Axians and Actemium Open Their International Security Operations Center at uptownBasel
On 28 October 2021, VINCI Energies opened, as planned, the international Security Operations Center (SOC) of its brands Axians (ICT) and Actemium (industrial technology) in Switzerland. The new centre for defending against cyberattacks on IT and OT infrastructure is located at uptownBasel, the competence centre for Industry 4.0 in Arlesheim.
More than 100 experts, customers and partners attended the opening event. Visitors got to know the SOC, which acts as the hub for the regional Axians SOCs in the EMEA region, and its services on site. The programme included talks by technical cyber security experts, the Basel-Landschaft criminal police and the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), as well as live demos on protecting industrial plants.
A hub for protecting connected industry
Over recent months, VINCI Energies has invested in building up the SOC hub in Basel. From now on, Actemium and Axians deliver comprehensive cyber security protection from there and coordinate the international collaboration of the regional SOCs in Germany, the Czech Republic and other European countries.
In the age of Industry 4.0, this creates particular value for manufacturing companies. The SOC in Basel monitors all networked sensors, machines, plants and devices, analyses security patterns and anomalies, and initiates protective measures to ward off potential attacks.
"We are delighted to be launching successfully with the new SOC for ICT and OT in Switzerland and across Europe. As part of the uptownBasel innovation and competence centre, we see ourselves perfectly positioned to secure Industry 4.0 projects from a state-of-the-art SOC location," says Stefano Camuso, CEO of Axians & Actemium Switzerland.
Hundreds of experts, one network
In Germany and Switzerland, the Axians and Actemium team already counts over 100 cyber security experts, who are coordinated from the SOC in Basel. Worldwide, the SOC connects more than 300 specialists as a hub. Expertise in information and communication technology (ICT) and industrial operational technology (OT) is bundled, along with insights from international research collaborations on critical infrastructure.
"What has particularly impressed me over the past months is the cross-border collaboration of our experts. A leading team has emerged here," says Jacques Diaz, CEO of Axians Germany.
Four steps to secure IT infrastructure
The SOC's services fall into four fields:
- Vulnerability Scan: a vulnerability and compliance scan of the entire IT infrastructure, with the key issues and remediation steps.
- Penetration Testing: testing the security of as many system components and applications as possible, using the means an attacker would use.
- Active MDR (Managed Detection and Response): endpoint protection combined with human expertise to find, monitor and respond to threats in time.
- Managed Services: customers hand over round-the-clock operation of their IT security systems to experts, so they need no staff of their own to run a SOC.
Pricing follows an OPEX model with annual or monthly payment, which minimises fixed investments and lowers the entry barrier. It is based on events per second and the chosen service level (24/7 or 9/5).
Use case: protecting critical infrastructure
Operators of critical infrastructure show particular interest, as legal reporting obligations and high protection requirements make processes such as SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) essential. One customer, a Swiss waste disposal company that works for the public sector and operates waste incineration plants, has commissioned a comprehensive security audit, laying the foundation for permanent protection of its plant operations from the SOC.
A concept that works
uptownBasel had already reached a major milestone in July, when operations began. "Simply building commercial rental space was never our goal. We wanted to create a competence centre for Industry 4.0 and at the same time lay the foundations for a culture of innovation, collaboration and networking, because we know that success stories are in most cases the result of teamwork. We are proud that the uptownBasel concept has proven itself and met VINCI Energies' high requirements," says Hans-Jörg Fankhauser, site developer of the uptownBasel campus.
Source: VINCI Energies opens international IT/OT Security Operations Center in Basel – Axians CH
