Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) joined forces with Deloitte for an innovative service enabling companies to outsource their cyber security to experts in the field for both technology and consulting services.
The integrated offering will pair Symantec’s cyber intelligence and information protection technologies with Deloitte’s consulting services to help businesses address concerns around cyber security and information protection. The alliance will focus on growth markets across EMEA, including Middle East as a priority region given it is a hub of targeted cyber crime activity.
“The emergence of sophisticated cyber threats has resulted in the need for managed cyber security services that can help protect organizations and their assets from round-the-clock attacks. The impact following a data breach or security threat can have major consequences, damaging a business and brand reputation overnight. The unprecedented growth in digital communications, fuelled by the rise of mobile devices has made information management top of the agenda for today’s C-level executives. The latest cyber security technologies, training, skills and management all require ongoing investment that can be expensive and a drain on business resources,” Symantec Corp and Deloitte in a joint statement said.
As part of the alliance, Deloitte’s enterprise risk services will be powered by Symantec Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Managed Security Services (MSS) technologies. The services are managed by Deloitte consultants who will oversee the data lifecycle for the customer, offering a resilient incident management and response program. Threat alerts are remotely monitored and analysed via Deloitte’s Cyber Intelligence Centers, housing a full scale team of incident response experts and ethical hackers. The Cyber Intelligence Centers’ build bespoke risk profiles and in the process effectively develop an efficient and customized security operations center for a business.
“In Deloitte, we have a trusted alliance associate that can deliver against the volatile world in which they operate. The Middle East region has witnessed an upsurge in cybercrime activity, with attacks on financial and oil and gas industries making headlines across the globe and leaving some organizations exposed. The alliance enables clients to build a swift security response team that can be fully operational in hours,” Amer Chebaro, Symantec’s Regional Manager for Gulf & Levant, said.
Providing greater visibility into the global cyber threat landscape also offers customers peace of mind in the protection of their data. In the event of a security attack, a single point of contact to an expert is available as part of a global team offering broad-ranging crisis management capabilities.
“Current security models are minimally effective against cyber criminals, the key to addressing these risks starts by recognising that cyber threats are in fact not a technology problem but rather a business risk with strategic implications,” Fadi Mutlak, partner in charge of Cyber Risk Services in Deloitte Middle East, said.
“Outsourcing the security operations to highly skilled consultants can allow clients to remain confident they are kept safe with best-in-class technologies and people. We are excited to work closely with Symantec and bring the two brands side-by side to deliver a unique service to the market,” he added.