Layer3 launches New Zealand based cyber security service

Layer3 has today announced the launch of its new cloud-based security solution — powered by US security firm, Todyl.

The solution, called Secure Anywhere, enables distributed workforces to securely connect to company networks, clouds, apps, and the Internet from anywhere in the world, thanks to the global scale and power of Todyl’s Secure Global Network™(SGN) Cloud Platform.

Traditionally, secure access services such as this have only been commercially viable at the enterprise level with cloud services often delivered out of Australia. Layer3 is set to disrupt that market by making Secure Anywhere accessible to small and medium-sized organisations.

Layer3 has partnered with Todyl to extend the SGN into New Zealand, enabling true onshore cloud security. The new SGN Point of Presence in New Zealand is due to go live by 1 December 2023.

“For the first time, non-enterprise organisations in New Zealand will have access to cutting edge security that will protect their users from literally anywhere in the world,”

Daniel Bohan, Layer3

“At your desk, in a café, on airport public WiFi, or at a convention overseas, it doesn’t matter. You will automatically connect to the closest point on a global network for cloud-delivered firewall protection.”

“Over the last few years,” continues Bohan, “the way businesses operate has fundamentally changed. People don’t sit in the office 40 hours a week. Applications live in the cloud and employees work from everywhere and anywhere. Traditional security solutions such as hardware firewalls don’t protect remote workers, leaving your systems and data exposed.”

Todyl CEO and Founder John Nellen describes the platform as “revolutionary in the security space.”

“Our goal is to empower Kiwi businesses with an all-in-one security platform,” Nellen says. “We accomplish this by giving IT professionals the tools, insights, and automation needed to defend against ever-changing threats.”

John Nellen, Todyl

That platform is centred around Todyl’s SGN, with over 30 Points of Presence, spanning the world from Los Angeles to Mumbai to Sydney, with Auckland, New Zealand due to come online within the next few weeks.

Layer3’s Secure Anywhere solution is designed to protect organisations by establishing a secure hybrid work environment, in or out of the office. Powered by US-based security firm Todyl, this innovative solution unifies cutting-edge threat protection and networking technology. Its primary objective is to protect users, applications, and data across cloud services, corporate networks, and home setups, ensuring a safe and secure remote work experience.

Zero Trust functionality is woven into Secure Anywhere, leveraging a deny-by-default design that integrates with identity management to only allow users access to specific applications or services.

“Basically, if you aren’t connecting from a Secure Anywhere device, you aren’t getting into a Secure Anywhere protected environment,” Bohan explains.

The solution prevents access from unverified devices prevents lateral movement to other devices or systems on the network and reduces the attack surface for threat actors to exploit.

News of Layer3’s solution comes following CERT NZ reports for Quarter Two (Q2) of 2023, showing an increase of 26% in phishing incidents, and a rise of 36% in malware incidents. The average reported direct financial losses for New Zealand are $5 million per quarter or $20 million per year.

“Small businesses are learning that cybercrime is not just a big business risk. And yet access to the same services to defend themselves properly in or out of the office has just not been accessible unless you happen to have hundreds or thousands of staff. Well, that’s all about to change,” states Bohan, who describes the Secure Anywhere and the extension of Todyl’s SGN to New Zealand as a “game changer.”