- helps corporations detect and respond to unwanted network intrusions economically
10 July 2003 London--Equant has expanded its security services portfolio with the launch of its managed intrusion detection service.
Equant Intrusion Detection monitors all network segment traffic flows, enabling the operator to capture and react to intrusions by external hackers and those from inside corporate networks. It detects in near real-time malicious activity that is targeted at customer networks while filtering false alarms.
The new service deploys Cisco Systems' intrusion detection sensors. Ubizen, another leader in the security event monitoring field, provides highly trained and certified security specialists who monitor network traffic flows in its Security Operations Centres worldwide and respond to alarms in real-time, with a turn-around time guaranteed by service level agreements.
Equant says its service is one of the few to incorporate intelligent response from security analysts based in Security Operations Centres, rather than automated responses from a Network Operations Centre. Equant's Security Operations Centres are fully secure against trespass and physical external attack of the highest magnitude.
Equant believes that over a three-year period, for instance, the total cost of ownership of a typical four-site, in-house intrusion detection service could be two to three times as expensive as Equant's service, based on identical equipment.
The comapny asserts that, "Major cost savings come from a variety of factors, including not having to train and maintain a workforce to monitor the security equipment and alarms and alerts around the clock. These cost savings multiply as the number of sites increases."
Key features of Equant Intrusion Detection include:
- Real-time traffic-flow monitoring.
- Real-time incident handling and intervention advice.
- Global 24 x 7 service management and support.
- Defined Service Level Agreements.
- Monthly on-line report delivery.
- Device management, including regular signature and software updates.
- Attack session recording and correlation of alerts.
- Wide range of attack pattern recognition.
"Increased emphasis on corporate governance is driving many enterprises to focus on the protection of corporate assets, while competitive pressure and delivering value to shareholders continues to drive the reduction of total cost of ownership," said John Sherwood of Sherwood Associates, an analyst firm specialising in network security.
"It is not enough to simply 'test and patch your systems' because there are new intrusion exploits emerging all the time. Equant's new managed Intrusion Detection service offers these enterprise customers an important new option for covering unwanted intrusions, a key part of their network security and business continuity equation."
"The web site defacement contest reportedly planned recently by hackers provides a timely reminder to multinational corporations of the need for an intrusion detection service that can help them determine whether they are actually under attack and, if so, to respond quickly," said Peter Glock, Equant's head of Security Product Line.
"Our world-class portfolio of security services is, therefore, significantly strengthened today with the addition of Equant Intrusion Detection, giving our customers the assurance that their security is protected at a higher lever. It is a natural complement to our Secure Gateway service, which provides managed firewalls with full options, as well as to our Secure Authentication and Security Consulting services."