Video: 10 Minute IT Jams - An update from WatchGuard Technologies

Cyber security is moving fast. Companies must keep up, according to Anthony Daniel, Regional Director ANZ and Pacific Islands at WatchGuard Technologies.

Speaking to 10 Minute Gens, Daniel explained that WatchGuard Technologies, founded in 1996, has spent over 25 years providing network security, secure Wi-Fi, multi-factor authentication, advanced endpoint protection, and network intelligence to customers around the globe.

"We have award-winning products and are trusted by nearly 18,000 security resellers protecting over 250,000 customers globally," he said. "Our mission as a business is to provide enterprise grade solutions accessible to companies irrespective of type, size or industry, making WatchGuard an ideal solution for mid-market businesses and distributed enterprises."

The company operates through the channel, supporting and supplying partners and resellers rather than selling directly. Daniel said this approach underpins WatchGuard's success. "Being a hundred percent channel business, we pride ourselves on creating solutions and providing support to our security resellers," he said. "It's been demonstrated in a number of opportunities, such as with our gold partner, C3 Group, who selected WatchGuard many years ago… One successful deployment we worked on together is our iconic brand, Kubra Hats, who essentially said we eliminated thousands of daily attacks they were receiving against their Lenovo server."

Daniel explained that for Kubra Hats, WatchGuard's solutions saved staff two to three hours each day previously spent sorting through spam emails. It is this combination of award-winning technology and strong channel support, Daniel said, that makes the company a top choice for partners seeking to grow their market presence and offerings in Australia and New Zealand.

On the product innovation front, Daniel highlighted several key developments. "We listen to our partners' needs based on what the market demands," he said. "This year alone we have some exciting updates and releases … The first one is with our M-Series Fireboxes – our firewall. We have newly released our M-Series M290, M390, M590 and the M690 Fireboxes. All these fireboxes are able to be managed in our WatchGuard Cloud, which is great."

Daniel emphasised the performance of the new hardware. "We have several key enhancements and benefits, starting with the power and speed of the new boxes in comparison with the previous models," he explained. "They are even more flexible and future-proof, with expansion bays in all the new M-Series, making it easier to connect and power other devices if required."

Another important innovation is tighter integration with the wider WatchGuard portfolio. "The new Firebox appliances integrate seamlessly with our other solutions – that includes our AuthPoint multi-factor authentication, WatchGuard Wi-Fi access points, and our ThreatSync endpoint network telemetry products," Daniel said.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) has become crucial as organisations grapple with remote access and hybrid work. "This year we launched our WatchGuard AuthPoint, our multi-factor authentication directly integrated with the Fireboxes," Daniel said. "Not only is it an easier platform to manage, but it's actually safer when our products are integrated and working together."

He added, "We see any remote access or VPN application should have multi-factor authentication to protect the network from any unauthorised entries, and with today's demands for VPN and remote users, it becomes even more essential."

A key enhancement in MFA is the new AuthPoint user inheritance feature. "With multi-factor authentication, we wouldn't say it's the key in protecting against credential theft, but it's certainly becoming more essential," Daniel said. "The OIC report recently found that compromised credentials made up over 30 percent of breaches, so it's a product we will continue to improve and develop."

WatchGuard has also integrated the security technology from its acquisition of Panda Security. "Our flagship EPDR product offers comprehensive security as an anti-virus and endpoint protection platform, including detection and response, threat hunting and zero-trust application services – all delivered via a single lightweight agent and managed from a single cloud-based platform," Daniel explained.

He said more modules, such as patch management, are coming soon. "Those are the exciting features that have come up this year," he added.

When it comes to cyber security trends shaping the future, Daniel pointed to insights from WatchGuard's own research. "We recently released a quarterly international report… The top findings from the research showed and uncovered an astonishing 91.5 percent of malware arriving through HTTPS encrypted connections," he said. "There was also alarming surges across the fileless malware threats, dramatic growth in ransomware, and a big increase in network attack."

The implications for business are clear, said Daniel. "Having strong endpoint protection and detection solutions are increasingly essential. The world is firmly operating in a mobile or hybrid workforce model, so this has become even more important – it makes WatchGuard Endpoint one of our main product development priorities."

He argued that technology must respond rapidly to a changing landscape. "We will continue to develop and evolve security products to adapt to ever-changing environments," he said.

In Australia and New Zealand, WatchGuard's presence is extensive. "For our partner community, they have my local team here – both channel account managers and pre-sales engineers who support partners on the ground," Daniel explained. "We have also two distributors in Australia and two in New Zealand. For our customers, we have 600 active partners driving the WatchGuard brand throughout ANZ."

Asked how potential customers and partners could engage with WatchGuard, Daniel encouraged reaching out via multiple channels. "For end users and customers, you can select the partner within your area by postcode or suburb, and that will give you a certified partner you can reach out to," he said. "For our channel and community, you can connect with my local team, and I'm always happy to assist personally."

He stressed the company's commitment to support and personal communication. "I'll be more than happy to assist," Daniel concluded.