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Verizon Adds BlackBerry Cylance AI to Managed Security Services

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Verizon, a Top 100 MSSP, has integrated Blackberry Cylance's artificial intelligence-based antivirus solutions into its Managed Security Services (MSS) portfolio.

BlackBerry completed the $1.4 billion Cylance acquisition in February 2019. The Cylance and BlackBerry teams are now studying channel partner synergies, but Cylance continues to have autonomy to pursue all types of partner relationships.

The Verizon-Cylance relationship confirms that point. CylancePROTECT and CylanceOPTICS are now available for licensing and management by Verizon MSS. CylancePROTECT offers AI-based enterprise endpoint security, and CylanceOPTICS delivers machine learning-based endpoint detection and response (EDR).

Also, BlackBerry Cylance's endpoint security intelligence has been incorporated into the Verizon Risk Report security assessment framework. BlackBerry Cylance's endpoint security intelligence enables organizations to use the Verizon Risk Report security assessment framework to search for malware, unwanted programs and other security vulnerabilities.

What Does the Cylance Integration Mean for Verizon?

Verizon recorded $24.4 billion in total revenues in 2018, which represented a 2.7 percent year-over-year increase. Meanwhile, the Cylance integration could help Verizon accelerate its revenue growth and capitalize on the rising demand for AI-based cybersecurity solutions.

Global AI in cybersecurity market revenues are projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31.4 percent between 2017 and 2025, industry analyst MarketsandMarkets indicated. These revenues also could total $34.8 billion by 2025.

Verizon Acquires ProtectWise: In addition to its BlackBerry Cylance integration, Verizon this month acquired network detection and response (NDR) cybersecurity services provider ProtectWise.

Verizon will integrate ProtectWise's NDR capabilities into its global network services, the company said. The company also will incorporate ProtectWise technology into its existing offerings and expand its NDR product.

AT&T, CenturyLink Make Cybersecurity Moves

Verizon's BlackBerry Cylance integration and ProtectWise acquisition come after AT&T in August purchased unified security management company AlienVault. Since that time, AT&T has consolidated AT&T Cybersecurity Consulting and AT&T Managed Security Services and formed the AT&T Cybersecurity business division.

Furthermore, Top 100 MSSP CenturyLink in December integrated Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) into its Security Log Monitoring service. Security Log Monitoring users can use Managed Palo Alto Firewall to collect and track incident data in real-time.

Dan Kobialka

Dan Kobialka is senior contributing editor, MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E. He covers IT security, IT service provider business strategies and partner programs. Dan holds a M.A. in Print and Multimedia Journalism from Emerson College and a B.A. in English from Bridgewater State University. In his free time, Dan enjoys jogging, traveling, playing sports, touring breweries and watching football.