Partner content: More and more often, when you touch the glass on a mobile device there is an opportunity for a cybercriminal to attack you, your device, your data and your digital life
Telco subscribers know it, but try not to think about it too much; Getting protected is a hassle. Its hard for them to decide which solution to choose, and even harder to budget protection for all of their devices and their family’s devices. This is especially true for many people who don’t even understand all the techno terms flying past them when it comes to cybersecurity.
Not only does this all apply to consumer subscribers, but to small businesses, as well. Large enterprises are fortunate enough to have budgets for cybersecurity protection and teams of experts to implement protection plans. But most people and small businesses are left in the dark, and very often do not protect themselves properly.
What’s more, people access the internet both on and off their telco operator’s network. But while the operator can protect its customers, both consumer and business subscribers, from cyberthreats while they are connected to the mobile network, customers are on their own when they connect to the Wi-Fi network at a coffee shop, and airport or a friend or relative’s home. That’s where endpoint security solutions come in… perhaps.
Although most people are unprotected, Research from Allot shows that mobile subscribers are not just willing to pay for cybersecurity protection. They would, in fact, turn to their operators, and trust them to provide those services if they were made available. In other words, the telco can take advantage of the opportunity that their customers are ready to give them; They can become trusted security providers, and not just communication providers.
The endpoint problem
Unfortunately, in response to this demand, many telcos have chosen to offer endpoint security applications from well-known vendors, which almost universally limit the security revenue potential of the telco due to poor uptake, which do not enhance the telco’s brand as a security provider as the solutions are normally branded by a third party, and which deliver a user experience that is not appropriate for the non-technical customer.
Endpoint applications have been the go-to add-on for telco providers for years. With no integration necessary on the part of the telco, endpoint apps are an easy solution for offering subscribers some kind of security protection on their devices. But just because endpoint solutions are easy for the telco doesn’t mean that they are easy for telco customers. And telcos know this. With adoption rates hovering around 5%, the hassle (there’s that word again) of installing the app and being reminded frequently to update definitions can be anywhere from annoying to daunting for regular people, assuming they even decide to install in the first place.
An alternative to endpoint security apps
There is, however, an alternative to endpoint security software. It’s an alternative that, unlike traditional endpoint solutions, requires no downloading, no installation and no definitions and software updates on the part of the end user. Plus, its significantly lower in cost compared with the end user’s expectations of endpoint solutions while providing robust cyber security protection and content filtering. That alternative is a security SDK (Software Developers’ Kit) which is implemented by the telco provider and integrates with the provider’s service app on the end user’s mobile devices.
With an SDK, a telco can easily and quickly integrate a cybersecurity solution into both the service app on end users’ mobile devices and into the network monitoring system. Once integrated, the end users who subscribe to the service, potentially millions of them, are protected from malware, phishing and ransomware attacks, adware and other cyber threats. Plus, they benefit from content filtering services which give families peace of mind while protecting their children from inappropriate and potentially dangerous content, and small businesses the control over content that is not appropriate for the work environment. The telco gets a solution that is easy to deploy, maintain and monitor and provides a recurring source of service revenue.
What’s so great about an SDK?
Probably the most impactful improvement of an off-net security SDK for both the end user and the telco is hassle-free onboarding – When subscribers can be protected from cyberthreats without needing to download and install their cyber protection solution, they are more likely to sign on to a service that supplies their security needs but without the hassle. That’s the benefit of zero-touch onboarding and is a direct result of an off-net SDK-based solution being integrated into the operator’s network and existing applications.
In addition to easy onboarding, off-net security SDKs offer a list of benefits for the telco and their consumer and small business customers which endpoint solutions do not offer. Look for the following in a solution:
Unified on-net/off-net operation – Off-net protection is automatically activated when the end-user leaves the telco network. When on the telco network, the end-user is seamlessly protected by a network-based component of a unified cybersecurity solution.
Recurring revenue model – Working in conjunction with an integrated on-net solution, the telco should be able to earn recurring service revenue from a billing-integrated management application.
Mass-market availability – The solution should be built on a multi-tenancy model that can serve a mass market of up to millions of customers.
White-label solution – For the telco to be recognized as a trusted security provider, their security services should be branded as originating from the telco, even when the device is not connected to the telco network.
Telco-grade solution – Look for a solution from a vendor with extensive experience implementing telco-grade network-based solutions in telco networks.
Part of a full solution – A complete cybersecurity solution will offer both off-net cyber threat protection and on-net protection as part of a 360-degree package that can be offered to subscribers as a single service.
Unified management – Manage policies, track security events, and generate reports from one centralized platform for the off-net service and the on-net service.
Content filtering – Enables families to protect their children and small businesses to ensure an appropriate digital work environment.
Automatic definitions updates – The end user should not be relied upon to update their protection solution. When they are, the solution often does not get updated and the customer ends up not being protected from current threats.
For the last 15 years or so, endpoint security applications have been a standard tool in the telco marketing kit. By moving away from outdated and underperforming endpoint security apps toward integrated off-net SDK solutions, telcos can finally align their offerings with what customers truly need. With quick, easy activation, seamless integration into existing apps, and protection that follows users wherever they go, SDK-based security allows operators to offer real, ongoing value. Off-net SDKs, integrated with on-net security solutions, give telcos a way to become trusted providers of digital safety for consumers and small businesses, delivering hassle-free protection to the customer.
