The Security Operations Center (SOC) was established to leverage BT's global security expertise and leading cyber technologies in order to defend the public and private sector against various types of cyberattacks, which the organisation claims are continuously growing. The SOC is based in BT's signature Riverside Tower building in Belfast (as many firms involved in the sector seem to have concluded). In order to provide Security Information Event Management (SIEM) and SOC managed services, the Department of Finance awarded a £6.3 million contract, which led to the opening of the new facility. The unit, according to what they have been told, will oversee ICT resources for the entire Northern Ireland Civil Service 24/7, 365 days a year.
It Is a Component of BT’s Larger Multi-Million Pound Project
Paul Murnaghan, Regional Director for BT's Enterprise business in Northern Ireland, noted that millions of people depend on BT's expertise in cyber security every day to ensure that they can go about their lives and operate their businesses safely. In order to provide the most efficient cyber assistance for the local public sector, they have made a sizeable investment in the opening of BT's Security Operations Centre in Belfast. They look forward to working with the Northern Ireland Civil Service in this relationship.
The SOC will assist in meeting the extraordinary difficulties posed by sophisticated cyber threats by utilising a plethora of talent from local cyber professionals. As more public services are provided online, their collaboration with the federal government will assist to ensure that the public can trust the services they access and that the data they submit is secure and protected.
It is a part of BT's larger multi-million dollar investment in the structure, which is now undergoing renovation on all 11 floors to provide room for 1800 new jobs when it is finished early in 2019.
A recent reorganisation in the BT high command appeared to indicate a desire to give security a greater role in the group's strategy. The newly reorganised Networks organisation under CTO Howard Watson will include Network Services, Strategy & Research, Cyber & Information Security, Operational Resilience & Service Management, Security Transformation, and Health, Safety, and Environment.
