MWC Series: STC Adopts Big Data and SDN Analytics Solution to Ramp Up Security

As malware becomes increasing malicious, and cyberattacks proliferate on a global scale, protection against cybersecurity threats is now vital for service providers. According to the Cisco 2018 Security Capabilities Benchmark Study, 87% of companies in EMEAR admitted they had suffered a cyberattack in the past year, and the real number may be higher still. The research report also pointed out that a strong cyber security position relies on a combination of advanced technology, clear processes, and qualified people.

We have been chosen by Saudi Telecom Company (STC) to help address the growing risk of cybersecurity threats on their network. They are deploying open source, software defined networking (SDN)-based, big data analytics solution known as Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) platform and the purpose-built Cisco Matrix Analytics Solution.

SDN analytics are required for real-time orchestration and enhanced service visibility across both legacy and SDN network infrastructures. SDN is dynamic, manageable, cost-effective and adaptable. Having SDN packaged into the solution is ideal for the high-bandwidth, ever-changing nature of today’s applications.

The big data aspect of the architecture is being deployed to collect and manage the huge volumes of data that are derived from STC’s Internet service provider, Saudinet, and the Saudi Arabian Internet Gateway (IGW).  These two networks have suffered from a lack of traditional security controls in the past, and our goal in working with STC is to provide prediction capabilities on the enormous volumes of data.

These two platforms, Cisco’s UCS and Matrix Analytics Solution, enable machine learning capabilities that will ultimately allow STC to automate actions to resolve and mitigate certain security threats. The next phase will be to introduce machine learning and automation on a wider scale, to address a greater number of threats and use cases.