Verizon adds application security service

Verizon Business (NYSE: VZ) today announced a new service which specifically secures the applications layer of business services that is frequently exploited by attackers. The Verizon Application Security Program was developed in direct response to the most recent Verizon Business 2009 Data Breach Investigations Report, which showed 79% of the records compromised by security threats were accessed via Web services.

“If you really want to prevent those breaches, protecting the application layer is absolutely critical,” said Omar Khawaja, Global Services Product Manager, Verizon Business. Because businesses have hundreds of applications, the challenge Khawaja said, is to invest resources in making sure protection is applied to the applications that are most critical and most vulnerable. To address that challenge, Verizon Business set up a tiered approach to applications security that first does baseline scanning and risk assessment and then targets those areas deemed most at risk and needing protection.

Verizon is also offering application security certification to enable businesses to meet compliance regulations that can add cost to the security process, even when data breaches themselves don’t cause financial harm.

“The certification process addresses the purpose of the application – those that are facing customers, facing partners, facing stakeholders, certification can have a positive influence,” Khawaja said. “It tells your customers or partners that they can have confidence because this application is secure because you have Verizon Business come in and certify it.”

In addition, Verizon offers what Khawaja calls a “remediate tier,” which uses Verizon’s security services to help business customers meet the recommendations made as a result of the risk assessment process.