Optus and Cisco expand partnership to offer strengthened protection for business customers and hybrid workforce

• Optus Secure Managed Network Services will provide a portfolio of network security services powered by Cisco.
• Upgrade of the Optus Secure Network Operation Centre and a suite of new Cisco products will enhance network security for office-based customers and those with a hybrid workforce.  

Today, Optus and Cisco have announced a new multi-year partnership that will offer strengthened network security and data security services for Optus Enterprise and Business customers tackling complexities associated with hybrid workforces.

With over one-third (37 percent) of Australians regularly working remotely and with many adopting a hybrid working model, organisations have been increasingly adopting SaaS public and on-demand network services. This shift, combined with increasing vulnerabilities, exposes systems, and users, to potential significant risks across devices and software.

In response, the partnership will see increased investment into the expansion of Optus’ Integrated Network Operation Centre and Security Operation Centre. This will enable secure by design networks and remove complexity through effective, innovative managed services for customers and their hybrid workforce. This fusion will offer observability of the network and connections, as well as visibility into security incidents, accelerating the identification and rectification of any underlying issues. 

The platform is available now, with Cisco-Powered Secure Firewall and Managed Secure Service Edge (SSE) services on offer with additional capabilities covering Vulnerability Management, Advanced Email Security, Identity Intelligence and Threat Hunting to follow. Native integration with Cisco Meraki and ThousandEyes will help deliver the program’s objective of Secure Networking for our customers.

The new solution features 24/7 security monitoring for Optus Enterprise and Business customers and will help ensure connections, systems, and data are secured.  These services are backed by Cyber Incident Response services from Cisco’s world-renowned Talos Intelligence Group.  Additional services will be added throughout the multi-year partnership.

Danny Price, VP Client Services & Delivery, Enterprise and Business at Optus said, ”Our enterprise and business customers rely on Optus to deliver a network that can support high traffic, secure and reliable bandwidth. We are committed to creating solutions that address complex security issues while optimising performance and reliability particularly in environments that are increasingly hard to defend.”

Rodney Hamill, Managing Director Partner, Routes to Market and SMB Sales, Cisco Australia and New Zealand said, “I’m proud of the work our teams have achieved in simplifying the complex task of securing hybrid work. 

“The Optus and Cisco alliance continues to deliver innovative solutions for businesses to address complex business challenges to enable growth while managing risk in an ever-changing world. Activating the power of the network to deliver security outcomes will go a long way to meeting the cybersecurity challenges that are a top priority for Australian businesses. The collective focus of the partnership is to provide scalable, reliable, and repeatable secure network services, together.”

Media contact:
Kathy Lipari

Optus Corporate Affairs
media@optus.com.au 

Will Lehnertz

SOCIETY 
optus@societymarcom.com

Adela Amanowicz

Cisco Australia & New Zealand

aamanowi@cisco.com

*Australian Bureau of Statistics, August 2023