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Alcatel-Lucent unveils unique service risk management tool that assesses network vulnerability and provides prioritized recommendations

Announcement posted by Alcatel-Lucent 24 May 2007

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) has unveiled the Alcatel-Lucent Service Risk Management (SRM) product, a unique technology geared to support the security needs of carriers, managed security service providers and medium-to-large enterprises.  It significantly reduces the time and operational costs associated with identifying security vulnerabilities, enabling companies to more quickly deploy remediation activities. 

 

 

Alcatel-Lucent’s security management system leverages information inherent in the operating support systems and IT systems of service providers and enterprises to instantly assess the potential impact of threats identified by the Alcatel-Lucent Threat Management Centre to network security.  The centre offers threat management services that provide vulnerability detection, security monitoring and incident response capabilities, which leverage Alcatel-Lucent’s experience as the co-founder and operator of the Computer Emergency Response Team – Industry, Services and Tertiary (CERT-IST).

 

 

The SRM is being showcased in live demonstrations at TeleManagement World in Nice May 20-24.

 

 

This comprehensive scalable security solution was developed in response to the broad deployment of feature-rich services by carrier and large enterprises and their need for an expanded level of network vulnerability assessments.

 

 

The solution is an intelligent risk analysis engine that maps the known infrastructure (Information Technology and Network Technology) assets to a vulnerability database.  The vulnerability database is maintained through regular updates from the Alcatel-Lucent Threat Management Centre.  Using information available in the OSS , Network Management Systems (NMS) and IT Management Systems, the SRM creates a service level view of the assets and network topology based on real business needs of the organization.  As vulnerabilities and security exposure are identified in the network, the potential impact is ranked and prioritized according to those business needs.  Using this tool, security staff can rapidly pinpoint the key set of vulnerabilities and setup a plan for remediation efforts.

 

 

Other systems and applications available for vulnerability assessment and management today tend to rely on scanning techniques to identify the potential security vulnerabilities.  While an effective scanning approach is critical to a comprehensive security solution, it is not a solution that can be used network wide on a daily basis.  With more than 20 vulnerability advisories being published on a daily basis, to be effective vulnerability assessment and management need to move beyond periodic scanning techniques and make use of effective inventory and configuration data that can be referenced immediately.  The SRM is the first solution to address the needs of the carrier and enterprise in this way. 

 

 

“As carriers and service providers expand their product portfolio to offer feature-rich triple-play services, the systems and applications they run will be increasingly exposed to security vulnerabilities.  Customers will have access to high-definition content through legitimate services,” said Doug Wiemer, Director of the SRM project within Alcatel-Lucent Ventures.  “Hackers, on-the-other-hand, must be prevented from leveraging the potential for exposure of these systems to abuse.  The SRM was developed to help optimize the efforts of vulnerability management, reduce the risk of security exposure and reduce the operational costs associated to securing the infrastructure.”

 

 

The concept of SRM was initially conceived as a collaborative research project between Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and the Alcatel-Lucent Research and Innovation center in .  The research project was incubated by Alcatel-Lucent Ventures - an initiative to commercialize unique innovations out of Alcatel-Lucent’s research community.  The SRM product is expected to be generally available in the third quarter of 2007.

 

 

"The SRM is based on risk and vulnerability management research that was conducted in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Canada, under the Defence Industrial Research Program.  The successful research phase resulted in methods to link security exposure to mission or service delivery risk management," said Dr. Julie Lefebvre, head of the Network Information Operations section at DRDC.  "The ability to have near-real-time understanding of security vulnerability exposure, rather than waiting for the next periodic scan, was also very interesting for defence research."

 

 

Interoperable with Third-Party Solutions

 

The SRM is interoperable with third party OSS , NMS and IT Management systems for asset and inventory management.  An open application programming interface (API) has been developed to facilitate rapid integration and deployment in any network and IT environment where OSS , NMS, inventory systems or configuration management systems are used.

 

 

About Defence Research and Development

 

DRDC is an agency of the Canadian Department of National Defence responding to the scientific and technological needs of the Canadian Forces. Its mission is to ensure that the CF remains scientifically and operationally relevant. The agency is made up of seven research centres located across with a corporate office in Ottawa . DRDC has an annual budget of $300 million and employs 1500 people. With a broad scientific program, DRDC actively collaborates with industry, international allies, academia, other government departments and the national security community.  For more information visit DRDC on the Internet: http://www.drdc-rddc.gc.ca

 

 

About Alcatel-Lucent

 

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that enable service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. As a leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications, and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end solutions that enable compelling communications services for people at home, at work and on the move. With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The company has the most experienced global services team in the industry, and one of the largest research, technology and innovation organizations in the telecommunications industry. Alcatel-Lucent achieved adjusted proforma revenues of Euro 18.3 billion in 2006 and is incorporated in , with executive offices located in Paris . [All figures exclude impact of activities transferred to Thales]. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

 

 

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