Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, a leading provider of secure networking and communication solutions enabling organisations and industries to accelerate their operational efficiencies and competitiveness, has announced the introduction of new cybersecurity enhancements to its OmniPCX Enterprise Purple solution.
The solution adheres to the Network and Information Security version 2 (NIS 2) Directive which came into force last month, aiming to establish a uniform and improved level of cybersecurity across European Union countries, requiring operators of critical infrastructure and essential services to implement the appropriate security measures, and at the same time, report any incidents to the relevant authorities. The NIS 2 Directive is applicable to both private and public organisations operating in critical sectors such as government, transport, energy, health, and banking. In addition, any company supplying goods or part of an IT supply chain is also subject to the new regulation since many businesses fall victim to cyber breaches due to security holes in their supply chain.
The NIS 2 Directive represents a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for cybersecurity. While there is some overlap in reporting obligations in relation to the General Data Protection (GDPR) regulatory framework in the EU, where GDPR focuses on the protection of personal data and privacy rights of individuals, NIS 2 is primarily concerned with the security of network and information systems. Together, they create a comprehensive framework for data protection and cybersecurity in the EU. For technology providers like ALE, aligning to globally recognised cybersecurity frameworks like NIS 2 and GDPR is critical given that ALE’s customers and partners in APAC may also engage with EU markets.
Forrester predicts that the cost of cybercrime will reach $12 trillion by 2025. With the rise of diverse working models, employees today are accessing data and communication services from a variety of devices and sometimes from network access that are not fully controlled and protected. This presents a major security threat to the wider enterprise.
“We are pleased to bring to market this enhanced version of the native encryption feature with the latest OXE Purple release. It offers the highest level of protection to meet the international security agencies’ recommendations for an enterprise communications platform. Organisations today face a heightened threat of cyber-attack. Along with running security audits and risk analysis, securing all data flows through encryption technology has become essential, making the data impossible to decrypt even in the event of a data leak. Any organisation (not just essential or important entities) that does not protect all devices and phones carrying confidential data is in danger of becoming a ‘weaker link’ thereby increasing its risk of attack.” Vincent Lomba, Chief Technology Security Officer at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise
“While NIS 2 is intended to cover the EU as a region, organisations in Asia Pacific (APAC) that form part of the supply chain for EU-based businesses must take proactive steps to ensure compliance with these new cybersecurity obligations, as well as to set up robust incident reporting mechanisms. ALE is committed to collaborating with our customers and partners to deliver solutions that are compliant with globally recognised cybersecurity standards, including NIS 2, and to ensure that we are fully protecting our customer data. As organisations in APAC align their practices with NIS2, they may find themselves better positioned for success in global markets, while contributing to a more secure digital environment globally.” Tee Jyh Chong, Vice President, Sales and Services, APAC at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise’s OmniPCX Enterprise Purple (OXE Purple) features built-in native encryption to ensure complete end-to-end protection for any conversations over the network (private and public Internet). This has now been strengthened and extended to ALE SIP phone protection, providing end-users with complete trust in the confidentiality of the conversation.
The OXE Purple solution offers enterprises peace of mind that their communications infrastructure is secure. Regularly updated security measures delivered via OXE Purple software releases under a support contract also help to protect them from the increasingly advanced attempts of cybercriminals to steal digital assets.
Key features and benefits of the solution include:
- Secure connectivity between on premises ALE communication system (IP-PBX and phones) and the cloud infrastructure operated by ALE, with mutual authentication, encryption and Session Border Controller (SBC) to secure the public network access and remote workers equipped with SIP clients and devices
- Seamless connection inside and outside the organisation. The underlying communication infrastructure connects hybrid workers to back-office and front-line employees, whatever their device, through a variety of standard technologies such as PSTN, TDM, IP, SIP, VoWiFi and DECT and provides metrics for IT to monitor the Quality of Service (QoS)
- High availability reaching 5x9s with spatially redundant architectures, deployed on customer premises or hosted in a private cloud, 100% software-based and fully virtualised, with protection against denial of service (DoS) attacks, built-in security with hardened devices and operating systems.
- Data privacy and protection with role-based access control and encryption of stored data. This ensures all the crucial data gathered in the evolving business environment is fully protected from end-to-end and under your control.
- Communications confidentiality with strong encryption mechanisms based on industry standards natively implemented into the solution, without any impact on voice quality and performance, delivering the experience customers and employees expect.