Everything is being digitized and connected online. More and more IT applications are coming from the cloud, for example; more and more machines are communicating with each other, autonomously; and more and more business and government services are being made available to customers and citizens via smartphone apps.
As digitization progresses, the issue of security is becoming ever more pressing. Deutsche Telekom alone records four to six million attacks on its almost 200 online traps, known as honeypots, every day! The connected world is vulnerable and generally insecure, which means it presents fundamental security risks for business enterprises and entire countries alike. Deutsche Telekom, with its high-performance networks and data centers, considers itself to have an obligation to protect its customers' data and processes, and its own IT assets, around the globe.
To achieve this, Deutsche Telekom has had an international Cyber Defense Center (CDC) in place since the end of the 1990s. The team there spots, analyzes and evaluates security incidents and instructs the Group on how to react. One thing it does with this aim in mind is to exchange information with other CERTs (Computer Emergency Response Teams), the authorities, and other companies. In addition to this, CDC is also going to start offering services to customers.
The Cyber Defense Center is part of the Telekom Security business unit, which was established on January 1, 2017. In the unit, more than 1,200 employees assess, test and develop new products for both internal and external customers. The "Magenta Security Portfolio" offers comprehensive end-to-end solutions that span the entire security product portfolio for major and medium-sized companies, right down to private individuals.
Deutsche Telekom carries out its own technological research in the field of IT security/cyber security, for example at the Telekom Innovation Laboratories in Berlin, in conjunction with the city's technical university, and at Ben-Gurion University in Israel. In addition, Deutsche Telekom is also involved in active discussions with internationally renowned research institutes, works with strong security partners around the globe, and cooperates closely on security matters with organizations, authorities and customers from all industries.
Trust-based dialog between experts and managers, beyond company and industry boundaries, is considered particularly valuable. Findings that emerge from these efforts shape new products and defense strategies. This new quality of transparency reduces the advantage of attackers and sometimes increases the cost of attacks for cyber criminals, thanks to improved defenses.
