Renton D’Souza, Vice President, Comstor MEA and Atul Gupta, Cyber Security Manager, Black Box take a moment to speak about their respective connections with Cisco security and their partnership on delivering these security solutions to customers.
Answered by Renton
Q: In what ways is Comstor helping partners fully leverage the opportunities with Cisco Security?
A – Many of the world’s largest organisations trust Cisco Security products to protect them from cyberthreats. As a strategic partner in Cisco’s go-to-market and channel initiatives, Comstor helps its partners benefit from customised offerings to fit their customers’ needs and budgets. In line with the focus on Cisco Security, Comstor has introduced its largest-ever security enablement program for partners. By enrolling in this program, partners gain access to an exceptional and rapidly growing team of cybersecurity experts from Comstor, along with support to help them achieve specialisations with Cisco.
Enrolled partners can also take advantage of the enhanced, exclusive Cisco Secure 360 training, which equips them with the tools needed to effectively position the Cisco Security portfolio. In addition, partners gain access to the Cisco Security Deal Concierge Service, where a dedicated resource offers strategic support for deals tailored to customer needs.
A further advantage of this program is gaining the access to valuable opportunity data that has been compiled by Comstor’s Intelligent Demand team from various sources. Additionally, partners can leverage exclusive marketing assets to boost their end-user demand generation efforts.
Q: What makes Comstor’s offering stand out in channel?
A – Comstor is a Cisco-exclusive distributor with a deep understanding of the channel, enabling us to offer our partners unparalleled insight into Cisco’s technologies, solutions, and programs. Our strong, strategic partnership makes us a true extension of Cisco in the market, collaborating closely with partners to grow their Cisco business.
Beyond strengthening Cisco’s core areas—collaboration, data centre, and networking—our dedicated team provides support to the partners in unlocking new, recurring revenue opportunities in security, software, and services.
Answered by Atul Gupta
Q: Cybersecurity enhancement initiatives continue to top the priority list of CEO’s across different industries. How has alignment with Cisco helped you in terms of addressing the Cybersecurity needs of your customers?
A – Our partnership with Cisco has been instrumental in addressing the diverse cybersecurity needs of our customers across industries. Cisco’s comprehensive suite of solutions, including network security, endpoint protection, cloud security, and zero-trust architecture, enables us to provide end-to-end protection.
With Cisco Talos, we gain actionable threat intelligence to proactively safeguard environments and respond swiftly to incidents. Seamless integration with existing infrastructures simplifies security management, while Cisco’s zero-trust framework ensures secure access, especially for hybrid work setups.
Cisco’s innovation delivers scalable, future-ready solutions, and its training programs and tools, such as SecureX, empower customers to strengthen their security posture. Additionally, Cisco’s global expertise supports tailored solutions for industries like healthcare, finance, and government.
Together, we help organisations tackle cybersecurity challenges, enhance resilience, and achieve their goals with confidence.
Q: As our society increasingly relies on digital technology for communication, commerce, and critical infrastructure, the threat landscape has evolved in complexity and sophistication. What are some of the key challenges that organisations should remain wary of?
A – As reliance on digital technology grows, organisations face an increasingly complex threat landscape. Key challenges include sophisticated cyberattacks like APTs, ransomware, and zero-day exploits; supply chain vulnerabilities; insider threats; and risks from cloud misconfigurations and hybrid work environments. Additionally, IoT and OT systems, social engineering attacks, evolving regulatory requirements, AI-driven cybercrime, and resource constraints add to the difficulty.
To mitigate these risks, organisations should adopt a proactive and multi-faceted approach, including robust frameworks like Zero Trust, advanced threat intelligence, employee training, and comprehensive incident response plans. Vigilance and adaptability are essential to staying secure in this evolving environment.
Q: Can you share how your strategic partnership with Comstor has helped you in taking the latest Cisco security solutions to the customers?
A – Our partnership with Comstor has been vital in efficiently delivering Cisco’s latest security solutions to customers.
Comstor’s expertise in Cisco’s portfolio and robust distribution network ensures timely delivery and smooth deployment of advanced security technologies. Their value-added services, including technical support, training, and customisation, enable us to meet diverse customer requirements effectively.
By leveraging Comstor’s channel management and go-to-market strategies, we’ve accelerated solution adoption, enhanced customer engagement, and ensured seamless implementation. This collaboration empowers us to deliver comprehensive security solutions that drive customer success.
Summary:
Our collaboration with Comstor ensures efficient delivery, tailored support, and seamless implementation of Cisco’s security solutions, enabling customer success and accelerated adoption.
Q: What are the some of the key milestones including training and certifications that your company has achieved over the years?
A – Over the years, we’ve achieved significant milestones in training and certifications, reflecting our dedication to expertise and innovation:
Advanced Vendor Certifications: Achieved specialized certifications from industry leaders like Cisco in security, networking, and collaboration.
Skilled Workforce: Our team holds globally recognised credentials like CCNP and CCIE, ensuring cutting-edge expertise.
Elite Partner Status and Security Specialised Partner, highlighting our technical excellence.
Customer Enablement: Conducted training sessions and workshops to empower clients in maximising their technology investments.
Industry Recognition: Earned awards and accolades for our commitment to training and technical proficiency.
Our cyber security team and SOC team have expertise and certifications on Splunk. Splunk power user and admin certs and also manage Splunk customers in USA.
In Summary:
We’ve attained advanced certifications, elite partner recognitions, workforce excellence, customer enablement milestones, and industry accolades, showcasing our commitment to expertise and innovation.
Q: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force in the cyber world, offering solutions that range from enhancing cybersecurity to automating complex processes. How are AI technologies expected to further cement their role as a powerful ally in the struggle against online dangers?
A – Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a vital tool in combating cyber threats by enhancing cybersecurity and automating processes. Here’s how AI is solidifying its role:
AI can bring in sophistication in operations:
Combatting Phishing and Social Engineering
AI can identify phishing attempts by analysing email content, URLs, and sender information. It can also train employees through realistic phishing simulations and provide real-time guidance to prevent human errors.
Cybersecurity Operations Optimisation
AI streamlines Security Operations Centres (SOCs) by filtering out false positives in threat alerts and prioritising genuine threats, enabling security teams to focus on the most critical issues.
Proactive Threat Detection: AI algorithms analyse vast data in real-time to identify patterns and anomalies, improving detection speed and accuracy while enabling quicker intervention to prevent breaches.
Automated Response: AI can autonomously respond to threats, isolating compromised systems and blocking malicious traffic, which reduces human intervention and accelerates mitigation.
Advanced Threat Intelligence: AI processes global cybersecurity data to offer actionable insights, helping organisations stay ahead of new attack methods and tactics.
Enhanced Endpoint Protection: AI continuously monitors endpoints to detect threats missed by traditional tools, improving protection, especially as the number of connected devices grows.
Behavioural Analytics: By analysing user behaviour, AI can identify anomalies indicating insider threats or compromised accounts, enabling early detection.
AI in Malware Analysis: AI autonomously classifies and analyses malware, helping security teams respond faster and develop countermeasures.
Adapting to New Attacks: As cybercriminals use AI in their attacks, AI-driven cybersecurity will evolve to counter more sophisticated threats.
Summary:
AI strengthens cybersecurity by providing faster threat detection, automated responses, advanced threat intelligence, and enhanced endpoint protection, helping organisations stay ahead of cyber threats.
Image Credit: Comstor & Black Box
