Pan-African technology group Liquid Cyber Security has launched its first Cyber Security Fusion Centre in Johannesburg.

The fusion centre, one of six planned across Africa, provides 24/7 managed cybersecurity detection and response services to mitigate the growing threat of cyberattacks against governments and enterprises of all sizes.

Liquid Cyber Security’s new centre, enhanced by partners advisory-led cybersecurity services provider ITC Secure, Microsoft and cybersecurity firm Xcitium, will provide threat intelligence and help protect African enterprises against rampant and rising cybercrime.

“Our Pan-African Cyber Security Fusion Centres will, when fully operational, leverage our ability to track and predict threats across the continent and will be enhanced by the capability of our international partners such as Microsoft, ITC Secure and Xcitium,” says Liquid cloud and cybersecurity CEO David Behr.

It also brings together the existing Liquid Cloud Operations and Liquid Network Operation Centres, ensuring customers have full support across cybersecurity, the cloud and networks for end-to-end security.

The centre will eliminate silos and enhance threat visibility, leading to deeper collaboration across teams and increased cyber-resilience.

“The alarming rate of cyberattacks led us to launch Liquid Cyber Security in 2020, and today we are elevating the offering for our customers by launching the first fusion centre.”

Behr comments that, according to an Interpol report, South Africa had 230-million threats detected in 2021, highlighting a “dark side” to the rapid digital transformation.

There has been a rapid acceleration in the adoption of digital technologies globally; however, the nature of work and how businesses operate constantly evolve, alongside the scale of cyberthreats.

“Malicious actors have more avenues for attacking businesses through brute force or human error.”

With the fusion centres, Liquid aims to respond to threats with a strategic, tactical, technical and operational threat intelligence approach, enabling the teams to make informed decisions while mitigating the threat for customers.

Through the combined offering of the security advisory, managed service and integrated cyber intelligence, enterprises will now be able to stay ahead of cyberattacks, he says.

Following a phased approach, South African enterprises will benefit from new services that leverage Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Sentinel, which are all delivered and monitored constantly, 24/7, 365 days every year.

“We work with partners, such as Liquid Cyber Security and ITC Secure, to help us build a good offence and play a good defence against attackers. We already analyse over eight-trillion signals for potential malicious activity and, through the Cyber Security Fusion Centres, our partners will expand and strengthen this capability on the African continent,” says Microsoft South Africa security specialist manager Jon Hamlet.

Further, Liquid Cyber Security partnered with Xcitium, previously Comodo Security Solutions, to offer solutions designed for small and medium-sized businesses requiring security operation centre (SOC) services without investing in highly skilled resources or enterprise SOC services they cannot afford.

“One of the most significant advantages of the Liquid Cyber Security Fusion Centre is the improvement in the time it would take for the organisation to detect and respond to threats faster and smarter,” Behr adds.

“As a result, Liquid can now assist its customers in real time and enable them to be proactive rather than reactive, as well as effectively handle the situation, especially in today’s complex and threatened landscape.”

ITC Secure CEO Arno Robbertse says the company is adapting its parent company Haven Cyber Technologies’ SOC model from Sweden and the UK, specifically, for the cyberthreats that African enterprises are facing.

“This, combined with Liquid Cyber Security’s extensive access to local talent, will enable rapid delivery of security services across the continent and marks the next step towards building Africa’s digital future.”

Meanwhile, Haven Cyber Technologies and Liquid Cyber Security will train 2 000 new cybersecurity professionals with a 50:50 gender distribution as part of building the capacity of the cybersecurity community across Africa.

Currently, according to Robbertse, there are two-million unfilled cybersecurity jobs worldwide.

The training will be in partnership with leading universities and centres, including Haven’s own Cyber Academy.

The launch follows the announcement in December 2021 when ITC Secure and Liquid parent company Cassava Technologies entered into a joint venture to expand industry-leading security operations and Microsoft cloud security expertise in Africa.

In July, Cassava Technologies announced a $50-million strategic investment from C5 Capital to accelerate digital transformation across Africa.

ITC Secure is a portfolio company of C5 Capital.

“The launch of the matrix of Cyber Security Fusion Centres will facilitate both collaborative and intelligence-driven security functions to drive proactive responses and faster response times,” concludes Cassava Technologies president Hardy Pemhiwa.