Globe ties up with US firm for cybersecurity services

MANILA, Philippines —  As businesses suffer from digital attacks, telco-to-tech provider Globe Telecom Inc. has contracted the services of a California-based innovator to provide security solutions to enterprise clients.

Globe yesterday said it signed a partnership with Zscaler Inc. to offer user access and data protection to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and large companies.

The telco will bring into the Philippines the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange, the flagship product of the cybersecurity provider owned by Jay Chaudhry, one of the world’s richest men.

The service extends security capabilities to help clients detect, prevent and address cyber threats. Given its all-in-one nature, Globe promises customers that they will save up on operational costs in adopting Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange.

Moreover, the platform provides comprehensive protection for all offices and users in a company regardless of location. In the process, clients will require less of traditional infrastructure, resulting in savings.

Globe Business vice president for product Angie Po said the telco decided to tie up with Zscaler in response to the rising number of online attacks on enterprises.

“We understand the immense challenge businesses face in navigating the evolving cybersecurity landscape amid rapid digital adoption,” Po said.

“Joining forces with Zscaler allows us to deliver cutting-edge security capabilities coupled with trusted managed services, as this powerful combination enables customers to embrace innovation confidently, knowing that their users, applications and data are comprehensively protected,” she added.

Recent data from cybersecurity leader Kaspersky showed the alarming increase in digital attacks on Philippine firms. In 2023, the Philippines endured the largest rise in web-based attacks against businesses across Southeast Asia, tripling to 1.69 million, from 492,567 in 2022.

As such, the Philippines ranked third in the region behind Indonesia’s 4.97 million and Vietnam’s 1.96 million in terms of business cyber threats. Kaspersky described web-based threats as digital risks that arise from end-user vulnerabilities, and most of the time they lead to brand damage.

Zscaler, headquartered in San Jose, California, develops cloud-based services that seek to defend enterprise networks from data breaches.