which ransomware may make its way into your system. It occurs when a malicious email, which may  appear at first to be authentic, is opened and the links within are clicked on. Unfortunately, opening these all but friendly emails will allow the ransomware to be downloaded onto your device. Once in, the ransomware can exploit the security flaws in your device and take control of your systems.


Scareware may often appear as a security software pop-up, warning you that malware has been identified and that the only way to remove it is to pay. However, despite the name, there is often nothing to be afraid of as attackers are merely bluffing to coerce you into paying, meanwhile your files remain secure.


Doxware or Leakware refers to when an attacker threatens to release sensitive data online. Although the threat may not always be legitimate, most individuals panic and pay the requested ransom.


Lockers refers to when a pop-up emerges, requesting a ransom, and totally locks the user out of their computer. Most pop-ups make the user feel like they are in the wrong and will often display timers to pressure you into paying quickly without the opportunity to report or resolve the attack instead.


Impact of Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware can have an enormous impact on your company's operations and data security, and some organisations take up to one month to recover from an attack. Here are some key takeaways about the impact of ransomware from the Sophos State of Ransomware update in 2024.

59%

of companies attacked with ransomware in 2024

94%

report that their backups were targeted in attacks

32%

of victims had data stolen as well as encrypted

$2.0m

was the average ransom demand by attackers

​​What's New In 2024?

Focus on Critical Infrastructure

Ransomware continues to be the most impactful cybersecurity threat, with its high financial rewards and established business model making it an attractive extortion method. Criminals target a wide range of organisations, many of which don’t make the headlines, but those who do have historically been those with the highest reward potential.


For example, threat actors have attacked hospitals, schools, and government entities across the world, with local councils and the National Health Service (NHS) being some of the most public cases in the UK. Infrastructure companies such as these typically have outdated and unsupported legacy systems, and therefore are an easy target for threat actors looking to exploit vulnerabilities and enter their network. 


Ransomware-As-A-Service (RaaS)

Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) is an increasingly popular platform that criminals and threat actors can use to access ransomware with no upfront costs. Many platforms operate with a subscription model, which mirrors the successful models used by legitimate platforms, to offer access to ransomware variants, distribution channels, and support in exchange for a share of the profits.


Hackers can leverage RaaS platforms to perform the most efficient and effective assaults on any chosen company, with this increased accessibility to powerful malware products making the ransomware extortion method as the most profitable cyberattack on the market today. As these platforms continue to develop into 2025, there will be a significant increase in the threat of cybercrime on organisations.


Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to have an enormous impact on the threat of ransomware. Criminals are already using AI to streamline cyberattacks, and it will almost certainly increase the volume and impact of attacks in the near future. It enables relatively unskilled threat actors to carry out sophisticated attacks, with improved targeting and more effective information-gathering than ever before.


There are reports that AI is helping criminals to develop malware that can avoid detection by security software, craft phishing emails that are extremely targeted and persuasive, and encrypt files at a startling rate. As this continues, it could have an unprecedented impact on businesses across the world, which is why it’s so important to take a proactive approach to your cybersecurity.




"Hackers can leverage RaaS platforms to perform the most efficient and effective assaults on any chosen company"



​​Industries at High Risk for Attack

Local Government & Public Services

Across the UK there has been an increasing number of attacks on local government organisations and public service companies. Recently, for example, we saw Synnovis, an NHS pathology services provider, experienced an attack that caused the cancellation of over 10,000 appointments and a significant data leak that immediately made the headlines. The extent of the attack meant that they had to rebuild their IT systems to continue to operate, which caused significant disruption to their operations.


In 2023, we saw Gloucester City Council fall victim to a ransomware attack for the second time in 10 years, where many of the council’s systems were encrypted and taken offline. It cost the council £1.1 million to remediate the damage caused by this attack. Hackers, in these instances, appear to be targeting large public organisations to perform extortion at the threat of an enormous data leak. Any company with a significant amount of public data should be concerned about the increasing threat of a ransomware attack.


Logistics & Transportation

Transportation has been brought back into the spotlight recently with the incident that occurred with Network Rail’s WiFi network this September. Attackers were able to use a vulnerability in their network and transmit extremist messages onto the devices of unaware service users, which caused considerable concern amongst the public and made headlines. In 2023, KNP Logistics Group was attacked by threat actors who caused irreparable damage to their systems in an incident that plunged the company into insolvency, making 730 people redundant. 


In these examples, the motivations of the threat actors appear to be mixed. In the Network Rail incident, it appears to be a case of ‘Hacktivism’, where the threat actors were politically motivated and were sending a message to service users. However, in the case of KNP Logistics, we can estimate that ransomware was used purely to extort the company. Similar transport organisations should be concerned about the latter example, as it highlights that cybercriminals do target private organisations more frequently than what we’re aware of, as many instances don’t make the headlines.


Manufacturing & Production

In recent years, the manufacturing industry became a prevalent target for security attacks due to legacy systems and unpatched applications. One of the more notable examples is Wiltshire Farm Foods who provide frozen ready meals to care homes, nurseries, hospitals, and schools in the South West. In 2022, they were attacked by threat actors who were able to significantly disrupt their operations and leave service users without meals.


Attackers were able to cause enough damage to mean that the company had to rebuild and replace most of their hardware and software, likely costing hundreds of thousands of pounds. In response to the increased threat of ransomware, we have seen companies like Castell Howell and AG Barr onboard with Sophos Intercept X to manage their cybersecurity.


​​Actions to Protect Your Business

Addressing an attack situation requires a straightforward three-step approach: implement a more scalable incident response process to accelerate response time; leverage adaptive defences to slow down adversaries; and create a virtuous cycle that improves protection and lowers cost.


Stopping advanced, persistent adversaries will require you to optimise your organisation’s defences, using context-sensitive technologies to elevate the level of protection in proportion to the situation. Crucially, these defences will buy you time to apply human expertise to address the root cause.



Optimise Prevention

Stop attacks at the earliest possible point to minimise impact.

Reduce Exposure

Minimize opportunities for adversaries to exploit weaknesses in security.

Disrupt Attackers

Buy time to respond in the event of an advanced human-led attack.
 

​​How Intercept X Protects Your Business

Sophos Intercept X is the industry-leading Endpoint Security solution that reduces the attack surface and prevents attacks from running. Combining anti-exploit, anti-ransomware, deep learning AI and control technology it stops attacks before they impact your systems. Intercept X uses a comprehensive, defense-in-depth approach to endpoint protection, rather than relying on one primary security technique.


Key Features of Intercept X

Sophos CryptoGuard Product Demonstration
CryptoGuard by Sophos
  • Informed by Deep Learning, a process that dissects unknown malware to detect new behaviours and stop unknown threats. SophosLabs work through 400,000 new instances of malware each day and use their findings to develop Intercept X, meaning that you're always protected from the latest threats.
  • CryptoGuard will analyse information in real-time and shut down any encryption processes automatically, reverting all files back to normal once the threat has been contained. It means that you'll never have to worry about paying ransom, as all of your files are protected.
  • Anti-Exploit recognises and blocks common malware delivery techniques, protecting endpoints from phishing attempts, malware downloads, and zero-day code vulnerabilities, providing you with comprehensive prevention against 99.98% of ransomware attack methods.
  • Simple Management with Sophos Central allows you to see the complete picture of alerts across all devices in your network, helping you to prioritise your time effectively and understand your cybersecurity posture.


 "Intercept X stops attacks before they enter your systems, using a comprehensive defence-in-depth approach"



​​Ostratto: Your Security Partner

Picture of Ostratto Director Helping Customer

With a team of technical professionals to assist your business on a truly personal basis, and diverse knowledge across some of the most advanced technology, Ostratto have the skills and expertise to deliver comprehensive, cost-effective solutions and fully-managed services. We’re here to help you to find the most suitable products for your business needs, and provide you with ongoing support across your time with us.


Founded in 2019, we have established ourselves as a forward-thinking technical consultancy both locally in the South West and further afield. We work with businesses from a wide range of sectors from leisure through to manufacturing. We are proud to be a part of all of our customers businesses, integrating ourselves as trusted advisors and measuring our success on theirs.

Wherever your organisation is right now, and where it wants to be in the future, we can help you to accelerate your defences and move ahead of today’s advanced adversaries. For more information, view our security products or speak with a security advisor today.



​​Book Your Free Discovery Call

If you think that your business could benefit from Intercept X, or if you'd like to find out more information about how we can improve your cyber defences, please book a free discovery call with one of our experts below. We'll be happy to help, in whatever way we can.

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