OPTUS BUSINESS LAUNCHES ADVANCED SECURITY OPERATIONS CENTRE TO STRENGTHEN AUSTRALIA'S CYBER DEFENCE

$10 million investment the cornerstone of managed security services portfolio.

Optus Business has opened its Advanced Security Operations Centre (ASOC) which is underpinned by new managed security services and partnerships to help enterprises and governments arm themselves against a growing number of sophisticated cyber security threats.

The Optus ASOC, powered by Trustwave, uniquely combines Optus’ network security capabilities and is part of a globally federated network of advanced security operations centres through Singtel and Trustwave[i], protecting Australian organisations from threats regardless of where they originate globally.

Optus Business Managing Director, John Paitaridis said, “Cybercrime is a persistent, global threat. It is the number one economic crime in Australia – it is undeniable, unrelenting and growing and with increasing online and digital presence, business and government must be able to confidently operate, innovate and maintain trust with customers and stakeholders in this evolving landscape.”

Optus customers using the ASOC gain access to comprehensive threat intelligence, threat data analytics and advanced security automation for incident response, backed by the elite SpiderLabs® team at Trustwave.

“The ASOC specifically provides proactive threat management, in-country forensic capabilities including incident response, access to best of breed cyber security technology partnerships and combined threat intelligence, all consolidated within the Centre to provide a truly global cyber view,” Mr Paitaridis said.

Optus, together with Singtel, have formed strategic partnerships with a range of security leaders like FireEye, Palo Alto Networks, Checkpoint and Akamai.

“This powerful partner ecosystem ensures Optus customers will access the latest best of breed security technologies, allowing for proactive management and support by a single provider with deep capabilities and global presence,” said Mr Paitaridis.

Mr Paitaridis said the ASOC ensures Australian businesses are better protected from advanced cyber security threats, while alleviating the pressures created by resource constraints, skills shortages and compliance requirements.

“Following the Federal Government’s Cyber Security Strategy announcement to make Australia a world leader in cyber security change and innovation, the new ASOC strengthens Australia’s local security industry and supports Australian businesses as they build their digital and online capabilities.”

Optus’ investments in cyber security have been significant throughout 2016 and include:

• A co-investment of $10 million with Macquarie University to establish a multi-disciplinary Cyber Security Hub to tackle Australia’s cyber skills shortage.
• Partnering with Data61 on its Cyber Security and Innovation Hub in Melbourne, bringing together government, industry and academia with research and innovation to fuel the Australian cyber security ecosystem.
• An $8 million partnership with La Trobe University to establish industry-focused cyber curriculum
• Launching the Optus Digital Thumbprint, an education program in Australian schools focussed on developing cyber aware online users.

“We are talking with enterprise and government about how managed security services help optimise resources to best address security concerns associated with core business imperatives including mobility, social media, web applications, big data and increasingly prevalent digital innovations like IoT, wearables, AI and robotics,” said Mr Paitaridis.

Trustwave Chief Executive Officer and President Robert J. McCullen said, “Through the globally federated ASOC in Sydney and our extensive managed security services offerings, Trustwave and Optus are helping Australian organisations to address advanced information security threats. It marks a significant milestone in Trustwave’s global expansion plans with the opening of the centre in Australia.”

For more information on the ASOC and new Optus Managed Security Services visit: www.optus.com.au/business/asoc

[1] Trustwave, the largest independent managed security services provider in North America, was acquired by Singtel in late 2015 for US$770 million to boost its cyber security services portfolio.

About Optus

Optus is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singtel, Asia’s leading communications group. With over 130 years operating experience, Singtel drives the Group’s efforts to lead in communication services throughout Asia and Africa as well as to front the local digital and enterprise markets. As the Australian arm of Singtel, Optus services over ten million customers each day. It provides a broad range of communications services including mobile, telephony, business network services, internet and satellite services and subscription television. For more information about Optus Business, visit http://www.optus.com.au/business/.

About Trustwave

Trustwave helps businesses fight cybercrime, protect data and reduce security risk. With cloud and managed security services, integrated technologies and a team of security experts, ethical hackers and researchers, Trustwave enables businesses to transform the way they manage their information security and compliance programs. More than three million businesses are enrolled in the Trustwave TrustKeeper® cloud platform, through which Trustwave delivers automated, efficient and cost-effective threat, vulnerability and compliance management. Trustwave is headquartered in Chicago, with customers in 96 countries. For more information about Trustwave, visit https://www.trustwave.com.

Media contact

Steve Batten

Optus Corporate Affairs

T: (02) 8082 7850/0411 080 268

E: Steve.Batten@optus.com.au