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S&T launches Cisco Security Competence Center

Demand increases for IT Security Solutions

The new S&T Cisco Security Competence Center in Hungary will at first comprise of four permanent employees who, depending on their applied field will work together with approx. 30 networking and security experts in Hungary as well as other experts in the S&T countries. The principal task of the competence center will be the development of security solutions for S&T clients as well as the support of consultants and project managers in the S&T Group with regards to consulting, planning and implementing customized solutions. Above that, the capacity of the competence center for enhancing competencies and transferring know-how will be instated within the S&T Group and to the clients.

State of the art facilities

The competence center is equipped with extensive demonstration equipment, which is made available to clients and S&T employees throughout the entire S&T Group in order to evaluate and test security solutions before they are converted for the operating system of the customer. The competence center is managed by Peter Szabo. “The security regulations of many companies are still only temporary solutions. Modern threats and regulatory requirements however make the implementation of comprehensive security concepts necessary, which consider the entire company holistically (i.e. its technology, organizational structure and employees). The experts of our competence center have many years of experience in this field and are able to support clients in the planning and realization of state of the art security solutions. As recently S&T Hungary was selected by Cisco as the world’s best technology partner in the field of security”, explains Christian Rosner, CEO S&T Group.

Focusing on Cisco Security Solutions

Cisco is one of the strategic partners of the S&T Group. To protect IT infrastructures as well as systems and data crucial to companies, Cisco provides holistic solutions. S&T has the know-how for the implementation of these solutions specifically aimed at customer requirements and is now converging this knowledge into a competence center. The center predominantly concentrates on the following Cisco Security solutions:

• Firewall Solutions
• VPN Solutions
• Intrusion Prevention Systems
• Monitoring Analysis & Response Systems

The S&T specialists analyze the security status of companies, identify areas with potential risks or room for improvement and develop the most cost effective concept to realize a comprehensive IT security strategy for the respective client. By implementing Cisco solution components the clients can rely on approved state of the art technology.

IT attacks are on the increase

The issue of IT security has recently been given more attention and priority in most companies. The implementation of holistic safety strategies is however lagging behind somewhat. The high demand for safety solutions is, on the one hand, driven by the increasingly sophisticated and number of attacks. Current safety risks such as malware, trojans, viruses, worms, spam and targeted attacks on the availability of IT systems as well as mobile devices are forcing companies to continually improve their safety measures. A study conducted by IDC showed that 45% of the companies questioned had already been confronted with more than 1000 attempted and thwarted attacks in 2006.

Drivers of growth: EU Directives and Safety Standards

On the other hand the endeavors of companies, national and European regulations as well as industrial standards lead to additional assignments being fulfilled by S&T. In particular, the new EU member states e.g. Romania and Bulgaria have to convert to the corresponding EU-directives. Apart from that many companies pay attention to keeping the SOX-specifications (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) as well as realizing industrial standards, like for example the PCI (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), as nowadays weaknesses in the area of security can have negative effects on the company’s image and reputation.

Expenditure increases for IT safety solutions

With the increasing risk factors and rules and regulations to be implemented, the expenditure for IT security solutions is also increasing. According to a study from Berlecon Research, in which more than 100 CIOs and ITK managers in German companies with at least 500 employees were questioned, 47% of the companies plan to spend more money on ICT security in 2008. Experts are even assuming that by 2011 expenditure will double in this sensitive area.

Completed projects by S&T Security

The security experts from S&T Hungary, who are now leading the competence center, can refer to a wide range of completed projects like for example the implementation of a Cisco MARS System (Monitoring Analysis & Response System) for Euronet Worldwide, Europe’s largest operating company for ATM networks or the implementation of an Intrusion Prevention System as well as a MARS System for the Ukrainian Nadra Banka. “We have already been working together with Cisco for twelve years, three of those years as a Golden Partner. Our competency center offers an excellent base for the future development of the business with security solutions, not just in Hungary but throughout the entire S&T Group”, commented Istvan Simon, Managing Director of S&T Hungary.