AVeS Cyber Security first in Africa to achieve six Kaspersky Specialisation statuses

South Africa-based specialist IT governance and architectural services company, AVeS Cyber Security, has become the first in Africa to attain six Kaspersky Specialisations, bringing specialised expertise to solve the length and breadth of cyber security challenges with Kaspersky’s premium, enterprise-grade solutions within reach of small and medium-sized businesses.

Achieving Kaspersky Specialisation partner statuses follow a rigorous training, assessment and certification process to demonstrate advanced competency to deliver specialist services and expertise across six specialisations.

Group CEO Charl Ueckermann describes the achievement as a significant milestone for the company and local businesses that have been unable to access this level of specialised services and expertise due to prohibitive costs.

“As a Kaspersky Platinum Partner, we can offer the specialist Kaspersky solutions from AVeS Cyber Security's Next-Generation Security Operations Centre (SOC) to make enterprise-grade protection affordable to the average business. We are the only company in Africa to have this advanced and comprehensive capability.”

Kaspersky launched its new Specialisation partner programme, Kaspersky United, in 2019. The programme provides an opportunity for partners to develop in-depth knowledge in specific solution sets to offer customers specialised IT security solutions and services.

The key new feature of the programme is Specialisations, which empowers partners with in-depth technical knowledge on their chosen Specialisation. Specialised partners like AVeS Cyber Security also have access to priority technical support through a dedicated team within Kaspersky, which means they can provide expert support more efficiently.

“We introduced this feature because our portfolio is transforming to meet the cyber security demands of customers of various industries and sizes. We understand that companies are increasingly moving towards cloud solutions and security as a service models. That is why our offering is no longer limited to endpoint protection; we offer solutions to resist targeted attacks, prevent fraud and protect industrial facilities.

“By becoming a Specialist Partner, partners can show potential customers that they have got proven expertise in helping to solve specific security issues. AVeS Cyber Security has proven expertise across these Specialisation categories,” says Lehan van den Heever, Enterprise Cyber Security Advisor for Kaspersky.

There are six Specialisations categories. These are:

Managed service provider

This Specialisation enables organisations to access managed security services that adapt to their changing business requirements. Operating on a fully opex-based model, organisations can now protect their organisations' devices and employees on a pay-for-what-you-use basis, eliminating the need for often complex security licensing structures required in the past.

Extended detection and response

This Specialisation defends against the most sophisticated, APT-like and targeted cyber attacks. The Kaspersky Anti-Targeted Attack Platform with Kaspersky EDR at its core, enriched with threat intelligence, secures multiple potential threat entry-points at both network and endpoint levels to deliver extended detection and response capabilities.

Threat intelligence

This solution delivers the latest global threat intelligence to maintain immunity from previously unknown threats. It provides meaningful context throughout the incident management cycle, enabling fully informed decision-making.

Industrial cyber security

Cyber criminals are increasingly targeting automation and control systems that were previously regarded as safe from attack. Kaspersky Industrial Cyber Security helps protect distributed industrial automation and control systems in many industries, including power plants and grids; waste and water; metals, minerals, cement, potash and mining; oil and gas; pulp and paper; chemical; manufacturing and many more.

Fraud prevention

This solution uses machine learning and advanced intelligence to help government and businesses – including financial services, retail, healthcare and gambling – to protect against fraud while also reducing operating costs and improving the user experience for the business’s customers.

Security awareness

With businesses looking for effective ways to influence employee behaviour to eliminate attacks resulting from carelessness, Kaspersky Security Awareness provides efficient training capabilities for SMEs and enterprises. Multilingual online tools use gamification and modern learning techniques to cultivate strong cyber safety skills. Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation (KIPS) uses team-based board games to increase awareness of the risks and security problems of running modern computerised systems.

“The online services are integrated into our Next-Gen SOC from where we can manage interconnected systems in one place, as well as monitor and analyse the security posture on an ongoing basis. It is possible to visually track, analyse metrics, behaviour and key data points to monitor and manage risks more efficiently.

“For example, with extended detection and response, you will know immediately if something in your organisation is unusual. A ‘pattern of life’ – the normal way that information in the organisation is flowing – has a certain DNA. If there is a big change, such as someone trying to download a lot of files at 2am in the morning, the solution’s machine learning engine will detect the unusual pattern of behaviour so that proactive and timely remediation can happen with little to no human intervention required.”

He concludes: “With cyber threats increasing in number and sophistication, every second counts. With these Specialisations, organisations of all sizes now have access to the most advanced and comprehensive threat defence and remediation capabilities in an efficient, fast and cost-effective way.”