Datacom has reached an agreement to become a reseller for operational technology and critical infrastructure security vendor Nozomi Networks for New Zealand.
The NZ-headquartered company will provide managed security service provider (MSSP) support, including ongoing monitoring and incident response support to NZ customers with Nozomi Networks sensors and monitoring consoles.
Datacom will be the first all-service OT MSSP in New Zealand to simultaneously combine services and implementation for the IT side and the OT side of security.
Supporting Datacom in the partnership is ICS and OT security experts SGS ECL, who will provide technical expertise, including installation, configuration, maintenance, escalation support and consultancy support.
Datacom will also add an additional layer of physical security to its offering, with electronic surveillance, employee access, video surveillance and automatic licence plate recognition.
Datacom Group CISO and CIO Karl Wright said the new converged IT and OT MSSP offering, in partnership with Nozomi Networks and SGS ECL, not only supports the NZ government’s focus on strengthening the resilience of New Zealand’s critical infrastructure system, but also addresses growing concerns at the board level when it comes to managing operational cyber risks.
“Ensuring Aotearoa’s critical infrastructure – including our energy and water supplies, healthcare, communications, transport – is adequately protected from external attacks and political threat actors is crucial to our country, our communities, and our economy,” Wright said.
“Globally, we’ve seen a noticeable increase in the number of targeted attacks against critical infrastructure. These attacks are designed to inflict maximum disruption and financial loss."
"The 2021 Colonial Pipeline attack in the US is just one example of this and highlights just how disruptive a successful cyber-attack on critical infrastructure can be – not just for the organisation targeted, but for customers, the general public, and in some cases, the country as a whole.”
“As OT, IT and IoT worlds converge, the attack surface is growing larger and securing it is more complex," Nozomi Networks SVP alliances and channels Chet Namboodri said.
“We are pleased to team with Datacom to provide customers with the best possible solution to minimise security risk and maximise operational resilience, all with the assurance of managed services through a highly respected partner.”
