Verizon completes Cybertrust integration |
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By Bill Brenner, Senior News Writer
30 Aug 2007 | SearchSecurity.com |
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More than three months after Verizon Business announced it was acquiring Cybertrust, the telecom giant is outlining how it has assimilated the vendor into its larger operations.
The company has announced that Cybertrust is now part of the Verizon Business Security Solutions group. Those who visit the Verizon Business Web site will now see the company billing its security offerings as "Global Security Solutions, Powered by Cybertrust."
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Kerry Bailey, Cybertrust's former senior VP of global services, is now heading up the Verizon operation as VP of security solutions, and recently talked to SearchSecurity.com about the integration. One of Verizon's goals is to play up the popular Security Management Program (SMP) it took on as part of the Cybertrust acquisition.
SMP is a popular certification program designed to addresses a "broad range" of enterprise needs, from network and system analysis to security policy inspection, Bailey said.
"Job number-one is to help customers protect their critical corporate assets so their businesses operate smoothly," he said. "No business today is safe without taking the necessary proactive measures. And now, more than ever, with security breaches increasing each year, businesses cannot afford to operate without proper protection. Too much is at risk."
Bailey pointed to Experian, a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based vendor of information analysis and processing services, as one company benefiting from the Cybertrust-enhanced Verizon program. Experian VP of IT Ron Cook explained in a statement why he is using the program.
"The very nature of our business is to handle sensitive, confidential information," Cook said. "Our customers put their trust in us to do exactly that. Over the years, we've relied on the Cybertrust Security Management Program as our trusted third party to validate Experian's security program and … SMP's rigorous processes serve us and our customers well."
The SMP works by identifying assets, assessing and prioritizing threats and vulnerabilities, and securing those assets with enterprise-wide controls and mitigation strategies, Bailey said, adding that it can also help businesses align information security policies and practices with the security components of many regulations and directives, including Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and ISO 27001 and ISO 17799.
"This certification enables businesses to transform security from a need- to-have into a true competitive differentiator and demonstrates to competitors, customers and partners alike that an organization is built on sound business practices with the ability to maintain data integrity," Bailey said.
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