As more and more organisations, including financial institutions and banks, are adopting digital transformation, they are facing increasing cybersecurity challenges. To address these concerns, HKT offers comprehensive managed services as an extension to our customers’ IT teams, offloading some of the in-house IT and Application support tasks. This case study highlights the benefits our services bring to one of our long-term clients.
Background:
Our client is a leading Hong Kong-based financial services group, with a complex network infrastructure spanning multiple locations in the Greater China region. They were seeking a reliable partner to help them strengthen their cybersecurity posture and maintain good practices for Customer Data Protection to ensure compliance with the stringent requirements set by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and safeguard consumer data.
Challenges:
1. Compliance Adherence
The client needed to meet the increasingly rigorous compliance requirements set by HKMA, necessitating a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity and risk management.
2. Managing a Growing Network
As the client embarked on various digital transformation projects, the number of equipment and devices within their network infrastructure grew dramatically, posing challenges in terms of network performance, maintenance, user experience ,and cybersecurity.
Our Solution:
Our Enterprise Managed Services (EMS) team acts as an extension to the in-house IT team to provide proactive and intelligent solutions to optimise the client’s IT infrastructure and security posture:
1. Automated Firmware and Patch Update Identification
- AI-powered discovery: Our system automatically identifies firmware and patch updates from multiple sources, including vendor websites, security advisories, and industry best practices.
- Patch update prioritisation: We help our client prioritise critical updates based on risk assessment and impact analysis, ensuring timely and efficient patching.
2. Proactive Network Resources Planning
- Continuous monitoring: Our AI-powered tools continuously monitor the network infrastructure to identify potential performance bottlenecks and resource constraints.
- Predictive analytics: We leverage predictive analytics to anticipate network issues and proactively adjust resources, ensuring uninterrupted network operation and optimal performance.
3. Intelligent Firewall Policy Review
- Automated assessment: Our system automates the assessment of firewall policy changes to ensure alignment with security objectives and identifying potential misconfigurations and vulnerabilities.
- AI-driven analysis: Our system uses AI to analyse firewall rules, identify potential security gaps, and recommend improvements to strengthen cybersecurity posture.
Benefits:
1. Enhanced Security and Compliance
By actively addressing the stringent compliance requirements set by HKMA, our client achieved a robust security posture. Regular firmware and patch updates, along with meticulous firewall policy change management, ensured adherence to industry standards and protected against potential cyber threats.
2. Efficient Network Management
As the number of devices within the network increased, our automated network performance monitoring provided the client with a comprehensive overview of their infrastructure and resources available. This facilitated efficient decision-making, resource allocation and maintenance, saving valuable time and resources.
3. Seamless Digital Transformation
Our services supported the client's digital transformation projects by ensuring the secure integration of new equipment and devices into their network. This helped them leverage the benefits of technological advancements while maintaining a strong security foundation.
Enhancing Financial Security: HKT's Tailored Managed Services
Through HKT Enterprise Managed Services, we successfully addressed the cybersecurity challenges faced by our client in the financial sector. By providing firmware and patch updates, efficient network resources management and firewall policy change management, we significantly enhanced their security posture, improved operational efficiency and ensured compliance with the stringent requirements set by HKMA.
Our tailored approach, backed by our abundance of experienced engineers with extensive industry expertise, combined with our use of AIOps and automation tools, makes us the ideal partner for financial institutes and banks seeking comprehensive security solutions.