du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), today announced a new partnership agreement with IBM to leverage IBM security software and solutions across the telco provider’s Digital Trust portfolio and du Cyber Defense Centre. With world-class data security an exacerbating challenge and organizational imperative in today’s digital-first world, this latest partnership with IBM will enable du to accelerate innovation in this field, scale and improve services, and build further unique service solutions that meet varied end-user requirements. The partnership, which also aligns with the National Agenda mandate to build sustainable digital infrastructure and embrace technological innovation without compromising security.
Martin Tarr, Chief ICT Officer (Acting), du, said: “Successfully combating cybersecurity threats through efficient incident detection, analysis, and response has always been dependent on effective and comprehensive partnership. With digital transformation accelerating rapidly and new threats continually presenting themselves, organizations tasked with protecting communities of customers are required to expand their cybersecurity capabilities at every available opportunity. As such, we are delighted that we will meet this obligation once more with support from IBM. Constant engagement with best-in-class partners is an enduring principle our Company adheres to, and we look forward to working with IBM in the years ahead to deliver cutting-edge solutions that leverage global expertise and the very best technologies.”
According to a recent IBM Security study, based on in-depth analysis of over 500 real-world data breaches occurring over the past year across 17 countries, the Middle East region is the second highest average breach cost amongst the 17 regions studied. IBM security solutions can support businesses in their most complex security challenges and help them in responding to the increasing cybersecurity incidents and proactively managing emerging threats.
A vital next stage for supporting enterprise customers and government entities engaging in digital transformation projects, the partnership with IBM will bolster operations centered around protecting their digital environments and infrastructure from cyber-attacks. In due course, du will leverage cutting-edge technology with open standards, combining it with internal intellectual property to deliver next generation Security Operations Center SOC services to clients and consumers. At the same time, du will benefit from unique expertise and specialist knowledge from global markets, which is certain to support efforts to empower enterprise and government initiatives further.
“Digital transformation is now more critical than ever, and we have lately seen tremendous increase in client demand for our capabilities and expertise across our region – specially on the cybersecurity front” says Hossam Seif El Din, IBM General Manager in the Middle East and Pakistan. “In the Middle East, IBM’s business partner ecosystem is central to our growth strategy, and we are proud of collaborating with du to help businesses in the region to not only respond to the ever-increasing security incidents but also supporting them to proactively protect their businesses from emerging threats.”
IBM® QRadar® Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) is already the cornerstone of du’s Cyber Defense Centre, helping security teams accurately detect and prioritize enterprise threats while providing intelligent insights that enable prudent responses and minimize incident impacts. By consolidating log events and network flow data from thousands of devices, endpoints and applications distributed throughout client networks, IBM® QRadar® SIEM also correlates information and aggregates related events into single alerts to accelerate incident analysis and remediation.
With additional support from IBM through the new partnership, du’s Cybersecurity Centre will provide even greater value and support to clients in the enterprise and government spaces. In addition to a process-driven approach, fully managed service, always-on security, and peace of mind through an established team of security experts, multiple layers of integrated security solutions will also deliver comprehensive ICT ecosystem protection.