New GBA business developments drive demand for cybersecurity solutions
HGC Global Communications has launched a secure access service for businesses in the Greater Bay Area, powered by Palo Alto Networks.
The expansion of enterprises in the Greater Bay Area has caused heightened demand for cybersecurity solutions, intensified by regulatory and compliance issues, as well as connectivity challenges.
Alvin Wong, Chief Operating Officer for ICT Business, Solutions and Product at HGC, identified a significant market in the Greater Bay Area, with many Hong Kong enterprises expanding their operations.
"That's why we are considering working with our long-term partner, Palo Alto Networks, to come up with a suitable solution to address these pain points and challenges," Wong explained.
Wickie Fung, Managing Director for Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area at Palo Alto Networks, emphasised the difficulty enterprises face in maintaining consistent cybersecurity across different cities in the Greater Bay Area. "Cyber attacks are more than what they're not talking about. They may not need to be seen in China to attack the enterprise in China," Fung noted.
The managed SASE service, a combination of technologies and cross-border connectivities, aims to provide seamless user experiences in both Hong Kong and China. This service includes an operation centre for monitoring system healthiness on both sides.
"We can test before the end product to minimise mistakes or whatever implementing the solutions," Wong adds, emphasising the proactive approach to cybersecurity.
Fung explained that SASE combines network and security services in a simple, effective way, aligning with the zero-trust strategy. This approach allows enterprises to manage who can access their data, regardless of their location within the Greater Bay Area, thus effectively protecting their data.
Addressing the cost implications for enterprises, Wong highlighted the pay-as-you-go model of their SASE solution, which allows customers to customise their solutions according to immediate demands and future planning.
Wong said that this model minimises investment and allows selective implementation of solutions. "They don't need any infrastructures or operation centre for monitoring, leverage on our infrastructure already set up for operations," he stated.
Fung pointed out that Palo Alto Networks has spent the last 18 months studying all these regulatory requirements to ensure that the cost of compliance is not passed on to the end-users.
He said that this thorough preparation allows for a more timely and cost-effective rollout of the solution. "Imagine if a customer needs to talk to different partners in different cities, that will also involve a lot of costs," Fung remarked.
HGC's new service leverages its international network for SD-WAN and utilises its Security Operations Centre to monitor the SASE cloud and client devices across data centres, offices, and cloud virtual appliances. This approach enhances security and stability, simplifies management, offers better scalability and observability, and reduces costs in hybrid environments.
