The Virtual Firewall allows customers to access advanced security infrastructure in the Telefónica network offering end-to-end protection for their communications. Additionally, the service is managed in an agile way via a dedicated web portal or using APIs, all deployed in a virtualised environment.
"We have to transform our traditional services to give our customers the agility and flexibility they are demanding, enabling APIs that allow automation and access to the best range of virtualised services," said Hugo de los Santos, director of products and services, Telefónica Business Solutions.
To complement this new offering, the company is working on creating a Virtual Network Functions Market place. This multi-vendor open ecosystem will include functions that can be contracted and deployed in real-time, both from the network and at the client's facilities, completely integrated within a SD-WAN service and end-to-end connectivity services. The Virtual Firewall service forms part of this virtual services ecosystem and this service has only been launched in Telefónica’s B2B markets.
"Telefónica is a reference partner for Fortinet. Together we provide Spanish companies with multiple security solutions, both for their corporate and telecommunications networks,” added Yann Pradelle, vice president of Europe, Fortinet. “We also collaborate in managed services and specifically, security solutions offered to Telefónica’s customers. The Virtual Firewall service (firewall on the network) is an example of how Fortinet virtualised security solutions, in combination with Telco operator infrastructure, meet the security requirements of the digital transformation for multinational companies."
According to Telefónica, enterprise security is an important area of growth within SD-WAN digital networks, as they create private networks combining both public and private access, which has the potential to increase the exposure to security attacks.
Due to the complexity and increasingly professionalised nature of security risks, companies need to safeguard their day-to-day activity in cyberspace, protecting the main vectors of attack including email and web browsing, whilst providing protection to internal networks and databases.
