Airtel unveils cyber security solutions for businesses, invests Rs 100 crore in security centre

Updated : September 30, 2020 06:59 PM IST

Amid rising instances of cyber threats and sophisticated attacks, Airtel on Wednesday announced a full stack of cyber security solutions for business customers, backed by global partnerships and over Rs 100 crore investment in 'Security Intelligence Centre'. Announcing the launch of 'Airtel Secure' suite of solutions, Bharti Airtel CEO (India and South Asia) Gopal Vittal said the issue of cyber security and threats in a digital world is no longer just a side agenda for businesses, but has become "one of the most critical board agendas" and a "growing concern". Cyber security is a critical requirement for enterprises now, he said.

As businesses shift processes to cloud and digital platforms to serve their customers better, they also face increasing incidents of sophisticated cyber attacks that have the potential to severely disrupt operations, Airtel said in a statement. India, which is now the world's second largest internet market, ranks fifth globally when it comes to incidents of cyber attacks and frauds, the company said, adding that as per estimates, the Indian cyber security market is expected to cross USD 13 billion (about Rs 96,000 crore) by 2025. "At Airtel, we constantly ask our customers what more can we do to help them in their digital transformation journeys. Through these conversations, we have heard that cyber security is a critical requirement. Airtel Secure has been built to serve this need," Vittal said at a virtual briefing.

The new offering combines Airtel's network security with solutions delivered through global partnerships to deliver end-to-end managed security services. As part of 'Airtel Secure' portfolio, Airtel has also launched its 'Security Intelligence Centre' with an investment of over Rs 100 crore, the company said. The facility is located in National Capital Region, and supported by a team of 150 cybersecurity experts. Airtel Security Intelligence Centre, powered with Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning tools aims to mitigate potential threats. The facility will offer its tracking services to large, small and medium businesses, the statement said. Further, Airtel has teamed up with Cisco, Radware, VMWare, and Forcepoint.

Airtel and Cisco will jointly bring to market a range of solutions that secure networks, endpoints, applications and the cloud. These security solutions will be available to businesses as well as government entities under Airtel Secure, the statement said. Cisco President and CEO Chuck Robbins said Airtel will now be able to help customers streamline operations with integrated threat and security management through Cisco's security portfolio. Through the partnership with Cisco, Airtel will have access to advanced monitoring, analysis and investigation of malicious code and be able to protect people and information in an automated manner, it added.

Airtel also announced a strategic pact with Radware. Through this, the first global data scrubbing centre in India has been set up to ensure threats to data and information are attacked and eliminated at the source in the country, the statement said, adding that the highly advanced facility is hosted by Airtel's Nxtra Data in Chennai. "Airtel Secure is now available to over one million business customers of Airtel. Several companies, including Flipkart, Havell's, Fidelity India and R-Systems, are already benefiting from Airtel Secure," it said, adding that the company is well positioned to tap the growing opportunity.

Published : September 30, 2020 06:59 PM IST

Airtel unveils cyber security solutions for businesses, invests Rs 100 crore in security centre

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