Finnish telecom giant Nokia has launched its new security risk index assessment and managed security services to address rising security threats to telecom networks.

Together, they form a unique, holistic approach to targeting security challenges across mobile, IP and fixed networks in the digital transformation era, when new services and virtualized systems also introduce new vulnerabilities.

In addition to addressing their own security needs, operators can white label Managed Security Services to enterprises under their own brand, which offers revenue potential in the fast-growing enterprise security market and optimizes time to market, said a statement from Nokia.

Growing regulatory pressure and increasingly complex networks carrying sensitive data from Internet of Things (IoT), personal devices, and social and business applications have heightened the importance of data security for operators, it stated.

Nokia is taking a unique, integrated approach that starts from assessing operators' security risks across various security domains, benchmarking against industry peers, and providing a 360-degree gap analysis and suggestions for performance improvements. This is the essence of the Security Risk Index, it added.

After the assessment, a managed service, powered by Nokia NetGuard software, will complete the holistic security approach.

Nokia experts design the network security infrastructure, information management and monitoring systems to ensure that critical information assets are adequately protected against known and unknown threats, and that the operator meets applicable security compliance standards and regulations.

Having secured their own networks, operators can go on to offer the Managed Security Services, or selected elements of it, to their enterprise customers, said the Finnish company in its statement.

In partnership with Nokia, operators can easily implement a security portfolio to open a new revenue source and increase customer loyalty, it added.

Patrick Donegan, principal analyst, HardenStance, said: "Telecom operators need strategic security partners that have a deep understanding of the unique aspects of their network environment and the threats that they and their customers face. Nokia's Security Risk Index and Managed Security Service propositions are an important contribution to addressing those challenges."

Friedrich Trawoeger, head of Managed Services at Nokia, said: "Operators must be prepared for a security breach. A dynamic, managed security proposition is needed to eliminate possible threats, so we are taking a comprehensive approach to security from assessing risks to managing and maintaining our customers' security infrastructure."

"This is the best approach to defend against attacks. In addition, the resale white label model will allow our customers to monetize the security opportunity," he added.-TradeArabia News Service