Controlling Privileged Access for Telecommunications & Cloud Service Providers

As cybersecurity concerns rise across all industries, as media and service companies, Telecommunications and Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) face particular challenges. With massive amounts of client data and critical infrastructure, they are tempting targets for hackers. Telecom and CSPs need security solutions that can adapt and evolve with them, and respond to challenges unique to their industries.

Though these challenges may differ between the two fields, they share two significant concerns in common:

• The global nature of business, and
• The enlisting of third-party and external providers.

Both Telecoms and Cloud Service Providers tend to be large organizations with large-scale operations. This scale makes IT security complicated, simply in its vastness, but also due to the often-complex infrastructure that results from a mix of legacy and hyper-modern systems connected across continents.

Whether allowing third-party contractors to perform maintenance work on infrastructure systems or enabling customers to access their data in a multi-tenant environment, both Telco’s and CSPs struggle with the balance of access and security regardless of external parties. Complete control and monitoring are necessary to protect both their businesses and their clients at every step of the process.

IT Security Challenges for Cloud Service Providers

On top of geographically widespread operations, Cloud Service Providers face a number of additional threats to robust cybersecurity. Due to the nature of the Cloud Service business model, security risks are inherent in doing business.

• Regulatory Compliance: A challenge for most businesses, CSPs must respond to industry and regional regulations in each location in which they do business (think: GDPR)
• Multi-Tenancy: The very nature of CSPs means security is tricky. Though CSPs may handle their own security, they have clients accessing their servers who may not have the same rigorous standards. Like residents in an apartment building, all clients must enter the same building yet stay isolated from others’ personal space. Divisions between tenants and locks to each unit must be robust to prevent accidental or malicious security breaches.

IT Security Challenges for Telecommunications Companies

For many Telecommunications companies, they’ve spent decades evolving and adapting to the ever-changing communications landscape. The resulting mix of technology and systems leaves distinct vulnerabilities and challenges for CISOs and IT teams.

• Scalability & Reliability: Service and time to market are critical in a high-speed industry. Security that bogs own processes can inhibit growth.
• Mobility & Integrations: In order for customers to be mobile, networks must connect and hand-off service. This connection leaves Telcos vulnerable
• Mergers & Acquisitions: As a result of decades of evolutions, mergers, and organizational changes, Telco’s operate with hybrid infrastructures comprising a wide variety of legacy systems alongside the latest integrations. Managing all of the disparate systems and ensuring comparable security across all is a complex task.

PAM delivers lightweight, robust cybersecurity for Telecom & CSPs

Strong security practices are no longer optional, especially for high-profile companies (and tempting targets) like Telecommunications and Cloud Service Providers. But these industries face distinct challenges in the pursuit of high-level security that works across systems yet doesn’t inhibit rapid evolution and scalability.

The right Privileged Access Management solution delivers lightweight, yet heavy-duty IT security to streamline even the toughest concerns.

Business benefits of PAM

• Reduce security incidents: 74% of all data breaches last year were linked to lost or stolen user credentials. Managing privileged access is crucial to protecting systems from breaches.
• Minimize costs: A security breach can cost millions in recovery. PAM not only reduces the risk of a breach occurring but also facilitates fast response and recovery.
• Gain complete oversight: Monitor and audit all sensitive access and actions across your entire infrastructure, making business decisions clear and simple.
• Streamline processes: Centralize the administration of all IT services to reduce wasted time and eliminate overcomplicated processes. Reduce time and financial costs and increase productivity.
• Speed up time to market: A critical factor in fast-paced, competitive industries. PAM delivers lightweight, highly scalable security that grows with you and won’t slow down new service development.

How does Privileged Access Management deliver these benefits? Read the complete business case for PAM for Telecommunications and Cloud Service Providers, here: PAM for Telcos: A Business Case.