In a few days, IT One will organize the seventh edition of the Information Security Days. We met with Frédéric Lavend'Homme (Cybersecurity Business Lead, Dimension Data Luxembourg) and Franck Braunstedter (Senior Manager Cyber Defense & Cloud Security, NTT Security) to discuss the collaboration between their two companies and their joint offer entitled "Cloud Security". In a context where an increasing number of cyberattacks are being perpetrated, and with more companies moving to the cloud, the security of the latter must be addressed properly.

Whether they are operating on mobile or in the cloud, IT managers now have to adapt to an era of digital transformation, which unfortunately also means extremely complex cyberattacks. "With such an explosion of the perimeter linked to the use of multiple devices and applications and with a growing number of users, it has become crucial to adopt a wider cybersecurity approach, built to answer to our new means of consumption", say the two experts. Nowadays, data are constantly moving and are being distributed all over the web/cloud as most professionals request an access anytime, anywhere and with any device. Moreover, in a fast-paced environment, businesses require a certain flexibility and celerity which can only be obtained through solutions provided through the cloud. Therefore, new services and products to secure information are required. "Companies need to be able to deploy workloads, applications, patches, etc, in just a couple of minutes, hence the necessity to develop security solutions created exclusively for the cloud environment," explains Franck Braunstedter.

 

An entirely new approach to cybersecurity

Dimension Data Luxembourg and NTT Security joined forces on the creation of a consolidated approach aiming at helping companies in their transition from a familiar environment to new platforms they do not completely master yet. According to Frédéric Lavend'Homme, the word "cloud" goes way further than just Iaas, SaaS or PaaS solutions and now involve new security concepts such as Encryption as a Service, Data Protection as a Service or Authentication as a Service. The transition to such solutions first implies the (re)definition of responsibilities: "In a model of shared security between the service provider and the client, the latter remains the one who is responsible for the data, even more with the upcoming GDPR – Global Data Protection Regulation – at the end of May".

As a result, the two companies have come up with their own solution offering strategic support in the identification and in the responsibilities when it comes to risk and by providing adequate protection. Several levels of workshops and assessments have therefore been developed, depending on the maturity of the client's cloud security processes. "Cloud Security Discovery" was built to answer to the companies' main questions on how to engage in/with the cloud, its main advantages and how optimal security can and needs to be achieved. The "Cloud Security Assessment" workshop goes further as it was developed for companies that have already gone into the cloud. It notably consists in an audit session on current practices and solutions used. In between, the "Cloud Security Orientation" workshop addresses the main security themes, from infrastructure to network, in order to come up with a clear roadmap to secure the cloud. "These three standardized offers can be combined and even deconstructed depending on the needs and maturity of the company," adds Frédéric Lavend’Homme.

Furthermore, NTT Security and Dimension Data experts offer sessions of technical consulting, tackling specific aspects of cloud security such as "infrastructure & design", "Docker security", "identity federation", "compliance automation" and "DevOps".

 

 

A locally operated global expertise

With a growing number of companies opting for cloud solutions, more and more questions are being raised concerning their implementation and risks. "Nowadays, going for the cloud is almost an obligation for businesses for the reasons we described earlier: we are here to support them in the most efficient way possible, with experienced teams and a local presence combined with a global expertise. Therefore, we are able to deploy the entire and personalized solution," add the experts.

The reasons of the Dimension Data/NTT Security collaboration are clearer than ever, "these newly crafted solutions are built in order for the clients to benefit from an international expertise but also from experiences that have been validated and implemented on a global scale," underline Franck Braunstedter and Frédéric Lavend’Homme, who both foresee more synergies in the months to come.

 

Interview by Alexandre Keilmann