While Internet of Things manufacturers don’t seem to put security at the top of their list, Nokia Corp. has launched a new platform that delivers centralized security for vendors.

Called NetGuard Security Management Center, Nokia describes it as a consolidated, easy-to-use software platform that allows an operator to monitor and control all the multi-vendor security systems deployed across its telecommunications network. It combines monitoring and configuration of different systems in one place thereby enhancing the security as incidents can be analyzed and correlated centrally to protect against threats that could otherwise go undetected by isolated security systems.

Aside from the quick and easy detection and prevention of attacks, the NetGuard Security Management Center also increases operational efficiency and lowers the total cost of security for operators through automated and consistent mass configuration of security policies, bulk firmware upgrades and verification of vendor-specific security hardening.

“Networks are becoming more heterogeneous and open, leaving them increasingly prone to cyberattacks. Any subsequent degradation of network performance, whether a partial or complete outage, is one of the biggest threats to operators. The impact of such an event can range from a few dissatisfied customers to severe damage to the entire business. Our NetGuard Security Management Center gives operators confidence that their whole networks are safe, not just some individually protected parts,” Giuseppe Targia, head of Security at Nokia, said.

NetGuard Security Management Center features:

• Integrates all network security systems, regardless of vendor, to monitor security status and manage incidents, vulnerabilities, security policies and network access.
• The solution watches for threats in networks by proactively detecting security weaknesses and correlating them according to its internal database.
• Security analytics are then applied by a rules-based, configurable decision-making engine that triggers automatic corrective action or helps operators implement a manual response.
• The system optimizes the configuration of security parameters and thus reduces the risk of network infrastructure attacks.
• Unlike vertical solutions dedicated to protecting network elements, Security Management Center offers a comprehensive view of the whole network, correlating events coming from typically isolated layers such as radio access, transport, core and operations to detect and mitigate a wider range of threats.  

Nokia will be demonstrating NetGuard Security Management Center at the Mobile World Congress show happening later this month.

Nokia has recently acquired telecommunications maker Alcatel-Lucent SA for $17 billion. The two companies are now operating as one entity which aims to take on telecommunications giants such as Cisco Systems Inc. and Ericsson ((Telefonaktiebolaget L. M. Ericsson).

Photo by Yu. Samoilov