With the rapid evolution of technology, robust cybersecurity is vital for enterprises to protect sensitive information and systems from a range of cyber threats, including hacking, data breaches and malware attacks. As technology advances, so do the methods used by cyber criminals, necessitating the implementation of protective cybersecurity measures.
In this blog, Craig Lusher, Product Principal of Secure Solutions at Continent 8 Technologies, explores how Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms and Security Operations Centres (SOCs) allow organisations to adapt to emerging threats, maintain a robust cybersecurity posture and meet regulatory compliance.
SIEM solutions consolidate security monitoring across an organisation’s diverse technology stack, enabling SOC engineers to detect and respond to threats through a unified management interface. SIEM solutions serve as the central hub of an organisation’s security system, collecting and normalising security logs and events from various IT sources including network devices, servers and security systems. They provide a central register for all security events and logs, performing event correlation, threat enrichment and analysis, filtering out informational events and promoting true security events and threats, helping organisations protect their systems from attacks and breaches.
A SOC, or Managed Security Operations Centre (MSOC), such as those offered by Continent 8 and C8 Secure, is a dedicated team that focuses on safeguarding the company’s systems from security threats. Utilising various tools, such as a SIEM system, they watch over the company’s computer systems, spot any problems or attacks and respond to them quickly. The SOC functions as a cybersecurity team, ensuring everything is running smoothly and securely.
SIEM systems are integral in SOC cybersecurity, offering SOC teams with a holistic view of their cybersecurity events.
To begin, the SIEM system correlates and analyses the aggregated security data from internal sources and external threat intelligence to identify any unusual or suspicious activities that could indicate a potential security issue. Upon detection, it promptly alerts the SOC team, enabling them to address the issue swiftly.
In the event of an incident, the SIEM system provides comprehensive information that assists SOC analysts in understanding the nature and severity of the threat. This insight aids in effective response and helps prevent future occurrences.
Additionally, SIEM systems support compliance efforts by generating reports and maintaining logs that demonstrate the organisation’s adherence to necessary regulations. These systems are indispensable for managing security incidents and events, facilitating efficient monitoring, detection and management of security challenges by SOC teams.
Operating a SOC without a SIEM system would be quite challenging. A SIEM system provides the centralised tool required to gather and interpret security data, which is crucial for effectively preventing, detecting, investigating and responding to threats. While a SOC might use other tools and methods, SIEM systems are integral for streamlining these processes and ensuring comprehensive cybersecurity management. SIEM systems employ advanced analytics and automation to filter and prioritise security alerts, preventing the cognitive overload, or alert fatigue, that occurs when SOC engineers manually process a constant barrage of security logs. This intelligent filtering not only reduces the risk of human error and missed security events but also optimises operational costs by allowing SOC engineers to focus their expertise on critical threat analysis and incident response rather than routine log review. The result is more efficient resource allocation and enhanced security effectiveness.
A successful SIEM and SOC strategy begins with defining clear objectives and goals for each system. Essential components of effective SIEM and SOC strategies include:
Continent 8 offers a comprehensive SIEM and Managed SOC solution that addresses critical cybersecurity challenges. This platform provides centralised visibility of your entire infrastructure, coupled with 24/7 expert monitoring and rapid threat detection and response, ensuring regulatory compliance while allowing maintaining a robust cybersecurity posture.
Our SIEM and MSOC solution consists of the following key service components:
Continent 8’s SIEM platform is a comprehensive, multi-tenant solution that gathers and correlates security data across a customer’s infrastructure. Enhanced by AI-driven SOAR and correlation capabilities with integrated threat intelligence tools, it delivers advanced analytics and automated incident response workflows. The platform is built for high performance, scalability and real-time threat detection, ensuring rapid identification and resolution of security incidents.
Continent 8’s MSOC solution is a fully managed, multi-tenant service offering real-time security monitoring and incident response for customers. Following the NIST framework, it leverages our sophisticated SIEM platform to collect and analyse security alerts, offering customers actionable insights and remediation strategies through tailored playbooks. By outsourcing security operations to Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) such as Continent 8, customers can focus on their core business while benefiting from the expertise of Continent 8’s 24/7/365 global SOC team.
Continent 8’s Sentinel managed device is deployed within the customer’s network, aggregating logs and events from various systems, normalising them and preparing the data for secure transmission to the SIEM. It utilises encryption to ensure data integrity and privacy, compressing and deduplicating data to optimise performance. Sentinel enhances security visibility by enabling seamless data collection and forwarding.
Continent 8’s Incident Response System integrates directly into Continent 8’s SIEM to streamline incident response processes. It provides a centralised platform for managing and tracking security incidents from detection to resolution, with built-in automation for workflows and playbooks. By enabling collaborative responses and providing real-time data sharing, it significantly improves incident resolution times while enhancing post-incident analysis and reporting.
Continent 8’s Cyber Threat Intelligence Service serves as a structured repository for aggregating, analysing and sharing cyber threat intelligence. It allows organisations to collect data on threats, actors and campaigns, helping security teams anticipate and mitigate potential attacks. Through its powerful visualisation tools, the service enhances situational awareness and enables proactive threat detection.
Continent 8’s Security Orchestration and Automated Response (SOAR) tool, implemented within Continent 8’s SIEM, provides a no-code automation platform for orchestrating and automating security workflows. Its drag-and-drop interface simplifies the creation of complex incident response processes, reducing manual effort and improving efficiency. With pre-built templates and over 2,000 app integrations, it enables quick deployment of automated responses, ensuring consistent handling of security incidents.
Continent 8’s Threat Analysers and Responders are automation tools integrated into Continent 8’s SIEM that enrich security events with threat intelligence from multiple sources. With over 100 analysers, they provide critical context for observables such as IPs and URLs, supporting faster decision-making during investigations. These tools enhance threat detection and response by simplifying data analysis and improving the quality of incident responses.
Continent 8’s Intrusion Detection System (IDS), combined with our proprietary Continent 8 Sentinel platform, provides advanced network security monitoring, threat detection and response capabilities, delivering unparalleled visibility and security throughout your entire network infrastructure.
SIEM and MSOC services deliver significant cybersecurity enhancements through real-time monitoring, detection and response. This proactive approach aids in the early identification and mitigation of threats by collecting, analysing and correlating data from across a customer’s network with other ongoing security events. Collaborating with MSSPs also guarantees access to a dedicated team of SIEM and MSOC specialists who work closely with your IT team, providing playbooks and optimal risk mitigation strategies to address specific exploits or vulnerabilities, thereby ensuring optimal cybersecurity posture.
Continent 8 provides comprehensive, multi-layered threat prevention, detection and response solutions to secure your organisation’s digital assets in the face of evolving cyber threats. For more information on how Continent 8 can support your cybersecurity initiatives, email sales@continent8.com or fill out our Contact Us page.
The year 2024 marked another remarkable chapter for Continent 8 Technologies. Over the course of the year, we expanded our global network, enhanced our infrastructure and cloud services, forged new cybersecurity partnerships, introduced innovative products, launched our inaugural podcast and much more.
Explore below as we reflect on some of our remarkable accomplishments from 2024.
We continue to expand our data centre locations and points of presence globally, with an unrivalled private network of over 100 locations across four continents. Our carrier-grade network, which includes more than 35 global Internet Edge and Internet Exchange locations and over 5 Tb of IP transit capacity, provides resilient, high-performance and low-latency connectivity, ensuring zero-compromise user experiences. We’re equipped to support the growing regulated iGaming and online sports betting sector, covering more than 30 US states and six LATAM and Caribbean regions, including Brazil, an exciting new regulated market.
As the fastest go-to market supplier and the trusted infrastructure and cybersecurity partner to the industry, we power and protect the world’s leading brands, such as bet365, Apricot (formerly Microgaming), BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet, Playtech, Sportingtech and more. We also take pride in being a supporting partner to 90% of the top 10 organisations on the 2024 EGR Power 50 Rankings list and over 95% on the 2024 EGR Power US Rankings list.
We were selected to join the prestigious AWS Solution Provider Program (SPP). Through this AWS partnership, we introduced a suite of managed and professional services designed to simplify hybrid and multi-cloud environments and infrastructures. These new services, available via the AWS Marketplace, include:
This effort is part of our expanding cloud initiative designed to support the varied needs of our customers seeking hyperscale, hybrid, public and private cloud solutions.
To continue to provide the industry with comprehensive 360-degree protection, and meet the increasing market demand as a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) via our cybersecurity division, C8 Secure, we collaborated with cybersecurity specialists to enhance our range of cybersecurity services and solutions.
In 2024, we partnered with MIRACL, a passwordless multi-factor authentication (MFA) provider, to deliver a secure, single-step MFA solution, ensuring the most secure and efficient authentication experience possible. Additionally, we teamed up with Corrata, an advanced detection and response provider for mobile endpoints, to fortify mobile devices against modern security threats, ensuring secure access to corporate data.
As cyber threats became the new normal in 2024, it is unsurprising that we observed a record number of customers adopting our managed cybersecurity services. Sportingtech, for example, has implemented our Managed Security Operations Centre (MSOC) and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) services to ensure continuous 24/7 monitoring, prompt threat prevention and rapid response.
In 2024, we marked a significant corporate milestone by meeting and exceeding 300 employees in December, representing a growth of over 20% from 2023. With specialists now located in 19 countries, including our newly established offices in the Philippines, we are dedicated to growing our team to deliver outstanding service and attention to our customers worldwide.
As industry leaders, we are committed to informing, educating and guiding the iGaming and online sports betting community on all matters related to infrastructure, cloud and cybersecurity. In 2024, as an engaged participant in the community, we participated in over 50 industry events, contributed to or led more than 20 industry panels and received 5 industry awards, along with numerous accolades and recognitions for our customer-centric managed services and solutions.
Our enduring presence in the iGaming industry is largely attributed to the strong partnerships we have cultivated over our 25-plus years of operation. Among these is Playtech, a leading provider of platforms, content and services in the industry. In November, we were pleased to extend our two-decades-long partnership, allowing Playtech to further utilise our range of managed and professional services. This renewal underscores both companies’ shared commitment to advancing and shaping the expanding regulated online gaming market.
Shimon Akad, COO at Playtech, stated, “Continent 8 have been our hosting and connectivity partner since the onset of our journey, 20 years ago. Renewing our agreement is a testament to the joint work and success we’ve built together, and I look forward to continuing our strong collaboration for years to come.”
At the 2024 SBC Summit North America, Michael Tobin, the Founder and CEO of Continent 8, was formally inducted into the Sports Betting Hall of Fame. He was recognised for his relentless dedication over the past 25-plus years, driving innovation and fostering growth in the global gaming industry.
Michael expressed his gratitude, sharing, “It is truly an honour to be recognised by my peers, and it’s also a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Continent 8 team.
“I am incredibly proud of all that we have accomplished, the value we have added to the industry and the ways in which we have empowered our customers and partners to achieve success. The iGaming and online sports betting industry is constantly evolving, and I am excited to see how we can continue to embark on this journey to grow the market together.”
Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware had a substantial impact on the HCI market. As a Nutanix Authorised Service Provider, we transitioned numerous iGaming and non-iGaming customers from their VMware ecosystems to Nutanix HCI environments. Our own documented journey from VMware’s Cloud Foundation platform to Nutanix’s Acropolis and Acropolis hypervisor (AHV) demonstrated the benefits of a VMware-to-Nutanix migration, reducing hardware infrastructure, physical footprint and operational costs, all with minimal disruption and downtime.
In response to the growing need for tailored cybersecurity services and insights within the tribal gaming sector, we launched the ‘Tribal Talks: Cybersecurity Unlocked’ podcast series. Hosted by Continent 8’s Jerad Swimmer, this podcast provides a unique forum for tribal leaders and experts to share their experiences, accomplishments and lessons learned. Through insightful discussions, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the technological advancements, cybersecurity challenges and best practices influencing the tribal gaming industry.
As 2024 draws to a close, we are excited to kick off the New Year with ICE 2025 (stand 2G20) in Barcelona. At ICE, we will showcase our regulatory and compliance-driven hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions, with our industry experts on hand to discuss and explore the latest technological advancements, trends and challenges for 2025 and beyond.
If you’re interested in scheduling a meeting with one of our specialists or joining us for a coffee at our Caffein8 bar, please visit our ICE 2025 page.
Matteo Gabrielli, Senior Technical Solutions Architect, Continent 8 Technologies
AWS re:Invent 2024 showcased a clear direction: hybrid cloud is not just a trend, it’s the reality for many enterprises. Here’s what we learned…
AWS re:Invent 2024 demonstrated a significant evolution in hybrid cloud capabilities. I was particularly impressed by AWS’ commitment to simplifying complex operational challenges while maintaining flexibility in deployment options. The technical sessions focusing on hybrid architectures were especially relevant to Continent 8’s mission of enabling customer success through optimised infrastructure solutions. A key theme emerged around designing evolvable systems that can adapt to changing requirements while minimising operational overhead – a philosophy that aligns perfectly with how we approach solution architecture for our customers.
Several key product announcements underscored AWS’ commitment to hybrid cloud. EKS Hybrid Nodes (EKS-H) represent a significant step forward. As an early access partner, Continent 8 sees immense potential in this solution, which enables consistent Kubernetes operations across cloud and on-premises environments while leveraging AWS’ managed control plane. This simplifies management and ensures consistency.
The announcement also included important networking enhancements for hybrid connectivity, including improvements to AWS Cloud WAN and VPC capabilities. We also saw significant progress in AWS’ effort to unify and simplify their data, analytics and machine learning platforms, building upon S3 as the foundation. This reflects a broader trend toward simplified, integrated operational experiences – a principle we consistently apply in our hybrid architecture designs.
Two overarching themes dominated this year’s re:Invent, highlighting the evolving needs of modern businesses.
Dr. Werner Vogels, CTO of Amazon, introduced the concept of ‘simplexity’, which resonated deeply. It emphasises the need to manage inherent system complexity while maintaining operational simplicity. This balance is crucial for organisations seeking both innovation and efficiency.
The need for evolvability was also a key theme. Building systems that can adapt and scale over time is paramount. This means embracing flexibility, modularity and decentralised architectures to accommodate future changes and growth. Organisations face several key challenges when considering hybrid deployments. These include meeting specific regulatory requirements and ensuring data resides in the appropriate location; balancing investments across on-premises and cloud environments to maximise efficiency and cost-effectiveness; and maintaining consistent operations, security and management across different infrastructures.
At Continent 8, we recognise that while AWS Outposts is excellent for extending the AWS ecosystem and operational consistency to new markets, it isn’t always the best fit. Outposts provides a fully managed AWS experience on-premises, but it can be costly, especially for non ‘top-tier’ customers or those with limited edge resource needs. The expense becomes particularly significant when designing for disaster recovery, which often requires multiple Outposts per jurisdiction.
That’s why we’re helping customers explore cost-effective alternatives to Outposts. By leveraging tools like EKS-H, S3-compatible storage on-premises and other components for networking and compute, we can build tailored solutions that deliver similar functionality and operational consistency without the full Outposts overhead. This approach is particularly beneficial for customers who find Outposts over-sized or cost prohibitive for their needs. At Continent 8, our priority is to find the optimal solution for each customer, enabling and accelerating their success by providing expert guidance and support in navigating the complexities of hybrid cloud.
Ready to modernise your sports betting and gaming infrastructure while maintaining regulatory compliance? As a member of the AWS Solutions Provider Program (SPP), we can help you architect, deploy and optimise your hybrid Kubernetes environment. Contact your Regional Sales Director or our team at sales@continent8.com to begin your journey with us.
Learn more about our AWS solutions here.
Jerad Swimmer, Regional Sales Director at Continent 8 Technologies, explores the remarkable surge in tribal gaming revenues and its implications for cybersecurity.
The year 2023 marked a significant milestone in the tribal gaming industry, with revenues reaching an all-time high of $41.9 billion USD, according to the National Indian Gaming Commission. Advisory firm Wipfli noted that this marked the fourth consecutive year of revenue growth for tribal casinos. This remarkable growth reflects the increasing popularity and expansion of tribal casinos across the United States.
The impressive revenue figures are a testament to the hard work and innovation within the industry, highlighting the importance of tribal gaming as a vital economic driver for many tribal communities. However, with great success comes great responsibility, particularly in the realm of cybersecurity.
As tribal casinos flourish financially, they become attractive targets for cybercriminals. The surge in revenue has unfortunately been paralleled by a rise in cyber threats aimed at exploiting vulnerabilities within these establishments, with one source indicating that cyber attacks on tribes surged by almost 60% in 2023.
Cyber attacks on tribal casinos can range from data breaches to ransomware attacks, each with the potential to cause significant financial and reputational damage. The increasing sophistication of these threats demands a proactive and robust approach to cybersecurity to protect both the assets and the patrons of tribal gaming operations.
Several high-profile cybersecurity incidents have underscored the vulnerabilities within the tribal gaming sector. For instance, a tribal casino recently experienced a three-week closure due to an undisclosed cybersecurity incident. Casino officials advised previous guests to monitor their financial and credit card statements for any potential issues.
Another notable incident involved a ransomware attack that compromised all internet servers and data, with the attackers demanding up to $500,000 to restore services. These incidents highlight the critical need for enhanced cybersecurity measures to safeguard the integrity of tribal gaming enterprises.
To counter the escalating cyber threats, tribal casinos must adopt comprehensive cybersecurity strategies. This includes implementing advanced threat prevention, detection and response systems, regular security audits and continuous employee training to recognize and mitigate potential threats.
Investing in cybersecurity infrastructure, such as firewalls and mobile endpoint protection, can significantly enhance the security posture of tribal gaming operations. Collaborating with cybersecurity experts and adopting industry best practices are also pivotal steps in fortifying defenses against cyber attacks.
As cyber threats continue to evolve, tribal casinos can leverage innovative technologies and solutions to enhance their cybersecurity posture and ensure 360-degree protection. Key solutions include:
As tribal gaming continues to thrive, the critical role of cybersecurity becomes increasingly evident.
In response to the escalating threat of advanced cyber attacks targeting tribal governments and organizations, the Department of Homeland Security announced on July 1, 2024, the allocation of over $18.2 million USD in grants to 32 tribal governments. These inaugural grants, issued under the Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program (TCGP), represent a commitment to supporting tribal communities and gaming organizations in overcoming cybersecurity challenges within their digital infrastructures and environments.
By prioritizing cybersecurity in 2025 and beyond, tribal casinos can ensure sustained growth and resilience, safeguarding their revenues and reputation in an increasingly digital world. The path forward involves a balanced approach that combines innovation and vigilance, ensuring the prosperity and longevity of the tribal gaming sector.
Continent 8 provides comprehensive, multi-layered threat prevention, detection and response solutions to secure your tribal organization’s digital assets in the face of evolving cyber threats. For more information on how Continent 8 can support your cybersecurity initiatives, email sales@continent.com or fill out our Contact Us page.
Also, be sure to watch the latest episode in our Tribal Talks: Cybersecurity Unlocked podcast series – also available on Spotify – to gain a deeper understanding of the technological advancements, cybersecurity challenges and best practices shaping tribal gaming landscape.
Matteo Gabrielli, Senior Technical Solutions Architect, Continent 8 Technologies
At AWS re:Invent 2024, Amazon Web Services announced Amazon EKS Hybrid Nodes (EKS-H), and Continent 8 Technologies is proud to be a strategic launch partner for this new feature. As a trusted infrastructure provider in the betting and gaming industry, we enable customers to extend their EKS clusters to Continent 8’s on-premises infrastructure. This solution addresses a critical need in the betting and gaming industry: extending Kubernetes clusters to meet regulatory requirements with minimal operational overhead. By running EKS-H on Continent 8’s infrastructure, customers can efficiently deploy workloads in regulated jurisdictions while maintaining the simplicity of AWS-managed services as EKS.
EKS-H allows customers to use on-premises servers as worker nodes in their EKS clusters located in-region. While AWS continues to manage the control plane, workloads can run on Continent 8’s infrastructure in specific jurisdictions where data sovereignty and gaming regulations require local presence.
Gaming operators and suppliers face unique challenges:
EKS-H on Continent 8’s infrastructure solves these challenges by providing:
Our infrastructure is uniquely positioned to support EKS-H:
Continent 8 provides a seamless path to implementing EKS-H. Our team can help:
Ready to modernise your betting and gaming infrastructure while maintaining regulatory compliance? As an AWS Advanced Partner and member of the AWS Solutions Provider Program (SPP), we can help you architect, deploy and optimise your hybrid Kubernetes environment. Contact our sales team at sales@continent8.com to begin your journey with us.
The impact of Amazon EKS Hybrid Nodes is already resonating within the industry, particularly among our current customers. Games Global, a long-standing Continent 8 partner, has been at the forefront of infrastructure innovation within the gaming sector. Matthew Harris, their Principal Architect, explains how this solution addresses key industry challenges:
“Online gambling companies not only have to protect customer data and ensure security like everyone else, but they also face tough regulations from gaming authorities worldwide. These rules often dictate where we can host our gaming systems, which can limit or even rule out using public cloud services in some markets. EKS Hybrid Nodes let us meet these requirements by hosting workloads where needed while still taking advantage of AWS EKS’s easy management. Partnering with experts like Continent 8, who really know our industry inside and out, makes this option even more appealing.”
– Matthew Harris, Principal Architect at Games Global
The customer is a technology services supplier to iGaming and online sports betting customers operating globally.
With a legacy “all-VMware” virtualised enterprise architecture, and a requirement for high availability, scalability and multi-purpose workloads, they needed to replace the current hardware and future proof whilst maintaining 24/7 availability.
Needing a service provider to design, plan and execute a migration to a new, cost effective virtualised hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), Continent 8 Technologies, a Nutanix Authorised Service Provider, provided managed and professional migration services to deliver the project.
There were multiple requirements to be met, from technical to commercial, with a requirement for minimal operational impact. The project’s migration requirements included:
Continent 8 proposed and delivered a solution using Nutanix Acropolis hypervisor (AHV) in two clusters in two geographically diverse locations. The solution involved multiple components:
On average four to eight virtual servers were migrated per day around an agreed, lowest impact schedule between Monday to Thursday.
“Infrastructure migration and management can be a costly and long process, with pitfalls for even the most skilled technical teams. Continent 8 has demonstrated that customers can achieve the benefits of lower cost, quicker deployment, and therefore swifter ROI, by engaging us to scope and execute this project with experienced and certified professionals. When Continent 8 is engaged, we don’t just try to achieve a migration – but a future-proof and scalable platform for growth.”
Justin Cosnett, Chief Product Officer, Continent 8 Technologies
In the most recent installment of our Cultiv8 Employee Series, Jordan Holmes, Vice President of Human Resources at Continent 8 Technologies, engaged in a conversation with Pawel Blazejewicz, our Monitoring and Observability System Manager based in Ontario.
During the discussion, Pawel shares his unique and rewarding career path at Continent 8, his enthusiasm for big data and his team’s diverse projects and initiatives that empower both the company and our customers with robust data-driven insights, enabling smarter, more focused decision-making.
Hi Pawel! Can you tell us a little but about yourself and your role as the Monitoring Manager at Continent 8?
I have been with Continent 8 for well over a decade, taking on various roles – from System Administrator to Infrastructure Lead, Senior Cloud and Infrastructure Architect, and now my latest position, Monitoring and Observability System Manager. This project was initiated by our VP of Network, Philippe Gagne, who recognised the need to enhance our infrastructure insight amid the digitalisation wave. With Continent 8’s rapid growth driven by the opening of the US market, it’s more important than ever to leverage data not only for observability but to build an intelligent system that understands dependencies across the tens of thousands of devices comprising the complex network of IT services we provide.
How did you come to choose a career in monitoring?
I didn’t choose this role; it chose me. Our Chief Information Officer, Anthony Abou-Jaoude, recognised my passion for this project even before I did. He became my mentor for big data projects. I must say this has been a very rewarding journey, completing my IT world. Today, I am carrying the torch forward to ensure that our vision becomes reality.
What attracted you to the role and to joining the Continent 8 team? What do you enjoy most about your job?
After 12 years with this company, I’ve gained in-depth IT knowledge across all layers and levels. I’ve directed projects spanning the globe and had the opportunity to travel with them. Continent 8 has given me a place to contribute meaningfully to our future growth. In the realm of observability and metrics, I believe the key lies in digestible data that can be fed into algorithms, bringing ML and AI to life. With a deep understanding of Continent 8’s setup, I’m able to guide my team in creating a product that mirrors the real world, complete with all the dependencies and solutions we’ve built into it.
Can you describe some of the challenges you face as a Monitoring Manager? How do you also stay up to date on the latest monitoring best practices and developments?
We are creating a unique, fully customised solution tailored to Continent 8 and our valued customers’ needs. Challenges are part of the journey, but the most important aspect is surrounding yourself with people who are ready to tackle them alongside you. At Continent 8, I believe we have an incredible team ready to do just that! Remember my earlier mention of Anthony recognising me as a strong candidate to lead this project? The success of this project is a direct result of surrounding yourself with supportive people who are on the same journey, here to help and push each other forward.
They say it takes a village to raise a child – well, in this case, it takes an entire community to bring this project to fruition.
How do you align with Continent 8’s culture and values of Active Ownership, Purposeful Creativity and/or Genuine Care?
I’ve been here this long because the values the business demonstrates toward its customers align perfectly with the values I’ve shown to customers and coworkers throughout my career. As a boutique service provider, we know that listening to our customers is essential to maintaining our unique approach. A perfect example is the project I’m currently involved in – creating a comprehensive map of our entire infrastructure and services. This will not only allow us to foresee potential issues but also provide our customers with real-time data, giving them valuable insights to help their businesses grow faster and with greater focus.
Can you talk through some of the new initiatives you are or will be working on?
My main focus for the foreseeable future is to expand the amount of data we collect and to continually add more services to our observability system. By increasing our data and broadening our capabilities, we’re positioning Continent 8 to stay ahead of potential issues and empower our clients with insights that drive smarter decisions.
Any final thoughts?
If you’re interested in more detailed information about what we do, how we do it and what we offer, I invite you to explore my LinkedIn articles on our observability and monitoring system. I hope you enjoy them, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions – I’m happy to help!
To read Pawel’s “Monitoring and Observability” series, you can follow him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/pawelblazejewicz.
Craig Lusher from our Secure team provides a comprehensive analysis of the latest DDoS statistics from the third quarter of the year and their implications for cybersecurity trends.
The third quarter of 2024 has continued to show relatively low DDoS attack activity, with 37 attacks recorded. This represents a slight increase from 2Q’s 32 attacks but remains significantly lower than the 359 attacks recorded in 3Q 2023. The most active month was July, which aligns with historical patterns of increased summer activity.
3Q 2024 showed some interesting patterns in attack intensity:
This quarter’s largest attack (16.8 Gbps) represents a significant decrease from 2Q 2024’s peak of 85.5 Gbps. For perspective, this is dramatically lower than the massive attacks seen in 2023, which peaked at 560.6 Gbps in Q2 2023, and over 1Tbps prior to that.
Key statistics for 3Q 2024:
Comparing 3Q 2024 with recent quarters reveals several interesting trends:
This shows a relative stabilisation at lower attack volumes compared to 2023’s numbers.
While more intense than 1Q, 3Q’s attacks remained relatively moderate compared to historical peaks.
The consistent number of affected customers over 2Q and 3Q 2024 suggests a stable threat landscape, though individual customers faced more repeated attacks in 3Q.
Comparing 3Q 2024 to 3Q 2023 shows a dramatic shift in the threat landscape:
The lower volume but moderate intensity of attacks suggests a shift in attacker strategies, possibly focusing on more targeted, strategic attacks rather than broad campaigns.
The average attack duration of 2 hours shows a trend toward longer, more sustained attacks compared to previous quarters, potentially indicating more sophisticated attack strategies.
While attack volumes remain relatively low compared to 2023 and previous, the increase in attacks per individual customer and attack duration suggests continued evolution in threat actors’ strategies. Organisations should maintain robust DDoS protection despite the lower overall attack volumes, as the pattern of attacks suggests more targeted and potentially more sophisticated approaches.
The historical pattern of increased activity during major sporting events and holiday periods suggests potential for increased activity in the upcoming quarters, particularly with various significant events on the horizon.
This analysis demonstrates the importance of maintaining comprehensive DDoS protection and the value of Continent 8’s multi-layered security approach, even during periods of relatively low attack volume.
Our best-in-class DDoS solution continues to evolve and in recent months we have amplified our scrubbing capacity to 5+ Tbps, as well as increased our scrubbing centres geographically deployed across multiple continents. Locations include Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Miami, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sao Paulo.
Key features of our mitigation solution:
DDoS protection should also form part of a wider, multi-layered approach to cybersecurity. A 360-degree, end-to-end protection strategy should include DDoS mitigation solution as well as WAF/WAAP protection, MDR/EDR services, SIEM and SOC resources, VAPT assessments, backup solutions, and mobile device and phishing defence services.
This is the only way to have multiple protections in place for each attack type and to ensure the greatest level of resilience.
To learn more about how Continent 8 can help protect your organisation, contact a member of the team via sales@continent8.com or our Contact Us form.
Global iGaming aggregator utilises Continent 8’s VAPT cybersecurity services to securely connect B2C operators to over 150 game providers and more than 15,000 games
Continent 8 Technologies, a leading provider of global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions to the iGaming and online sports betting industry, today announces that Alea, an award-winning iGaming aggregation platform, has appointed Continent 8 as its Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) cybersecurity services provider.
Alea is among the fastest-growing game aggregators in the industry. Through one single API integration, Alea provides clients with access to over 15,000 games from over 150 providers, reducing their technical complexity and improving operational efficiency. The security and reliability of the game APIs and these integrations are crucial to Alea’s operational integrity. To manage the emerging cybersecurity challenges with a rapidly expanding network, Alea has partnered with Continent 8 to assess and evaluate their cybersecurity framework through a VAPT.
Partnering with Continent 8 and its specialised cybersecurity company, C8 Secure, Alea has undertaken a VAPT test. This comprehensive assessment enabled Alea to identify potential internal and external IT vulnerabilities, allowing them to prioritise and implement security enhancements to mitigate risk exposure, giving their customers confidence that they are accessing a secure and reliable platform.
Eduard Fumás, CTO at Alea said, “At Alea, security is at the core of everything we do. Our commitment to creating a secure, robust and scalable API solution sets a new standard in the iGaming industry, where data protection and system integrity are critical. Partnering with Continent 8 has been an important step for us in proactively safeguarding our platform and reinforcing the trust our partners place in us. This collaboration ensures that we continue to deliver a reliable, secure API experience to our clients. We’re proud to work with a partner that shares our dedication to cybersecurity excellence.”
Patrick Gardner, Vice President and Chief Security Officer at Continent 8 said, “Alea’s three principles of security, scalability and robustness resonate with Continent 8. Given the number of APIs Alea is using, their proactive approach to assessing their business and guaranteeing security for its partners is imperative.
“It’s great to be supporting Alea; we encourage all businesses in this industry to take the cybersecurity threat seriously.”
Join Continent 8 and Alea in a rapid-fire VAPT webinar, titled ‘VAPT: iGaming industry requirements and use cases’ on Wednesday, 20 November 2024, at 15:00 GMT / 10:00 EST.
Key takeaways from this must-attend webinar:
To register for the webinar, visit: https://lp.continent8.com/vapt-webinar.
The renewal marks the continuation of a 20-year partnership, providing Playtech with Continent 8’s best-in-class managed and professional services in the regulated iGaming and online sports betting space
Today, Continent 8 Technologies, the trusted partner and provider of global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions to the regulated iGaming and online sports betting market, and Playtech, one of the leading platform, content and services providers in the industry announced the extension of their global partnership agreement. This renewal underscores both companies’ shared commitment to serving and shaping the ever-growing regulated online gaming market.
The recently signed multi-year contract further extends the two-decades-long collaboration between these leading global entities, allowing Playtech to further utilise Continent 8’s comprehensive suite of managed and professional services. This development enables Playtech to maintain its focus on innovating and delivering top-tier online gaming software and live dealer technology to prominent retail and online brands across various gaming verticals. These verticals include land-based casinos, online operators and government-approved lotteries. In addition, Playtech operates B2C brands, leveraging its cross-platform expertise to deliver a direct-to-consumer offering.
Shimon Akad, COO at Playtech, stated, “Continent 8 have been our hosting and connectivity partner since the onset of our journey, 20 years ago. Renewing our agreement is a testament to the joint work and success we’ve built together, and I look forward to continuing our strong collaboration for years to come.”
Michael Tobin, Founder and CEO, Continent 8 Technologies, shared, “Playtech is one of the most recognisable brands in the industry, and we are excited to be a part of their continued success through this expanded strategic partnership. I’m incredibly proud of our 20-year partnership as we have grown and supported each other over the years.
“As the leading iGaming and online sports betting data centre and global network solutions provider, we take pride in consistently delivering carrier-grade connectivity and performance to our customers, ensuring exceptional and unrivalled user and player experiences.”
Watch the Playtech testimonial:
Continent 8 will be at SiGMA Europe, from 11-14 November 2024 at Stand 2048. Schedule a meeting to discuss your infrastructure, cloud and cybersecurity requirements: https://lp.continent8.com/sigma_malta_2024