Betacom AirGap Protection strengthens security for private 4G/5G networks
Betacom introduced Betacom AirGap Protection, a network architecture aimed at enhancing cybersecurity for its flagship offering, Betacom 5G as a Service (5GaaS).
The new cyber defense enhancements provide multi-layered security to reduce the risk, complexity and cost of adding industrial automation and IoT applications into the enterprise environment, delivering the foundation for the next phase of economic and business evolution driven by wireless connectivity, automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning and real-time data.
Betacom AirGap Protection completely isolates 4G/5G traffic from an enterprise’s existing IT infrastructure and takes a zero trust approach to harden each network element – using a combination of traffic segregation, 3GPP tunneling, encryption and granular access controls.
In addition to limiting the impact of malicious activity, AirGap Protection makes it easier to deploy new services without impacting the performance of other enterprise systems.
“Given today’s cybersecurity climate, customers are increasingly concerned about the safety of their data,” said Johan Bjorklund, CEO of Betacom. “Our new architecture is designed to protect against known threats to industrial and other mission-critical services, including supply chain attacks, man-in-the-middle attacks, stolen credentials, session hijacking and denial of service. With more visibility and control over network security, enterprises can confidently deploy new services that automate their operations and eliminate the insecurity of Wi-Fi systems and the high cost of carrier networks.”
The AirGap framework will be first deployed in Betacom’s private 5G networks at MxD, which is designated the National Center for Cybersecurity in Manufacturing by the U.S. Defense Department. MxD works with industry and government leaders to develop and proliferate new tools to address the pain points of manufacturers at its Chicago facility.
“As more companies deploy private wireless networks to support automation and IoT initiatives, many worry about the risks of increasing their IT attack surface,” said Michela Menting, Senior Digital Security Research Director at ABI Research. “Betacom’s multi-layered approach and new AirGap Protection architecture can help alleviate the risks and augment customers’ existing intrusion detection and prevention strategies.”
Betacom’s 5GaaS is built on the customer’s premises and owned by the enterprise. Data remains behind the enterprise firewall and never intersects with public networks. Its private 4G/5G networks are monitored by the Betacom Service and Security Operations Center (SSOC) to provide 24×7, 365 days a year security coverage.