“The successful re-certification reflects our ongoing commitment to information security for our partners and customers,” said James Corless, Chief Executive Officer of Block 64. “The discipline required to meet and maintain these standards is critically important, not only to regulatory compliance-dependent organizations, but to every Block 64 partner and customer that requires certainty that their data is being handled with the utmost care.”

The rigorous audit conducted by BDO Canada involved evaluating Block 64’s security controls, monitoring processes, communications, risk management practices as well as the policies and procedures it uses for writing and releasing new software and updates to the market. 

To assist with audit preparation and year-round monitoring, Block 64 continued the use of Drata, a compliance automation platform, that can provide yet another level of assurance to customers that Block 64 are regularly reviewing their security and compliance position.

For additional information or to obtain a copy of Block 64’s most recent SOC 2 Type II Audit report, please visit https://trust.block64.com

The post Block 64 Renews SOC 2 Type II Certification first appeared on Block 64.

Toronto, Ontario, October 13, 2021 — Block 64, a leading provider of discovery and analytics for IT asset management, cybersecurity and cloud enablement, has been selected to build a machine learning-based data centre optimization toolset under Shared Services Canada’s Innovative Solutions Canada program. The aim of the project is to collect and analyze information, and provide recommendations for reducing and/or consolidating legacy federal government data centre resources through infrastructure modernization and, where appropriate, migration to the cloud. Over $1 million has been budgeted across two phases, during which Block 64 will develop and test a prototype based on a proof of concept, with the potential to receive additional support for future commercialization.

“It is incredibly gratifying to be chosen to move forward under this program, especially given the sheer number of Canadian technology companies that responded,” said Dean Williams, founder and CEO of Block 64. “This is both a strong vote of confidence in our ability to develop groundbreaking technologies to support data centre optimization, and a testament to the Government of Canada’s commitment to supporting innovation at home.”

The technical challenge was issued as a result of the significant time, money and resources Shared Services Canada was investing to gather the information necessary to create a strategy to consolidate aging federal government data centers, which number in the hundreds, to fewer than 10. These challenges were due to the varying levels of data available about the existing data centres, as well as the manual work involved in consolidating and analyzing this information to identify cloud-ready workloads and opportunities for innovation.

As part of the first phase, Block 64 developed a proof of concept to improve the comprehensiveness, accuracy and efficiency of this process by using new discovery and data collection and analysis techniques, including machine learning, to build out tailor-fit optimization recommendations. The company will now begin the development and testing of a prototype application to collect and analyze system architecture, performance and behavioral data across hundreds of target networks. Block 64’s solution will provide modelling and costing for consolidating federal government data centers, whether through migration to a public or private cloud environment, or a more optimal and efficient data centre footprint.

“Issuing this challenge reflects the government’s dedication to improving service delivery for Canadians through the use of modern IT architectures,” said James Corless, head of finance and operations at Block 64. “At the same time, programs like this change the arithmetic by providing the support and incentives to help companies like Block 64 develop solutions with strong potential for commercialization, not only on the national stage, but globally as well.”

Notice of Tender: Computer Science (R&D) (2B0KB-207266/002/SI) – Buyandsell.gc.ca

The post Block 64 Awarded Contract to Develop Groundbreaking Data Centre Optimization Technology for Shared Services Canada first appeared on Block 64.

Block 64 Achieves SOC 2 Type II Certification

Toronto, Ontario, August 13, 2021 — Block 64, a leading provider of discovery and analytics for IT Asset Management, Cybersecurity and Cloud Enablement, today announced that it has successfully completed the Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type II certification, one of the world’s most coveted and rigorous information security certifications. Through this designation, Block 64 has successfully demonstrated its ability to meet the very highest standards for maintaining the security, availability, integrity and confidentiality of customer data.

“This achievement reflects our commitment to not only meeting but exceeding the bar when it comes to information security for our clients,” said Dean Williams, President and Founder of Block 64. “At a time when the threat landscape continues to grow in size and complexity, this certification provides our customers with the assurance that our internal controls and procedures have been rigorously designed and tested and are actively protecting sensitive client data.” 

While the SOC 2 Type I certification demonstrates that an organization has designed robust internal controls, SOC 2 Type II goes significantly further than its predecessor. It requires applicants to prove through an external audit by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) that these controls have been tested repeatedly over time and are operating effectively. This auditing process involved evaluating Block 64’s security controls, monitoring processes, communications, risk management practices as well as the policies and procedures it uses for writing and releasing new software and updates to the market. 

“Because we are required to test our controls on an ongoing basis, SOC 2 Type II is the certification that never sleeps,” said James Corless, Chief Operating Officer at Block 64. “The discipline required to meet and maintain these standards is critically important, not only to regulatory compliance-dependent organizations, but to every Block 64 partner and customer that requires certainty that their data is being handled with the utmost care.”

Block 64’s hybrid IT asset management, cybersecurity and cloud enablement services are leveraged by hundreds of world-leading technology organizations, and thousands of their customers across the globe. Block 64 is one of only a handful of organizations to successfully complete the months-long evaluation process required to meet the requirements of the SOC 2 Type II certification. 

For additional information or to obtain a copy of Block 64’s most recent SOC 2 Type II Audit report, please email privacy@block64.com.

Press Release: Newswire

The post Block 64 Achieves SOC 2 Type II Certification first appeared on Block 64.