82 INTERVIEW Cyberattacks are continuing to rise in sophistication and frequency. For instance, ransomware attacks have increased by more than 200 per cent since September 2022, according to Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2023. With cyberattacks at an all-time high – totalling more than 4,000 identity attacks per second – organisations are turning to security experts for help. “Our focus is looking at how we can demystify cybersecurity and help our clients be compliant with regulation in a world with ever-emerging security threats,” says Siân John, chief technology officer at NCC Group and former senior director of security business development at Microsoft. “We do that through risk management; consulting, implementation and technical assurance services; and incident response.” NCC Group is a global cybersecurity organisation that operates across multiple sectors with the core vision to create a secure digital future. It works with technology firms such as Microsoft and the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA) to help protect businesses against cyberthreats. “We provide Managed Extended Detection and Response (MXDR) to our clients and support a variety of market-led technologies within our solution including Microsoft Sentinel, Defender and wider Microsoft 365 security capabilities,” says John. We further augment those with our own threat intelligence capabilities. This enables us to provide clients with custom integrations, extensive enrichment automation and faster threat detections. For example, NCC Group helped a large nonprofit organisation detect a phishing scheme by increasing its threat visibility with its MXDR solution. “One of our threat intelligence tools includes an online exposure monitoring service, which can search for exposed data about certain organisations or executives on the dark web to combat security breaches that are already in progress,” says John. “We also offer consulting implementation, where we ensure that businesses have the correct combination of technology and human expertise for people-powered, technologyenabled cybersecurity.” “Our partnership with Microsoft allows us to ensure we’re making the best use of Microsoft security products so we can confidently provide strong managed services and innovative technology to our clients,” says John. “As part of the MISA association, Microsoft provides us with extra access to the expertise we need to make sure that integrations into A secure digital future Siân John MBE reveals how NCC Group collaborates with Microsoft to better protect businesses as cyberattacks continue to surge BY ALICE CHAMBERS “ We ensure that businesses have the correct combination of technology and human expertise”
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