Ramesh Indika, Head of Product – Enterprise Security at Dialog Enterprise, shares insights into the telco’s comprehensive enterprise security product and services covering cyber security and physical security as it helps Sri Lankan businesses of all sizes navigate through the ongoing economic crisis and connect with the rest of the world.
Dialog Enterprise’s productized Physical Security product and services stack comprises several advanced future-proof solutions, including Video Surveillance, Access Control, and Smart Security Application Suite.
This suite also features a range of intelligent applications such as Visitor, Parking, and Events Management. Moreover, the entire solution is hosted in Dialog’s stateof-the-art data centre, and is readily available for deployment to customers seeking advanced, next-generation, fully integrated physical security solutions.
Its cybersecurity stack provides comparable solutions to global ISPs, such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection, Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW), and Web Application Firewalls (WAF). Additionally, their security stack includes cutting-edge technologies such as end-point security, mobile security, web & email security, data security, cyber defence services, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), and Managed Security Operations Centres (MSOC). This essentially provides any enterprise of any size a complete end2end cyber security solution.
Dialog Enterprise has become a trusted managed security services provider and integrator with a proven track record of success in the local market. This success is attributed to its affiliation with Axiata, a well-known telecommunications company in Southeast Asia, which has enabled Dialog Enterprise to establish itself as a reliable player in the industry.
In this interview, Indika highlights Dialog Enterprise’s dedication and commitment to delivering modern and resilient security solutions, products, and services at competitive pricing, tailored to satisfy the unique security requirements of enterprise customers. Excerpts from the interview can be found below.
How does Dialog Enterprise’s physical security vertical offer end-to-end security solutions, from design and installation to maintenance and support, for businesses of all sizes?
We offer end-to-end physical security solutions tailored to businesses of all sizes. From design and installation to maintenance and support, our holistic approach ensures a seamless experience for clients. We collaborate closely with clients to understand their security needs and provide top-notch solutions using the latest technologies and industry best practices. Our services cover the entire installation process, and our dedicated team offers ongoing maintenance and support, available round the clock.
Additionally, we provide specialized solutions such as Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS), leveraging cloud-based video surveillance for remote access and scalability. Adhering to the guidelines set by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), our solutions cater to the banking sector’s regulatory requirements. Furthermore, our video analytics technologies enable automated security monitoring and actionable intelligence, empowering businesses to proactively address threats and make informed decisions based on real-time data.
Dialog Enterprise’s comprehensive physical security vertical offers businesses peace of mind while protecting their assets and data. Whether you’re a small startup or a large corporation, our expertise, and resources enable us to deliver a comprehensive security solution. With VSaaS, adherence to CBSL guidelines, and cutting-edge video analytics, we empower businesses to enhance their security posture and leverage real-time data for informed decision-making.
Can you explain the value-added services offered by Dialog Enterprise’s physical security vertical, such as remote monitoring and management and system integration capabilities?
We provide a variety of value-added services that complement our physical security solutions and help our clients to enhance their overall security posture. These services include:
Enabling Remote Monitoring and Management: Empowers our esteemed clients to keep an eye on their security systems from any location and at any time. This feature allows customers to keep a vigilant watch over their premises and possessions, even when they are not physically present. Our intelligent systems, which use AI and ML technologies, are capable of monitoring and detecting security breaches in real-time and can promptly alert designated staff members with alarms and notifications to take appropriate action.
System Integration Capabilities: Our security solutions can be seamlessly integrated with your existing software applications, such as AD, HRIS/HRMS, and CRM systems. This integration provides you with digital insights into your employee and external visitor journeys, helping you to better manage access control and visitor management.
Smart Applications: We offer a suite of smart applications, including Visitor, Parking, and Events Management applications, that can be integrated with our security solutions. These applications enable you to manage visitor access, parking, and events in a more streamlined and efficient manner while supporting the digitalization journey of any organization.
Customized Training Programs: We offer customized training programs on our products to our clients, ensuring that their staff members are trained on how to use our security solutions effectively. This training helps your staff members to become more security-aware and better equipped to manage any security-related incidents.
Our value-added services are designed to provide you with a complete security solution that meets your unique needs. By combining our state-of-the-art security systems with these value-added services, we enable you to maximize the effectiveness of customer security posture while minimizing the risks to customer premises and assets.
Dialog Next-Generation Firewall as a Service (NGFWaaS) is a popular service in the enterprise world. Can you elaborate on how this service is delivered as an end-to-end service?
Dialog’s Next-Generation Firewall as a Service (NGFWaaS) sets itself apart from traditional hardware firewalls by delivering a comprehensive and advantageous solution. Unlike hardware firewalls that require significant capital expenditure and dedicated IT staff, NGFWaaS tackles both challenges effectively. With NGFWaaS, businesses can access enterprise-grade firewall capabilities as a cloud-based service, eliminating the need for extensive on-premises infrastructure and maintenance.
Delivered as an end-to-end service, NGFWaaS includes ICT consultation, deployment, administration, management, and maintenance. The process begins with a thorough ICT consultation, where Dialog’s experts assess the existing network infrastructure, analyze business processes, and identify potential security risks. Based on these findings, the NGFWaaS service is deployed in the cloud, whether in a public or private cloud environment, with tailored firewall policies, security rules, and hardening measures to meet the specific security requirements of the enterprise. Dialog’s dedicated team of security professionals manages and monitors the NGFWaaS service, ensuring that firewall policies and security rules are updated and maintained proactively.
The use of a centralized management console enables efficient management and monitoring of security policies and rules across multiple locations and devices. Moreover, Dialog takes on the responsibility of maintaining the NGFWaaS service with the latest security patches and updates. Integrated analyzer functionality and extended log analysis, supported by Axiata group’s SOC facility, provide real-time awareness of emerging threats and vulnerabilities, enabling swift action to protect the NGFWaaS service. With advanced security tools and facilities, Dialog offers customers a reliable, flexible, scalable, and robust NGFWaaS solution that caters to their evolving security needs while overcoming the challenges of capital expenditure and limited IT resources.
Dialog Secure Internet is a unique offering that converts traditional Internet services to secure Internet services at the ISP core network level. Can you explain how this solution works and how it utilizes the Dialog Enterprise Cloud platform to deliver enterprise-class security services?
Dialog Secure Internet is a unique product bundling offering that provides enterprise-class security services by converting traditional Internet services to secure Internet services at the ISP core network level. As Sri Lanka’s leading internet service provider, our responsibility is connecting our customers to the world while ensuring the security of their digital assets and data. By implementing next-generation firewall platforms at the Internet Service Provider (ISP) level, where the ISP has control over network traffic and the ability to enforce security controls, we ensure comprehensive protection for the traffic reaching our customers’ endpoints.
To further enhance security, we provide DDoS protection to prevent cyberattacks from disrupting businesses. DDoS attacks use compromised computers or IoT devices to flood a target server with traffic, causing it to become unavailable to legitimate users. We mitigate these attacks using specialized DDoS protection services.
To deliver these services, we utilize its Enterprise Cloud platform, which provides a scalable and flexible infrastructure for the secure delivery of enterprise-class security services. Dialog’s cloud platform offers a range of security services, including a web application firewall to ensure secure web access services, which defend applications hosted by the customer, whether in a corporate or public cloud.
Our value-added services are designed to provide you with a complete security solution that meets your unique needs. By combining our state-of-the-art security systems with these value-added services, we enable you to maximize the effectiveness of customer security posture while minimizing the risks to customer premises and assets
With Dialog Secure Internet, customers can enjoy secure and reliable Internet connectivity services while maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their digital assets and data.
Why is it important for businesses to think about these areas and invest resources during a downturn?
In today’s economic climate, it’s more important than ever for businesses to invest in areas that will help them succeed. This includes investing in cloud based cybersecurity solutions, such as those offered by Dialog, that can be easily tested and implemented within a few days. These solutions can replace traditional hardware-based appliances, providing a more cost-effective and efficient service. We also offer pay-as-you-use and pay-as-you-grow models, billing in local currency (LKR), as well as instant support through specialized channels, making it an attractive choice for businesses of all sizes.
In today’s interconnected world, cyber security, and digitalization are no longer a luxury but a necessity for businesses to stay relevant and succeed. By investing in cloud-based cybersecurity solutions and AI-driven physical security automation, businesses can protect their assets and data, ensuring business continuity and driving businesses towards digitalization, while staying ahead of the curve making us an attractive choice for customers in the banking, finance, manufacturing, apparel, and government sectors. Furthermore, these investments can lead to operational efficiencies and cost savings, making them a smart long-term investment.
As a result, Dialog has become a leading enterprise solutions provider in Sri Lanka, serving around 2,000 large enterprise customers and more than 45,000 SME and LMB customers. Our partnership with Axiata across Asia provides additional benefits to our customers. We believe these measures will make Sri Lanka the next digital destination in Asia