Our very broad range of expertise enables us to discuss and contribute across many domains, making Orange Cyberdefense a beneficial member and partner for the Cyber Security Coalition. Thanks to the Coalition, we have direct contact with customers and partners with whom we can exchange knowledge and experiences, and we can expand our network.
“We get a lot of useful input to steer our own business.”
Responsiveness is key to cyber defence, and as a telecom operator, Orange has a head start. Supporting the company’s ambition to become a major European cyber security player, it acquired Belgian-founded SecureLink in 2019. “SecureLink was a technical supplier of network components, firewalls and other technical solutions for cyber security. Orange Cyberdefense now combines this technical expertise with governance, risk and compliance support,” Wim Van Langenhove explains.
Cyber maturity
Since the adoption of the NIS legislation, more and more companies have been looking for guidance in shaping their cyber security roadmap. Wim is head of the Orange Cyberdefense Belgium business consultancy department and supports companies with his team of consultants. “Before NIS 1, organisations didn’t know how to approach cyber security. Thanks to the legislation, they realise there is more to cyber security than just technology, and they come to us for assistance. To identify the biggest risks, we start with a deep dive into our customer’s organisation. The next step is then to assess the company’s current level of cyber maturity.”
Simen Van der Perre, strategic advisor at Orange Cyberdefense, was one of the creators of the security maturity model: “Our model makes it easier to determine which cyber security measures an organisation has taken so far, and how we can improve their cyber defence. Our approach takes into account which people we need to get the job done, which processes are affected, which technologies should be applied, and so on.”
Cyber Experience Centre
Together with the Orange security research centre (a global research team dedicated to the cyber threat landscape), Simen examines evolutions and trends. “In June, we released a new report, Cy-Xplorer 2023, in which we provide a detailed analysis of the cyber extortion evolutions from 2020 until now. Thanks to these results and insights, we can help our customers respond even better to developments and changes.”
In the face of the constant need for more cyber security across Belgian society, Orange has invested in interactive meeting places, such as its Cyber Experience Centre. “Here, organisations can use gamification and storytelling to simulate what a cyber-attack would look like at their premises,” Simen says. “We show not only the impact on the organisation as a whole, but also the responsibilities of each member of the board and thus the impact they experience personally. This provides them with a lot of food for thought.”
Direct input
Simen summarises why Orange is a member of the Cyber Security Coalition as follows: “We are all facing the same challenges. By sharing our knowledge and experiences between private companies, government institutions and specialists in the field, we learn from each other how to apply best practices. The Cyber Security Coalition facilitates bringing all parties together.”
Wim is one of the co-chairs of the Cyber Security Coalition’s OT/ICS Security Focus Group. “The industrial sector lags a bit behind the IT world in terms of cyber security. We are glad to see more interest in cyber security amongst manufacturers and industrial consultancy companies.” Thanks to the focus group, he hears first-hand what challenges companies are facing today. “That gives us useful input to determine the direction of our own business.”
And more end-users in the Coalition could further improve that determination of the ‘right’ direction, says Wim. “There are many consultancy members, but having more end-users could strengthen Belgian society.”
