Singtel adds Zscaler SSE to managed security services portfolio

Singtel has added Zscaler’s security service edge (SSE) offerings to its line of managed security services, making it the first telco in the region to do so.

The Singapore-based telco currently offers threat detection, distributed denial of service (DDoS) mitigation, cloud security and other managed security services. Besides partnering Zscaler to power its SSE capabilities, it also offers software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) as a managed service.

Through Singtel, enterprises will also be able to access Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange platform that implements zero-trust principles through strict controls and verification mechanisms, enabling businesses with limited resources and skills to secure their IT footprint.

Lim Seng Kong, managing director of Singtel’s enterprise business, said the partnership with Zscaler marks a key milestone in the telco’s strategy to expand across Asia-Pacific, noting it will “provide more dedicated, holistic managed security services which will help our customers bolster cyber resilience”.

Foad Farrokhnia, head of channel and alliances at Zscaler Asia-Pacific and Japan, said the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange, which Singtel’s managed SSE service is built on, processes 300 billion transactions and blocks around 150 million daily threats and rule violations.

“Leveraging Zscaler’s cloud-native platform helps customers reduce cost and complexity in their security stack. It also enhances the user experience by delivering rapid access to required applications anywhere,” he added.

Singtel has been doubling down on its enterprise business in recent years, including investments to bolster enterprise adoption of 5G through its Paragon multi-access edge compute platform. In April 2022, it also expanded its datacentre footprint in Indonesia through a partnership with Telkom.

The company currently operates nine security operations centres globally, and acquired Trustwave, a managed detection and response (MDR) service provider, for $810m in 2015. A Bloomberg report last August, citing people familiar with the matter, claimed that Singtel was planning to sell Trustwave in a move that could raise $200m to $300m.

During its last financial year 2023, Singtel grew its revenues from ICT by 15%, mainly due to broad-based growth in datacentres, 5G services and cyber security.