Didata Deal Leapfrogs ISS to Top of Managed Security Heap

[Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA]
Networking and interactive services group Dimension Data announced yesterday that it has
signed a partnership agreement with the Nasdaq-listed Internet Security Systems (ISS) that will
make the U.S. company the largest provider of managed security services in the world.

The new service enables Didata to offer managed security services to its existing
global client base through its recently launched Global Services division.

According to ISS President Mark Hangen, the partnership will leapfrog ISS to the top
of the managed security provision business not only on a global basis, but on every
continent as well.
This will be made possible through Didata’s extended e-business partnership network
in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and to a lesser extent, in the U.S.
With the Atlanta-based ISS already a significant provider of managed security services
in the U.S., the security company will assume a dominant position in the international
market.

Didata will gain from the partnership by being able to offer a single e-business
managed services solution.
Citing ISS research, Hangen argues that enterprises prefer to purchase managed
security as part of a larger bundle of managed services, such as those offered by
Didata.
“Integrating our managed security offerings into Didata’s Global Services operating
architecture provides enterprises with a robust solution,” he said.

For the networking company, which recently listed on the London Stock Exchange to
much fanfare, this deal will fill a gap in the company’s existing services offering.
“Security is a critical element of successful e-business within the new economy.”
explains Didata Group MD for Global Networking Services, Bruce Watson.
Watson reveals that ISS met the company’s criterion for a complementary security
offering, boasting both considerable expertise and a high-profile market position.
“No other managed security provider measured up,” he says.

Didata will also gain access to ISS’s extensive research services.
This includes the ‘X-Force’, a research and development team keyed into detecting and
developing remedies for global security breaches.
The networking company’s security offering will now encompass managed firewall,
managed VPN, managed intrusion detection and managed anti-virus services.