Cox, AT&T bolster security offerings

Security services continue to be an important development area for service providers, as announcements this week from Cox Business and AT&T (NYSE:ATT) remind us.

Cox said it has extended its Cox Business Security Suite services to Cox Business Internet subscribers at no charge, while AT&T announced a new Web-based security portal, a business security service certification program and an enhancement to its distributed denial of service protection.

Among other things, the new service from Cox provides a Web site safety advisor that uses color codes to identify risky Web sites based on software from McAfee. From that information, a customer can opt to avoid a risky Web site or report it to Cox, which will investigate, a Cox spokeswoman said. Other features of the offering include anti-virus, anti-phishing and anti-spyware software, as well as automatic updates.

As for why Cox is making the service available at no charge, the spokeswoman said: “Cox is known for customer service. We believe it’s a differentiator. In the long run, we will win in the competitive chain when we offer more value. It will help us keep customers and get more.”

Cox plans to promote the new offering through its Facebook page and through e-mail.

AT&T’s Security Center Web-based security portal is accessible via the AT&T BusinessDirect Portal and provides organizations with interactive security reporting and access to a range of resources.

The company’s SureSeal Security Certified Program will provide an assessment of a business customer’s security position, providing impartial third-party credibility. As such it resembles Verizon’s previously announced Security Management Program. 

AT&T’s DDOS enhancements are based on software from Arbor Networks. It is designed to block known malicious hosts and provide proactive monitoring of customer traffic and up to 40 Gb/s of surgical mitigation.