This is the year of connected security and software-based networks

Yaniv Sulkes, AVP Marketing, Allot Communications

This year will see dramatic change for mobile operators and Communications Services Providers (CSPs). This change will be driven by the continued rise of wearables, the Internet of Things (IoT), and the need for more pervasive cyber-security for consumers, along with preparations for 5G. To ensure they can cope and capitalise on the opportunities, CSPs need to take a closer look at security and emerging software-based network technologies – two key areas of investment to differentiate their offering.

Mobile security

As consumers and businesses, we’re all connected more than ever before. Smart phones, tablets, and wearables enable us to be part of the digital world 24/7. We can work, play, communicate and shop whenever and wherever we want. Yet this flexibility also presents more vulnerabilities and more opportunities to cyber-criminals to exploit weaknesses in user systems, says Yaniv Sulkes, AVP marketing at Allot Communications.

The result can be loss of service or a loss of data. This is at best inconvenient and at worst results in reputational damage and a huge impact on the organisation’s financial bottom line. And hacking and DDoS attacks are only likely to continue with the cost of cyber crime quadrupling to US$ 2.1 trillion in 2019 from 2015 figures.

Wearables such as smart watches are considered to be particularly easy pickings for hackers. As they’re a relatively new technology, in-built security is still very much hit and miss, rarely up to the standards seen in more established mobile devices. This is of concern as a smart watch can contain as much sensitive data as a smart phone, such as contact details, access to payment information and so on.Allot_securityasaservice

Latest research by Kaspersky Lab and Allot highlights that user behaviour across all mobile devices is a decisive indicator for the risk of a data breach. By downloading and using high-risk apps and visiting high-risk websites, users are putting their own devices in danger of a cyber-attack. The study Allot MobileTrends Report H1 2016, Mobile Users at Risk, goes on to say that those most at risk are business people, millennials and children.

But what is the best way to safeguard these users? What is the link with mobile operators? While certain apps are protected when first downloaded, it’s their ongoing use that presents the real vulnerability.

Enter the CSPs. They have a unique opportunity to come to the rescue to provide targeted solutions to demographic groups based on their anticipated behaviour. These could range from a complete Security as a Service package down to individual elements such as anti-malware and ad blockers. In this way CSPs can monetise protection and differentiate their offer from competitors.

Software-based networks

Last year saw CSPs starting to implement software-based networks using Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV). This migration is only going to accelerate in 2016 as more and more providers and operators realise how SDN and NFV are revolutionising the deployment and management of networks.

Indeed, a recent report by analysts IDC predicts the SDN market as a whole will grow by more that 50% per year between now and 2020 to total US$ 12.5 billion.

Using only software on virtual machines, NFV enables networks to be more flexible, scalable, and cheaper to build and operate. The natural accompaniment to NFV, SDN centralises oversight of an entire network, allowing it to perform better and enable more efficient orchestration. Together they will help optimise services and hasten innovation, enabling CSPs to excel in the IoT and emerging 5G markets.

In an increasingly competitive market, where customers demand more and more from their tech, 2016 is going to belong to those CSPs who can quickly and easily expand and manage their networks, while ensuring the highest levels of security.

The author of this blog is Yaniv Sulkes, AVP Marketing at Allot Communications.

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