Nigel Everett (Defend)
New Zealand cybersecurity practise Defend has claimed a word first among Microsoft security partners: a fourth advanced specialisation.
The achievement of the advanced specialisation for cloud security, was recognition of capability and expertise with Azure security services.
Advanced specialisations test the ability of Microsoft partners to understand customer challenges, demonstrating a company’s expertise with advanced technologies, with a particular focus on the value and outcomes they provide customers.
“At a time when organisations are digitising faster than ever before, they are also more exposed to cyber risk," said Vanessa Sorenson, managing director of Microsoft New Zealand.
"That makes the work of companies like Defend absolutely crucial to ensuring New Zealand organisations can continue to operate, innovate and adapt securely adapt to new ways of working."
Defend had worked closely with many organisations, developing a broad understanding of the issues unique to various sectors and helping them to effectively use people, processes and technology to address these challenges.
Nigel Everett, CEO of Defend, said a key philosophy that drove the company was that of deploying secure cloud services, rather than securing existing cloud services.
"The ability to partner with customers to increase the resilience of their technology platforms without interrupting operations has been critical to our success," he said.
Defend was the first local company to attain the threat protection, identity and access management and info protection and governance advanced specialisations, the other three in Microsoft's suite.
Matt Bostwick, partner director at Microsoft New Zealand, described the award as a "world-first milestone", that built on Defend's win at the Microsoft partner awards for modern work and security and becoming a member of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association.
“We’re proud of our work and excited by what the future holds," Everett said.
"Cybersecurity is a great enabler and we look forward to helping our customers fulfil their potential and aspire to even better outcomes."
