It had been on the cards for months, but now it has come to fruition: Norwegian satcom specialist Marlink is establishing its own business unit in the field of cyber security.
Marlink aims to provide a concerted response to the need for security and compliance in the maritime industry.
The new Marlink Cyber unit will “work across all market sectors with a portfolio of managed services that includes security assessments, infrastructure protection and cyber defense solutions,” according to a statement. An elementary part of the initiative is the integration of Diverto and Port-IT, which were acquired last year. In future, around 150 experts will focus on the development and provision of services and solutions “that customers need to meet the new challenges in the area of cyber”.
Tore Morten Olsen, President of Marlink Maritime, had already confirmed exclusively to HANSA in the autumn that the company, which actually specializes in satellite communication services, intends to become much more involved in this area. In October there was then a more or less official announcement of the project. Now the Norwegians are announcing the move.
Several so-called “Security Operations Centers” are to offer proactive services at “strategic locations worldwide” – including the original SOC for the maritime sector – to help companies understand and adapt their security situation. This also involves demonstrating compliance with stricter legal regulations.
“Operators in the energy, shipping and humanitarian aid sectors face numerous challenges when it comes to understanding security vulnerabilities, security levels, expected threats and their position against industry best practice. Based on the established NIST framework ‘Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover, Govern’, we want to help them build operational resilience, comply with regulations and invest for the greatest impact,” the Marlink statement said.
In future, the offering will comprise the areas of “Cyber Security Professional Services”, “Infrastructure and Endpoint Security” and “Cyber Security Defense Centre”. The focus will include security solutions, detection and response services, vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, phishing and awareness programs, compliance and gap assessments and risk management.
