Apple, Cisco Team Up On B2B Cybersecurity Fix

Apple, Cisco, Aon and Allianz announced news on Monday (Feb. 5) that they have joined forces to create a new cyber risk management service geared toward businesses.

In a press release, the companies said the new solution is made up of a cyber resilience evaluation service from Aon, secure technology from Cisco and Apple and options for cyber insurance coverage from Allianz. The idea is to help a wider range of companies better manage and protect themselves from cyberattacks and risks associated with ransomware and other malware threats.

“Ransomware is an evolving risk that impacts every level of an enterprise. Organizations urgently need to be managing these risks from both the technical and the financial perspective,” said Jason Hogg, CEO, Aon Cyber Solutions. “This holistic solution provides our clients with an integrated approach to addressing ransomware risk. We can provide customers with guidance on what cyber defenses, resources and processes to deploy to improve their cyber posture. It’s the improved cyber posture that makes them eligible for enhanced/broader cyber insurance protection.”

According to the companies, the key elements of this new solution are the cyber resilience evaluation, which is offered by Aon and will assess customers’ cybersecurity posture and provide recommendations to improve it, and cyber insurance from Allianz for customers who use the Cisco Ransomware Defense and/or qualified Apple products. That coupled with the individual risk insights gained through the cyber resilience evaluation makes possible the enhanced cyber insurance coverage to be extended to  Cisco and Apple business customers. The solution includes Cisco’s Ransomware Defense, which uses threat intelligence from Cisco Talos to see threats once and block them everywhere. It also includes advanced email security, endpoint protection and cloud-delivered malicious internet site blocking on Apple products, including the iPhone, iPad and Mac.

“The choice of technology providers plays a critical role in any company’s defense against cyberattacks. That’s why, from the beginning, Apple has built products from the ground up with security in mind, and one of the many reasons why businesses around the world are choosing our products to power their enterprise,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “iPhone, iPad and Mac are the best tools for work, offering the world’s best user experience and the strongest security. We’re thrilled that insurance industry leaders recognize that Apple products provide superior cyber protection and that we have the opportunity to help make enhanced cyber insurance more accessible to our customers.”