Telecommunications, including things like mobile and broadband networks, is one of the foremost frontiers of network security.

With malicious entities exploiting loopholes in carrier infrastructures at an increasing rate, AT&T Inc.’s 10-year partnership with Fortinet Inc. looks to have been a savvy, proactive move.

“In terms of the relationship between AT&T and Fortinet, it’s lasted a long 10-plus years, hand in hand in terms of the product, the technology and the capabilities that we brought together in the security space for our customers. So yes, a strategic relationship,” said Rupesh Chokshi (pictured), vice president of AT&T Cybersecurity at AT&T.

Chokshi spoke with John Furrier, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, during the Fortinet Security Summit. They discussed the AT&T/Fortinet partnership and its value proposition. (* Disclosure below.)

Supporting the entire customer continuum

As a large telecom conglomerate, AT&T’s Cybersecurity and Edge Solutions business has a diverse range of enterprise customers, from mid-market players to Fortune 50 companies to government agencies. In order to bring new products and capabilities that can compete effectively in today’s marketplace, the company has taken advantage of developments in IoT, 5G and edge compute, layering it all under strong cybersecurity underpinnings from Fortinet.

The company’s approach is working too. With over 440 petabytes of data streaming across the AT&T network during an average day, AT&T has been hard at work keeping the data safe from theft and breaches, according to Chokshi.

“I would say around 300%-plus DDoS mitigations that we did from last year, year over year. So a lot of focus is on protecting the customer, securing the endpoints, the applications, the data, the network, the devices, etc.,” he stated.

Another prominent angle with regards to the security discussion is the need for public/private partnerships. President Biden’s newest Executive Order on cyber, intended to modernize the United States’ defenses and protect federal government networks, is definitely a step in the right direction, according to Chokshi.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Fortinet Security Summit. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the Fortinet Security Summit. Neither Fortinet Inc., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE