In a world that stays connected – primarily through the Telecom industry – it has become of paramount importance that silicon-to-cloud security protects the infrastructure that enables the voice, text, and data communications that are vital to so many organizations in our distributed environment.
Given that the Telecom industry controls a majority of mission-critical infrastructures, the impact of today’s emerging cyberattacks is significant in terms of cost, data loss and recovery, and erosion of stakeholder confidence.
But protecting these vital IT environments is far from easy. The Communications Service Provider (CSP) stage is rife with vulnerabilities, and bad actors continue to evolve scenarios that take advantage of any susceptibility. As CSPs transform themselves from network providers to cloud services companies, they become a gateway for unauthorized entry into every channel they support: the telecom organization itself, private enterprises, third-party application providers, and even subscribers to the telecom service.
According to Ponemon Institute's 2021 Cost of a Data Breach Report (produced in cooperation with IBM), data breach costs are now at an all-time high: $4.24 million per incident, on average.
The many faces and shapes of new cyber-threats
CSPs have a relatively large – and most likely penetrable – attack surface. It is important to note that every additional component, from software to hardware to individual user, opens threat attack opportunities and increases the risk that a malignant actor or hostile user could disrupt your operations.
In addition, outsourced operating models, partners, service providers, web hosts, or even sub-contractors might easily identify weak links and infiltrate vital infrastructure elements, making security maintenance for your organization costly and cumbersome.
Follow your data
Most cyber-security experts would agree that leveraging basic, proven security practices is a key first step in protecting the modern data-driven enterprise. HPE takes a multi-pronged approach to protecting your most valuable assets, beginning in the supply chain and rooted in the silicon. We secure and attest all levels of the infrastructure, along with every layer of the software – across the network – to ensure that your data is available when and where you need it to optimize your business decisions.
Next steps for Communications Service Providers
Enhancing security systems, reducing vulnerable threat surface, cyber-security training for employees – all require investments of both time and money. But the payback for this outlay of capital is the significant improvement of effective threat monitoring; upgraded cyber-intelligence enables security teams to forecast and detect breaches, protect valuable data – and potentially save millions of dollars in losses due to cyber-attacks.
Frost & Sullivan’s 2021 Enabling Technology Leadership Award
Change is the only constant in the Telecom industry. As technology and generational shifts in communications standards evolve, the security threats faced by telcos transform, as well. That age-old proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” certainly comes into play in this arena. Prior knowledge of possible dangers gives one a tactical advantage – and especially when it comes to mitigating risk for your business or organization.
For more information, please check out our new white paper, Threat Mitigation for Telco Cloud Infrastructure. This paper explains the hardware threat landscape faced by CSPs, and strategies that you can leverage to mitigate your own security challenges.
Other information on cyber-security for Telecoms and Communications Services Providers:
- Securing the data-first enterprise
- Cybersecurity Tech Accord: High tech declaring war on hackers
- Can zero trust instill confidence in IoT security devices
As a marketing leader for HPE’s Telco industry product portfolio, Jim focuses on driving go-to-market strategy for 5G cloud platforms, multi-access edge computing, and open virtualized RAN (vRAN) solutions. Connect with Jim on LinkedIn.
Telco Industry Marketing
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
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