In an age when cyber threats loom massive, the dedication and fervour of cybersecurity professionals are extra essential than ever. Every year, Cisco makes some extent of choosing and recognizing a standout cybersecurity advocate who has earned the title of cybersecurity defender. This yr, it was inconceivable to decide on only one particular person.
Because of this Cisco’s 2025 EMEA Cybersecurity Defender of the Yr award goes out to a workforce of practitioners at SAP Enterprise Cloud Companies (ECS) whose contributions displayed an unusual potential to lift the bar for general safety posture. The recipients are:
- Boris Mäck, Head of Know-how and Structure at SAP Enterprise Cloud Companies
- Roland Costea, CISO of SAP Enterprise Cloud Companies
- Christopher Hett, Cloud Community Architect at SAP Enterprise Cloud Companies
On this weblog, we are going to discover the origins of their ardour, the challenges they confronted whereas engaged on their vital mission at SAP ECS, the methods they employed to beat these hurdles, and their beneficial insights for these trying to make their mark in cybersecurity.
The Beginning of Ardour for Cybersecurity
A former Romanian chess champion, Roland Costea used his wits for technique to seek out his method into the sphere. Having studied expertise and programming at college, he needed to discover a method to make a extra distinctive contribution. He discovered cybersecurity and by no means regarded again.
Christopher Hett’s ardour began early as a pc sport hobbyist. After he studied data expertise at a college in Germany, his first encounter with cybersecurity was by enabling his work’s Wi-Fi community with state-of-the-art encryption to mitigate assault vectors now additionally coming from wi-fi connections outdoors firms’ premises.
Boris Mäck’s sturdy background in networking started his cybersecurity journey. His experience in infrastructure companies and community applied sciences naturally led him into cybersecurity, particularly as securing networks grew to become an more and more crucial facet of IT.
Partnering with Cisco to Overcome SAP ECS Challenges
As one of many world’s main deliverers of managed cloud companies, SAP Enterprise Cloud Companies can’t afford downtime. That’s the reason, for Roland, the corporate’s CISO, it’s all about velocity. He notes, “I discover that velocity is probably the most crucial factor. And after I say velocity, it’s velocity in the best way that we determine, detect, defend, reply, get better, and govern… [After all], you possibly can’t afford to maintain an airport down for half-hour.” That’s why, in his opinion, the way forward for multi-cloud wants to incorporate a built-in safety element, and that’s the place Cisco is available in.
First, Christopher, Cloud Community Architect, explains the state of affairs even additional: “We’ve got over 7,000 buyer environments, so we have to have an answer that scales however doesn’t disrupt the companies of these hundreds of shoppers. This can be a explicit problem if you need to introduce an elevated safety service that calls for extra assets, and but uptime nonetheless must be preserved in any respect prices.”
A part of the problem is that SAP is each a multi-cloud supplier and one of many high twelve hyperscalers on this planet (alongside Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and others), requiring steady uptime. Which means SAP wants to supply the identical native capabilities for all their prospects all through the world “regardless of the place the client resides,” and do it in a standardized method “that delivers the identical worth independently for all our prospects in a multi-cloud setting,” as Roland expressed.
Because of this, SAP Enterprise Cloud Service selected to companion with Cisco.
To optimize velocity, improve scalability, and guarantee enterprise continuity at the same time as companies broaden, SAP is working to construct one overarching personal cloud, protected by Cisco Multicloud Protection, a part of Cisco’s Hybrid Mesh Firewall options to take a seat over their three hyperscalers—offering constant, automated safety throughout them. As well as, SAP leverages Cisco Safe Entry to safeguard person entry to the online, cloud companies, SaaS and personal functions with a single, cloud managed console.
These options improve SAPs safety and permit them the flexibleness to scale fluctuating enterprise wants and proceed to help their community of shoppers with little to no disruption to their operations.
On the Proper Monitor
“This landmark safety mission proves the ability of the ‘One Cisco’ Staff in fixing SAP’s largest safety challenges—defending their prospects at scale,” says Robert Nicola, Shopper Govt. “We delivered an progressive, scalable, and differentiated resolution that units a brand new customary for buyer worth.”
Cisco likes to companion with firms like SAP Enterprise Cloud Companies as a result of we are able to do the appropriate factor collectively.
When requested what made him proud, Boris, Head of CAE Know-how and Structure, shared, “I bear in mind when the CIO of the corporate we had been working with got here to us and stated, ‘Hey guys, we had a extreme ransomware assault in our community, and the one IT programs that survived had been the SAP programs hosted in RISE [one of our managed solutions]. To me, that is nice proof that we’re doing the appropriate issues with our ideas right here.’
They’re, and Cisco is proud to assist. The insights and experiences shared by these Cisco 2025 Cybersecurity Defenders of the Yr emphasize shining a lightweight on the great that’s being achieved by the appropriate partnerships and the eagerness of engaged cybersecurity leaders.
As expertise advances, so does the crucial for strong cybersecurity measures. With devoted professionals like our defenders paving the best way, the way forward for cybersecurity appears to be like promising. Thanks to our defenders for his or her inspiring tales and for illuminating the trail for future leaders on this crucial area.
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