Giant US telco Verizon says it has strengthened its armory in the fight against cyber adversaries with its investment in next-generation security capabilities at its Asia-Pacific Advanced Security Operations Centre in Canberra.
The newly-established Asia-Pacific Threat and Analytics Centre, officially opened on Monday by the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Cyber Security, Dan Tehan, delivers real-time insights into cyber threats for both public and private sector customers.
The opening of the new security centre follows Verizon’s appointment last December to the Federal Government’s new whole of government telecommunications services panel which provides coordinated telecommunications services.
Robert Le Busque, Verizon’s regional managing director for Australia, New Zealand and India said the facility complements the company’s 9 existing Security Operations Centers (SOCs) across the world, which together analyse more than 60 billion security events annually.
{loadposition peter}Verizon uses the Canberra facilities to monitor its own global communications network, and its own and externally provided threat intelligence using big data analytics, along with what the company says is its “deep forensic experience”. This is combined with added intelligence from over 200 open source data and multiple commercial feeds, gleaned from Verizon’s sharing relationships with law enforcement agencies and global computer emergency response teams around the globe.
“While the ‘good guys’ have a better understanding of the impact a potential breach can have on their stakeholders, business continuity and corporate reputations, there is a constant need to remain a step ahead of the adversaries,” Le Busque said.
“Through this enhanced facility, our security experts will be able to collaborate more effectively with our public and private sector stakeholders to deliver more actionable insights. The increased sharing of intelligence is vital to safeguarding Australia’s physical and online assets.”
Le Busque says Verizon provides ICT services to more than 25 federal governments around the world, including Australia, where it provides services to 75-plus Commonwealth and State Government agencies, including delivering “high assurance government digital certificates”.