Vodafone Australia set to build inaugural cyber defence and response centre

Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) has partnered with Dimension Data and FireEye as part of a multimillion-dollar, five-year investment to build its first Cyber Defence and Response Centre (CDRC).

The telco said the CDRC will provide event monitoring, threat protection and intelligence, and incident response. The capabilities will be used by Vodafone’s enterprise division.

The telco picked its two partners following a tender process in which six vendors participated. The contract with FireEye is for a five-year term, while Vodafone signed a three-year deal with Dimension Data, which included a two-year option to extend.

Vodafone chief technology officer, Kevin Millroy, said the strategic partnership with Dimension Data and FireEye provides the company with a suite of additional security capabilities to ensure the company remains resilient against cybercriminals.

“Cybercrime is a topic that we take very seriously at Vodafone. We have partnered with the industry’s best providers to help us protect our critical information and infrastructure, as well as intellectual property,” he said.

“The capabilities, maturity, flexibility, and scalability of Dimension Data and FireEye enables us to be ready and open to exchange threat information and knowledge with the federal government’s Australian Cyber Security Centre, and ultimately contribute to protecting Australia’s national security and economic prosperity from online threats.”

The telco said the centre will leverage its existing security investments, and will be supported by Dimension Data’s and FireEye’s global network of advanced security operations centres.

The centre’s capabilities include proactive threat detection, global correlation, penetration testing, incident response, and forensics.

FireEye A/NZ regional director, Richard Metcalfe, said Australian organisations are increasingly recognising the significant risks posed by online attacks.

“These risks confront organisations of all sizes, and it’s critical we collectively improve our defences against these attacks. We’re pleased to join with Vodafone and Dimension Data to make the Cyber Defence & Response Centre a reality,” he said.

Dimension Data security group executive, Matt Gyde, said cyber security is an enabler of innovation, and fundamental to the fabric of businesses in the digitally-connected world, particularly as the cyber threat environment continues to evolve.

“Vodafone has taken a significant step to address its customers’ ongoing safety, with the creation of the Cyber Defence and Response Centre which draws on the expertise and global presence of Dimension Data, together with FireEye," Gyde said.

"We’re very excited to be a part of the engagement that will create agility for Vodafone, and a differentiated experience for its customers,” he added.