In anticipation of Avast’s thirtieth anniversary, we sat down with our founders, Pavel Baudiš and Eduard (Eda) Kučera to talk about Avast’s history and its future. The two men met in a world marked by its profound lack of freedom, and together navigated changing political, social, and technological circumstances to build the Avast we know today — a company that makes it possible for hundreds of millions of people to enjoy true freedom online. In the course of a few hours, we heard their take on writing the precursor to the Avast antivirus, creating their own company in the wake of the Velvet Revolution, becoming a serious player in the global antivirus market, and going all-in on the freemium business model, without which there would be no free Avast security today.
Cyberthreats and attacks have been a negative side effect of our computer age for more than three decades. The first viruses or worms were less harmful, designed to slow a system down or annoy other users. Some even say the first viruses were designed …
SamSam ransomware is back with a surprising addition
The ransomware strain that locked up the city of Atlanta in March of this year has returned, cybersecurity experts report, but with one mysterious addition. This new variant of the most infamous ran…
As the world’s largest corporate enterprises expand ever-larger, absorbing acquisition after acquisition, the SMB (small to medium-sized business) finds itself working harder than ever to keep a foothold in the marketplace. It leans heavily on its MSP (managed service provider) to keep all things tech running smoothly day in and day out.
It’s our 30th birthday! We’ve been taking a look back at how we got to where we are today, and we’ve collected a few interesting tidbits you may not know about us.
The Company
Recognized by CRN as a top managed service provider (MSP), STF Consulting provides customized IT services and security to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and enterprises in the Monmouth, Ocean, and Middlesex counties of New Jersey.
Sean Furman, president of STF Consulting, started the company in 2000 with just one client. He now has a staff of seven and points to his company’s specialized focus for its success. Says Sean, “We are a real boutique provider and have always worked with clients through an exclusive contract-based model. Our clients have high expectations, and our model provides the right foundation for high-quality services through one contract, so deliverables are clear and achievable. This also enables us to be very proactive and easily add new services as clients evolve their businesses.”
I spoke on politics and human rights at an important forum in New York last May, and my fellow speakers included many current and former politicians and academics there to talk about everything from North Korea to press freedom to cybersecurity. Former US Congressman Mike Rogers was one of them, and he gave a polished presentation about many of the risks we are facing today in the digital sphere, both for personal and national security. As the former Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, he was faced with these urgent concerns on a daily basis. (Unfortunately, the Committee has now become a political battleground, a very dangerous situation because security shouldn’t be a partisan issue.)
Microsoft fixes 50 flaws for Windows, Adobe, Spectre, and more
Microsoft packed a lot into its Patch Tuesday updates this week, providing 50 fixes for vulnerabilities covering everything from the Windows OS, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Office to …
