Certified Security Operations Center GmbH is a new member of the eco Association. Networking and cooperation are important in combating cyber crime, says Fred Schmidt, Principal Account Manager.
Mr Schmidt, could you give us a brief introduction to your company, Certified Security Operations Center GmbH?
The Certified Security Operations Center GmbH bundles its services in the area of IT and cybersecurity, which are specifically tailored to the individual needs and requirements of SMEs.
The service portfolio comprises different components and services of Managed Security, which can be used independently. At the core of our work lies our SOC as a Service (SOCaaS), which is used to monitor the IT and OT infrastructures of numerous customers from a wide range of industries, involving all sizes of companies. In addition to the traditional SOCaaS services, we also offer a 24×7 control center service, a 24×7 incident response, and our integrated vulnerability scanner.
The Certified Security Operations Center GmbH is a joint venture of “TÜV TRUST IT GmbH Unternehmensgruppe TÜV AUSTRIA” (with “TÜV” standing for an association for technical inspection), as well as dhpg IT-Services GmbH. With these two companies, two strong partners have come together whose service portfolios fit together perfectly in the interests of their joint customers: TÜV TRUST IT as an independent technical inspection company and a consultant for information security, and dhpg IT-Services as a competent partner for your confidential and sensitive data.
Which digitalisation topics are particularly important to you?
Progressive digitalisation is transforming work and production processes and has resulted in an opening up of data connections. Infrastructures are thus becoming more vulnerable, and it is barely possible to keep attackers out of IT infrastructures.
Less and less work is taking place in protected environments. Companies are undergoing a transformation, with immense demands on IT. A central key to the success and acceptance of digitalisation is the security of data! Therefore, it is particularly important for us to protect our customers with our services.
What are the special challenges of your industry now and how are you working on them?
IT in an enterprise is expected to work efficiently and it has become the basis for a successful business. However, modern IT is constantly confronted with new cyber threats. The challenges to IT security are complex. These range from technical protection through firewalls and virus scanners, to awareness measures for sensitising the workforce, right through to the fulfillment of complex legal and compliance requirements, such as the IT-SiG 2.0, ISO27001, ISMS, etc.
The particular challenge lies in the early detection of a cyber attack. Experience shows that major attacks resulting in a production shutdown or a ransom demand are prepared over several weeks. Once the conventional systems have been outsmarted, the attackers have plenty of time, as they can act in an undetected mode. It is now up to them to choose the time that suits them best.
Attack detection systems (SOC/ SIEM) can be used to minimise this period. Attacks are detected at an early stage and they can be stopped.
Such systems are now legally required (in Germany, by the Federal Office for Information Security IT-SiG 2.0) and have been declared as state of the art (TeleTrusT status 06.2020). Cyber insurers companies are also increasingly linking their benefits to the existence of such systems. Our SOCaaS meets all of these requirements and provides our customers with a significant security advantage. It is important to take a holistic approach. Such solutions already exist for SMEs.
How do you expect your membership in the eco Association to support you in this?
It is essential to network and cooperate in the fight against cyber crime. This is why, within this membership, we are looking for another channel to allow us to further play our part in contributing to information security.
What opportunities does digitalisation offer us in the future?
The fast-paced digital development brings decisive advantages for companies: large markets can be tapped into more quickly, products can be tailored more efficiently to customer needs, and business models and approaches can be constantly optimised.
Digitalisation is now penetrating all areas of societal and economic life. Information is available at any time and anywhere. The success of today’s corporate digitalisation is largely based on a fully comprehensive IT security strategy. Among other benefits, this minimises the risk of failure, includes protective measures against hackers, and provides for a conceptual emergency management. However, there are still many points of attack, especially since almost every employee has his or her own end devices.
Companies should therefore protect themselves against possible hacker attacks through professional risk management and attack detection systems (SOC/ SIEM).
Mr Schmidt, thank you very much for the interview!
As Principal Account Manager, Fred Schmidt is currently the sales contact for SOCaaS at CSOC. The graduate in business administration (FH) has been working in IT security sales for 10 years, e.g. SIEM systems. Most recently, he was responsible for IT security sales for SMEs in Germany at T-Systems GmbH.
