The Solution

Axis’ existing security posture had been built on basic firewalls and passwords, but this had not been sufficient to protect it from malware. KNet is now transforming Axis to a complete, fully-managed Cisco network operation, utilising the security solutions in Cisco Start’s portfolio. Once this kind of transformation might have once been beyond the budget of a company Axis’ size. But KNet has created a consumption-based model where clients can utilise the services needed on a per-month basis. “We are the first company in the world to put that together with Cisco, and that means Axis can use enterprise grade security, which would normally be $4 million or $5 million to deploy across a network, at a reasonable price for a mid-sized business,” Dickerson says.

Empower your business with the Cisco Start portfolio

The OutcomeKNet worked through Axis’ requirements for firewalls and endpoint protection, implementing tools including Cisco’s Umbrella cloud-based secure internet gateway. The cloud-based model has proven especially useful for Axis, given the far-flung nature of its operations, and successfully blocked 83,000 malware attacks in its first week alone.KNet has also implemented Cisco’s Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for Endpoints, enabling it to take a more holistic approach to examining what is moving through the network.

Advanced Malware Protection (AMP)

“That allows us to manage every file that comes in and do full tracing across the network, so when there is an issue we can quickly go back to what that issue was, and then resolve that, instead of having to figure out what has happened later,” Dickerson says. “It is allowing us to respond to their security concerns faster.”Using Cisco’s AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client also enables KNet to easily extend Axis’ security to remote offices and workers.“That not only allowed them to offer security inhouse, which was easy to do in their Australian offices, but extended that capability to their remote workers and remote offices,” he says.Wagg says the benefits of KNet’s Cisco-based security service have been immediate and invaluable. “I can’t remember the last time we had an issue,” he says.Axis is also in a stronger position for the implementation of mandatory breach reporting in February 2018, thanks to its more strongly defended network and better visibility.