Cyber security centre for German small and medium-sized businesses launched

• More than half of all cyber attacks are directed against smaller companies
• New cyber security centre for master bakers, logistics companies and the like is now starting up
• In future, more than 100 security experts will protect German companies from online threats
• B2B boss Rickmann: ‘We are democratising cyber security for all companies in the country’

Monday morning in the offices of a medium-sized mechanical engineering company. The PCs are booted up – as they are every morning at 8:00. But this time: black screens. Cold machine motors. No access to production data and IT systems. Cyber attack. Triggered by the seemingly harmless click on an insecure link. The company’s operations come to a standstill. Often for days. Because while large corporations have huge IT teams to deal with hacker attacks, small and medium-sized companies are often barely protected. This is because they often have no cyber experts in their own ranks, or these are only rarely on duty around the clock. However, because it is precisely these smaller companies that are being attacked online more and more often, and especially on weekends and holidays, Vodafone is now launching a new cyber security centre in Düsseldorf. In the future, more than 100 cyber security experts will be working here to protect companies and businesses of all sizes from online threats – around the clock.

From the new cyber security centre, Vodafone’s IT experts control real-time threat analyses, preventive security services and, in an emergency, countermeasures to minimise potential damage. The aim is to reduce the number of gateways for cyber criminals, detect cyber attacks at an early stage and minimise damage in an emergency. Master bakers, craft businesses and logistics companies are supported by this IT field office around the clock through personal contact persons. In addition, companies and businesses will be supported by training tools from here in the future to sensitise employees to the dangers of the internet. This will help to prevent black screens, idle machines and millions in damages.

We are democratising cyber security

‘We are democratising cyber security for all companies in the country. This is important because more than half of all hacker attacks are directed against small and medium-sized companies. However, these are often defenceless against the dangers of the internet because they rarely have their own IT experts in their ranks. This is precisely where we want to help, so that our tradespeople, master bakers and logistics experts are not left alone to face the risks of digitalisation. Only then can they properly exploit the opportunities,’ says Hagen Rickmann, head of corporate customers at Vodafone Germany.

Around 1,200 cyber attacks per company per week

SMEs are the backbone of the German economy – and a popular target for cybercriminals. Recent studies show that 47 per cent of all business risks in Germany can be traced back to attacks on the internet. German companies are attacked 1,200 times every week on average. More than 50 per cent of all attacks are directed against small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Currently, it takes about 21 days for operations at such companies to be fully restored after an attack. For smaller companies, their very existence is then quickly at stake.

‘We are experts when it comes to building, renovating and beautifying. And we are becoming more and more digital in the process. But we are not cyber security experts. And yet we are aware that only if we are sufficiently protected online can we fully focus on our core business. That’s why we also have employees in IT, but cyber security is much more complex today and cannot be handled by just one person. We need experts to secure us online 24/7 so that we can focus fully on our expertise and our core business,’ says Moritz Könnecke of Alfred Smit Fliesen- und Baustoffhandel GmbH und Co. KG.

‘As a provider of digital solutions, we know how crucial cyber security is for our work and that of our customers. The SOC solution from Vodafone combines AI-supported analyses with expert knowledge – that’s exactly what is needed to detect attacks early and respond in a targeted manner,’ says Lars-Thorsten Sudmann from bloofactory GmbH & Co. KG.

Cyber Security Centre: IT outpost for small and medium-sized businesses

The new cyber security centre that Vodafone is launching today in Düsseldorf is designed to solve precisely this problem and also to make small and medium-sized companies secure in the digital world. More than 100 security experts will monitor and take care of cyber security for companies throughout the country via the centre – around the clock. Initially, more than 20 experts will be on hand to provide concrete security mechanisms and preventive real-time analyses. If a company is attacked, the IT experts trigger the appropriate protective mechanisms from here and are in constant contact with the companies. Via an easy-to-use CyberHub, non-IT experts can also easily find out about the current digital security situation and attacks that have been averted at any time. Vodafone also takes over the implementation, monitoring and maintenance of the security systems.

Security services from Microsoft, Google, Zscaler and other partners

All services controlled from here are tailored to the requirements of small and medium-sized companies. In the cyber security centre, Vodafone relies, among other things, on the cooperation with and extensive services from Microsoft. A wide range of tools and services from Lookout and, in the future, other partners such as CybSafe, TrendMicro, Zscaler and Google will also be controlled from here.