Cisco has announced that it will introduce air-gapping to Webex in 2024 to address national security concerns.
Cisco’s Webex for Government air-gapping solution will incorporate a U.S.-based cloud environment isolated from public networks and operated by local staff with specific security authorizations to access sensitive data. Air gapping data means that if a cybersecurity incident occurred and an attacker gained access to a government network, they couldn’t access, change or destroy data stored in the cloud.
Jeetu Patel, Cisco’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of Security and Collaboration, wrote:
Beginning next year, the Webex solution for air-gapped cloud deployments will provide an added layer of security, allowing teams to collaborate through modern meeting, chat and calling experiences through the Webex App. The solution will offer the added security the National Security and Defense requires without compromising the amazing user experience our commercial customers receive.
The air-gapped solution enables secure remote working for government and public sector organizations, introducing the capability to hold virtual meetings and share files while storing data compliant with data protection regulations. This includes the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Programme (FedRAMP), the standardized approach to cloud service security authorizations.
The private sector also uses air-gapping solutions so employees can access cloud-stored data with similarly reduced security risks and compliance liabilities.
The Rise of Hybrid Working Creates Security Concerns
Cisco’s Webex air-gapping solution was prompted by the growing pervasiveness of hybrid working among government and public sector organizations, including U.S. National Security and Defence. While hybrid working allows government employees to stay connected and able to work in the office, remotely, or on the move, this naturally also creates data security and compliance concerns. In hybrid-working environments, government workers are accessing sensitive data using home-based work or personal devices, which are liable to be less secure than office networks.
“With national security and defence in particular,” Patel added, “delivering a modern collaboration experience requires the utmost level of security to protect sensitive data that addresses the U.S. government’s established approach to security assessment and authorization for cloud products and services for this community(…) Their unique and evolving needs require an added layer of security when it comes to collaboration technology, and workers expect an amazing user experience.”
Webex for Government One of Many Major Cisco Collaborations
Webex is considered one of the best UCaaS platforms for security and privacy, which attracted other industries to Cisco as well as the U.S. government. In financial services, the European commercial bank UniCredit told UC Today last year that Webex helped them survive the pandemic. The necessity to adapt to the new age of work in 2020 strained UniCredit, with 60,000 workers in Italy abruptly working remotely. Webex’s secure and scalable cloud solution, and accessible UX, enabled UniCredit to quickly onboard its workforce to use its range of voice and video chat, file-sharing and data storage services efficiently and securely.
