Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 99 | Page 12

NEWS

Meltdown event in Johannesburg and Cape Town. This event, led by the company’ s security experts, was an interactive and detailed ransomware attack simulation designed to help companies understand how to respond in the event of a cyberattack.

Graham Brown, Country Manager at Commvault, says the event addresses the growing need for organisations to proactively address the threat of ransomware and cyberattacks, which are becoming increasingly frequent and sophisticated.

The Minutes to Meltdown cyberattack simulation is a global event that Commvault is hosting for the first time in South Africa. During the showcase, participants experience a simulated cyberattack in small groups, taking on roles in the leadership team of a fictional company during a ransomware negotiation.

During the action-packed two-hour agenda, participants are faced with challenges and critical decision points as they choose their response plans against the backdrop of a crafted story based on known network breaches that have hit some of the biggest global companies.

Graham Brown

As participating groups navigate the critical hours of a ransomware negotiation, face challenges and make critical decisions in an exercise based on real events, Commvault security experts guide them through the journey, providing actionable recommendations for their action plan.

Brown explains that a concerning trend is the lack of control and muscle memory within organisations when it comes to incident response. To address this, the Minutes to Meltdown simulation helps key decision-makers like CEOs, CTOs and CISOs conceptualise and practice their response to cyber threats.

“ With this, the simulation allows executives to ask themselves the critical questions a CEO would ask, such as how to respond and what the plan of action should be,” says Brown, adding that simulation is crucial for developing a robust plan to prepare organisations for effectively responding to cyber incidents.

This modernisation is based on a future-proof network architecture that allows UNITEL to integrate 4G and 5G technologies on a single platform. This integration enables the delivery

of tailored services through network slicing, exposure, and edge capabilities, as well as enhanced voice and data services over 5G Standalone, 5G SA.

Built on cloud-native, microservices-based technology that combines Evolved Packet Core, EPC and 5G Core, Ericsson’ s dual-mode 5G Core supports the migration of existing 2G and 3G voice services to 4G and 5G networks. Additionally, Ericsson’ s IMS will enable UNITEL to provide rich real-time communication services for both consumer and business users across any access network.

In a separate initiative, Ericsson and UNITEL S. A. have successfully completed a trial data call over a 5G Standalone network in a live environment. The 5G SA technology maximises 5G capabilities, allowing UNITEL to offer higher speeds, lower latency, and advanced features to consumers and enterprises across multiple industries. This milestone underscores UNITEL’ s commitment to next-generation 5G services, including network slicing and technology innovation.

UNITEL’ s network modernisation will significantly enhance connectivity through Enhanced Mobile Broadband and Fixed Wireless Access services, fostering economic growth and supporting highspeed, low-latency applications.

Ericsson’ s dual-mode 5G Core, IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, and Cloud Native Infrastructure solutions empower UNITEL to deliver innovative voice and data services to its customers. The companies have successfully tested a data call over a 5G Standalone network.

Júlio Gonçalves, Director of Core and Services at UNITEL, says:“ Our partnership with Ericsson is a game-changer for Angola’ s telecommunications landscape.”

12 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www. intelligentcio. com