Apple, Cisco partnership expands with cybersecurity insurance offering
Apple and Cisco announced Monday that they're partnering up with insurer Allianz and risk evaluator Aon to offer discounts on cyber insurance to joint business customers.
Featured
The companies said the aim is to offer businesses a more efficient and affordable way to manage cyber risks from ransomware and malware threats by bringing together security technology, secure devices, cybersecurity domain expertise, and cyber insurance.
The caveat is that eligible businesses must be using Cisco's Ransomware Defense platform and certain Apple hardware.
Cisco's platform includes advanced email security, endpoint protection, and malicious internet site blocking. Apple, meanwhile, is pointing to the integration of hardware, software, and services in iOS devices as assurance that its products are secure and encrypted.
"Users benefit from always-on hardware encryption, as well as support for secure networking protocols like Transport Layer Security (TLS) and VPN out of the box," the company said.
The offering will also include individualized risk analysis, reduced pricing on deductibles, and incident response and support services from Cisco and Aon if a cyber attack does occur.
Apple and Cisco first partnered in 2015, with Cisco committing to optimize its networking gear and software for iOS apps and devices. The effort resulted in a series of network and collaboration enhancements for iOS 10 that gave iPhone and iPad users a more efficient experience on Cisco applications.
In June, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins highlighted deeper security integration as one of the key focus areas of the partnership. With iOS 11, the companies saw another opportunity to bake security and control features into their enterprise offerings.
PREVIOUS AND RELATED COVERAGE
Cisco, Apple release security connector app for iOS
The Security Connector app monitors network activity across traffic generated by users and applications to combat ransomware and malware on enterprise-managed iOS devices.
Cisco, Apple partnership 'comes to fruition' with iOS 10
Cisco and Apple on Tuesday are unveiling a series of network and collaboration enhancements for iOS 10.
Cisco, Apple chiefs discuss further partnership opportunities
Apple CEO Tim Cook and Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins have identified 'a multitude of opportunities' to combine their companies' expertise across security, networking, analytics, and enterprise software.