Paul Casey and Cillian McCarthy, Paradyn. Image: G Adrian O'Herlihy Photography
As the need for security services grows, the IT company landed 14 security deals with local authorities across Ireland in the past year.
Irish network solutions company Paradyn has secured €2.8m in 14 IT security deals with local authorities over the past year.
The provider said it has seen a significant increase in demand for managed firewall, security event monitoring and alerting, integrated network and endpoint security, and security operation centre services.
The company also launched a new service based on CIS critical security controls, which aims to deliver a recommended set of actions for improved cyber defences for local authorities.
Five local authorities have signed up for this service, with combined deal values of more than €150,000.
Paradyn’s CEO, Cillian McCarthy, said it’s reassuring to see so many local authorities investing in proactive security defences to protect their systems.
“With remote working and online self-service options for the public becoming so important over the past 12 months, local authorities understood that they needed to considerably improve the security protection they offer both staff and citizens,” he said.
“Over the years we have worked with many local authorities across Ireland, we value their partnerships and always deliver services that match their evolving needs. Our specialist expertise allows us to deliver high-quality managed security services, especially as we face increased security challenges due to changing ways of working and the move to online public services.”
The growing need for security
From early on in the Covid-19 pandemic, there was an increase in phishing scams and cyberattacks reported.
As the year rolled on, an Interpol assessment revealed a sharp rise in cyberattacks with targets shifting from individuals to governments and critical health infrastructure.
The arrival of 2021 saw major security incidents such as the attack on a major gas pipeline in the US and the massive cyberattack on Ireland’s Heath Service Executive.
In June of last year, Paradyn accelerated the launch of its €250,000 security operations centre in Cork due to the security fallout from the pandemic.
At the time, Paradyn chief operations officer Paul Casey said that before the pandemic, most security was managed in a reactive mode. “The whole new approach for proactive security was the main driving force behind us establishing the security operations centre that we put in place,” he said.
