Expanding the Market by Developing Endpoint and Security Operation Solutions
WithNetworks, a company specializing in managed security services, announced its vision to grow into an integrated security company that harmonizes service, solution, and distribution businesses. Based on the competitiveness of managed security detection and response (MDR), it plans to drive the security market by integrating services, distribution, and solutions. It also revealed its ambition to enhance its capabilities as a security platform operator while developing differentiated endpoint security solutions and various security operation solutions. We found WithNetworks, which is confident in reorganizing the security market with a new approach.
WithNetworks announced that it would establish itself as an integrated security company by harmonizing services, solutions, and distribution businesses. The plan is to develop managed security services with the highest competitiveness in Korea, various network and security solution distribution businesses at home and abroad, and self-developed solutions as the three pillars of growth.
Jong-up Ahn, CEO of WITHNetworks, said, “I feel proud that we have led the evolution of technology and market while maintaining our position as a leader in the managed security market for the past 10 years. We will raise our corporate value to the next level by combining the industry's best managed security service business, the capabilities accumulated while delivering various network and security solutions at home and abroad to customers, and the harmony of self-developed solutions.”
Targeting the Market with a Security Platform
WithNetworks emphasizes ‘solution’ as the next-generation growth engine. With Networks developed the ‘i24’ solution in 2016, it entered the security solution market in earnest. ‘i24’ started development with a long-term roadmap to grow into an endpoint integrated security platform (EPP).
Currently, APT protection solution ‘i24A’ and Ransomware protection solution ‘i24R’ have been supplied to several customers. In the future, it plans to further develop security solutions required for endpoints and supply them in the form of modules integrated with the i24 platform to enhance platform competitiveness.
The reason why WithNetworks has strong confidence in its ‘platform’ is that it is based on its high level of security expertise accumulated while developing managed security services and solution distribution businesses. It is judged that by adding WithNetworks' security capabilities to the 'i24' solution, it will be able to prove its competitiveness in the field of security operation by integrating service, system construction and operation, and solution technology.
WithNetworks has been selected as the domestic managed security service company of Cybereason, a global next-generation endpoint security solution company, and provides endpoint MDR service. The primary goal is to establish itself as a company specializing in endpoint security that provides solutions and services together by integrating the capabilities accumulated while providing Cyberizen MDR and i24's technology.
CEO, Jong-eop Ahn said, “i24, developed with WithNetworks' proprietary technology, is a security platform that responds to APT and ransomware that evolves by detecting abnormal behavior of programs and files occurring within endpoints. We will grow into a company that provides truly integrated endpoint security platforms and services by adding our capabilities in providing Cybereason solutions and MDR services.”
Real-time Endpoint Immune System
'i24' is a security solution that means providing an uninterrupted immune system for endpoints. It protects endpoints by removing suspicious processes from all files and content flowing into endpoints and allowing only normal processes. .
‘i24’ uses the drive filter function to detect malware from the OS level to the user level. When a new file or document is downloaded to the endpoint via e-mail, web, USB, etc., it is checked whether there is an executable program in the file or document, whether a suspicious executable file is created, or whether file forgery or alteration occurs, and the hidden program is detected. Block execution and allow normal program execution.
Content Detoxification (CDR) and 'i24' have the same point of detoxifying externally imported files, but the approach to detoxification is different. CDR removes malicious executable files by removing only the normal contents from external documents and reassembling them into clean documents. CDRs are difficult to develop because they have to support numerous types of document formats and settings.
There is a problem that the speed of reading documents in the actual work environment is slow, and there is also a limit that it can interfere with work by being reconstructed in a format different from the original document. It also removes normal content such as macros and videos necessary for work, causing inconvenience to work.
‘i24’ does not reassemble documents, but detects whether malicious behavior occurs in downloaded documents and harms them by blocking abnormal processes. By automatically recognizing the file and checking for macro and zero-day attacks, it does not change the original file. It is not installed as a network appliance, but is installed on endpoints, so analysis accuracy is high, and even attempts to circumvent security can be blocked by inspecting the extension of all content.
‘i24’ is not a signature-based detection, so pattern updates are unnecessary. Malicious behavior can be found even without being connected to an external network using patented proprietary process discovery technology.
Provide Policy Management Optimized for Customer Environment
With Networks launched the firewall policy management solution ‘withFLOW’, it expanded its business to the policy management market. Currently, 'Withflow' is a solution that can conveniently operate a foreign firewall policy management solution, but plans to grow it into an essential product for security operation by adding its own policy management automation technology in the future.
Currently, the firewall policy management market is dominated by foreign solutions, but domestic firewall administrators have difficulties in operation because they provide a UI and management environment that are not familiar with the domestic environment. In addition, the domestic firewall support function is not perfect, and it has problems such as failure. Withflow plans to help maximize the benefits of policy management automation solutions by providing flexible customization and customized policy management.
CEO Jong-eop Ahn said, “Since WithNetworks provides managed security services, we are well aware of the problems our customers face in operating firewalls. In addition, while distributing various security products, it accurately grasps the characteristics of the product. By dissolving this accumulated experience into ‘Withflow’, we can provide a policy management solution optimized for the customer environment.”
Establishment of Foundation for Growth of Integrated Cyber Security Company
WithNetworks, which had been focusing on managed security services, started to expand the market while developing solutions on its own because it judged that it could not achieve significant growth only with the existing business model. Managed security service is a monthly billing business, so it can lead the business stably, but there is a limit to achieving high growth.
WithNetworks attempted to develop security solutions for a new leap forward, and used differentiated endpoint security technologies and firewall policy management solutions that melted its core competencies as a growth engine. In the future, it plans to secure automated threat detection and response capabilities from endpoints to networks by adding security orchestration and integrated monitoring solutions.
The reason With Networks advances into a new market without hesitation is because it has confidence in its security expertise accumulated over 10 years. Since its establishment in 2009, WithNetworks has provided managed security services for KT and S1. Currently, it provides services to about 23,000 customers in Korea, and secures more than 300 customers for security control and consulting services.
The security solution distribution business is also rapidly expanding. It distributes various network security solutions such as Fortinet, AhnLab, Palo Alto Networks, and SonicWall, and provides various wired and wireless network infrastructure construction services such as Ruckus, Aruba, and Cisco. The Cybereason MDR service is also making significant progress.
WithNetworks has succeeded in supplying EDR solutions to large manufacturers, power plants, service companies, solution development companies, and hospitals, and is also supplying email APT solutions to many customers. In addition, it has been designated as a sole distributor of Fortinet Korea and has been targeting the public market since last May with a plan to complete procurement registration in September.
CEO Jong-up Ahn said, “WithNetworks has a competitive edge in managed security services recognized in the industry and various experiences in building security and infrastructure solutions. We will lay the foundation to grow into an integrated security company by adding security solutions and security services with excellent ideas.”
A Company Growing 'With' Employees
WithNetworks' core competitiveness comes from 'people'. Because WithNetworks' security service is based on the expertise of high-level security experts, it is essential to have experience in securing and retaining great talent. WithNetworks is creating a model in which companies and employees grow together while sharing a vision for talent management.
CEO said, “Talented people don’t only prefer large companies. If you lay the foundation for growth while sharing the company's vision, you don't have to worry about the outflow of talent. WithNetworks is making various efforts to become a wonderful company that executives and employees create together, and is preparing a growth engine by continuously developing new businesses while enhancing the competitiveness of existing businesses.”