“Our commitment is to delivering real business value in managing core applications, database and technology, enabling our customers to take care of their core business�/h3>

– Marcel van der Togt
Managed Services Director

Are you familiar with these challenges in your organization?

Keeping Workforce Skilled for Support and System Management

Supporting Legacy IT

Having 24/7 Business Support

Security and Compliance

Reducing Time-Consuming Tasks

Ability to Innovate

There is always a better way forward

The Steltix Managed Services offering includes the following to make our clients�work lives easier:

Individuals and Interaction Above Processes and Tools

Working Service Above Extended Documentation

Cooperation with the Customer Above Negotiating on Contracts

Responding to Change Above Following the Original Plan

24×7 Capability and a Global Multilingual Team

Fully Certified JD Edwards, Cloud, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Team

ISO Certified for Data Protection and Security

Next steps

Responsive  – Incident Management. Includes:

• Technical Application support
• Functional Application support
• 24×7 support
• Single Point of Contact

Proactive �Maintain. Includes:

• Proactive Monitoring
• Vulnerability Scanning
• Container Subscription
• (Cloud Platform) Operations Management

Future Proof – Continuous Improvement. Includes:

• Architecture Advisory Services
• Steltix JDE Tools
• Test Services
• Move workloads in OCI
• Functional Monitoring

Ready to revolutionize your business processes? Take the first step by getting a free audit from Steltix today.

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape of 2024, securing your ERP system against threats has become more critical than ever.  

In a recent panel discussion we held with industry leaders in ERP and cybersecurity from ALLOut Security, Hoffman Corporation and Steltix, we tried to bring some light on the challenges and opportunities surrounding the protection of JD Edwards in 2024 and the upcoming years. 

External Threats in 2024 

As organizations navigate 2024 they may encounter some of the most common external threats nowadays. 

These threats include an increase in AI-powered cyberattacks, phishing extending beyond emails, personalized phishing messages using AI tools like ChatGPT, and fraudulent schemes targeting direct payment systems. 

It’s important to emphasize the different ways organizations run their JD Edwards system, whether in the cloud or on-prem. While some might think that having one scenario or the other is safer, the reality is that it is not so difficult to gain access to critical data in either of them, and it’s important to be vigilant across all setups. 

Some internal risk factors may go unnoticed, like segregation of duties and access management. Being vigilant in these is also crucial to prevent fines and legal actions due to inadequate financial reporting controls. 

Risk Planning Strategies 

There is an increasing need in many companies for a balance between asset protection and fostering growth and innovation. And while this might seem like a complicated goal at first, there are ways to accomplish both. 

 Some of the suggestions range from taking the time to monitor and report, to advocating for regular security assessments to identify vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with the latest security measures. 

 Digital infrastructure also plays a key role in risk management. As new threats arise, continous updates are essential. 

 To develop a comprehensive risk management plan, organizations must address various aspects such as: 

1. Comprehensive Monitoring and Reporting

 Security risk assessments should cover internal and external threats, and target areas such as system access, regulatory compliance, and change controls. Determining the appropriate scope is essential to reduce costs by resolving vulnerabilities. 

A task that should be done more often but sometimes goes unnoticed is to regularly check the system’s security to ensure nothing changes without authorization and everything functions properly.  

Conducting audits to identify weaknesses and recommend improvements, ensuring compliance with the latest fixes, patches, and updates, and verifying correct user role setup are critical steps.  

 It is also important to document change requests to keep track of accountability, as well as monitor the system for unauthorized access. 

2. Cyber Security Layers

 Implementing multiple layers of cybersecurity addresses some of the most common security concerns. Here are some of the most common ones to take into account: 

1. Physical Security: Involves access control systems, Intrusion Detection System (IDS), security lighting, biometric identification, and GPS tracking. 
2. Network Security: Includes firewall, VPN, security gateway, and DDOS protection. 
3. Perimeter Security: Encompasses log management, threat hunting, pen testing, vulnerability scanning, and bug boundaries. 
4. Cloud Security: Addresses data encryption, identity and access management, security compliance, data loss prevention, incident response and forensics, and vendor security. 
5. Endpoint Security: Involves anti-virus, anti-malware, app whitelisting, and HIDC. 
6. Application Security: Encompasses threat modelling, design review, secure coding, and static analysis. 
7. Data Security: Involves encryption, data loss prevention, email security, cloud access security, and user behaviour analytics. 

Contingency Measures for Incidents 

While incidents can happen at any moment, having a comprehensive communication plan for both internal and external stakeholders is part of the upfront planning we can do. 

If a system is breached, organizations must follow a structured process: 

1. Containment and Isolation: Isolate the compromised system from the network. 
2. Investigation: Determine the scope and nature of the breach. 
3. Forensics Analysis: Gather evidence to understand the attacker’s methods and motives. 
4. Remediation: Address vulnerabilities exploited by an attacker, involving patching software, updating systems, and closing security holes. 
5. Password Changes: Force all users to change passwords and enforce multi-factor authentication. 
6. Review Access Control: Tighten access controls and permissions. 
7. Security Software Updates: Keep security software up to date. 
8. Security Training and Awareness: Train employees on security best practices, including phishing. 
9. Data Backup and Recovery: Restore affected systems and data from clean backups. 
10. Patch Management: Ensure all systems are up to date. 
11. Intrusion Detection and Prevention: Implement measures to detect and prevent intrusions. 
12. Incident Response Plan: Develop and follow an incident response plan. 
13. External Communication: Notify stakeholders, customers, and law enforcement. 
14. Continuous Monitoring: Implement continuous monitoring to detect and mitigate future attacks. 
15. Post-Incident Review: Conduct a review to analyze the effectiveness of the response and areas for improvement. 
16. Regular Security Audits: Run regular audits and assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities. 

After an incident, it is crucial to conduct a root cause analysis to understand incidents fully and improve cybersecurity measures.

�span class="TextRun SCXW202266304 BCX0" data-contrast="auto">Security risk assessments should cover internal and external threats, and target areas such as system access, regulatory compliance, and change controls�/h3>

Integration of AI in ERP 

While everyone is aware of the AI tools we have available, it’s important to remember that nothing comes for free.

Some companies are already thinking of integrating AI into their ERP systems, which is fantastic, but security measures should always be on top of the agenda, especially in such a new approach. 

Linking AI into ERP systems might have potential risks associated with external AI interacting with sensitive data. 

 

JD Edwards Security 

Oracle’s efforts have been thorough with JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and its latest security features in Releases 23 and 24 such as an enhanced scheduler password encryption and AES-256 encryption. 

The panel discussion provided valuable insights into securing JD Edwards ERP effectively. From understanding external threats to developing robust risk planning strategies and leveraging the latest security updates, organizations can proactively safeguard their ERP systems, ensuring a secure and resilient future. 

In a landscape where data protection is paramount, the collaboration between ERP and cybersecurity experts becomes essential to combat emerging threats and secure the digital future. 

 If you want to secure your JD Edwards System in 2024 and beyond, get in touch with us.

Get JD Edwards ready for the mandatory digital signature in Portugal.

“Be ready for the new eInvoicing regulations around the globe, get in touch with us today�/h3>

– Nelson Cunha
Steltix, eInvoicing Solution Product Owner

Scepticism can give way to enthusiasm with the right information

About Multotec (Pty) Ltd.

Brief Overview

The Story

The Multotec infrastructure had been running on SPARC T4 servers, successfully maintaining their JD Edwards environment for over a decade. As these servers approached the end of their lifespan, the cost of upkeep escalated, while options for storage and disaster recovery became increasingly limited. Renier van Rooyen, Group Business Systems Executive at Multotec (Pty) Ltd, shared his perspective on the upgrade process. Initially leaning towards renewing the on-premise system, Renier highlighted, “The significant cost savings offered by an upgrade to OCI were impossible to overlook.”

With Steltix as their trusted JD Edwards partner, Multotec carefully explored various upgrade options. Despite considering the latest SPARC server and Linux-based systems, it was the compelling advantages in cost, flexibility, and disaster recovery inherent in JDE on OCI that captured their attention. Renier explained, “Maintaining duplicate infrastructure for hosting both production and failover environments significantly inflated costs.”

Oracle and Steltix allayed these concerns by conducting an exhaustive Proof of Concept (POC) for Multotec, demonstrating that OCI promised superior performance and reliability compared to their existing setup. Renier acknowledged, “The POC revealed that integration challenges were less daunting than anticipated. Consequently, the migration to OCI was highly successful, owing to the dedicated efforts of all stakeholders.”

Initially, Multotec’s plan was solely a technical upgrade. “We initially considered a simple lift and shift, but transitioning from SPARC to OCI made this unfeasible. Consequently, we had to undertake a 64-bit migration, along with a full applications release upgrade due to several essential baseline ESUs,” explained Renier. While this setback incurred additional costs and time for the project, Renier emphasized its ultimate value.

Regarding the solution’s performance, Renier noted, “The go-live transition was flawless, and we’re experiencing outstanding outcomes. The environment’s speed is remarkable—it’s significantly faster! Tasks like MRP batch jobs, which previously took 30 minutes, now complete in just 6 minutes. While latency was a concern initially, we’ve observed improved performance for both local and international users. Overall, in terms of performance, it’s been a substantial victory.”

“The environment’s speed is remarkable—it’s significantly faster!â€?/h3>

– Renier van Rooyen
Group Business Systems Executive, Multotec (Pty) Ltd.

Renier highlighted various challenges encountered during the transition. “Network connectivity in South Africa emerged as a concern, underscoring the importance of robust connectivity when deploying JDE in the cloud,” cautioned the Multotec business systems executive. Another significant lesson revolved around failover and backup strategies. “We experimented with multiple configurations, weighing cost, restoration time, and data loss. Considering OCI’s uptime SLA, we opted for disk-level data replication using OCI’s cross-region block storage volume replication in the London data centre. Our failover drills have been successful with manageable data loss,” Renier elaborated.

Reflecting on the overall success of the OCI project, Renier emphasized the advantageous cost savings, substantial performance enhancements, and increased user satisfaction. “It’s been an exciting project demanding immense effort from both the Steltix and internal teams. Despite rigorous testing, looking back, the project has undoubtedly proven its worth for us.” Renier concluded.

About Medinfar Group

“The integration with JD Edwards and APA is key, and the Steltix solution has that.�/h3>

Ana Gomes
Medinfar Group’s CFO

The Steltix Advantage

The Power of Partnership

Learn More about Steltix’s APA

Update: Watch the recording

Join Us for a Live LinkedIn Panel Discussion with Industry Experts

Presenters/Panelists:

• Linda Nelson: VP of Business Success at ALLOut Security
• Mohammad Nour: Senior Project Manager at Hoffman Construction Company
• Johan Teekens: CTO at Steltix

January 17th at 11 a.m (E.T USA) / 5 pm (CET Europe)

Topics of Discussion:

• External Threats in 2024

• Risk Planning Strategies

• Contingency Measures for Incidents

• Integration of AI in ERP

• JD Edwards Security Updates

Why Attend?