The 15 Biggest Things Trustwave Did in 2015

With companies of all sizes negotiating digital minefields on a daily basis, cybercrime and data theft now prominently sit at or near the top of the list of the largest hazards facing businesses. Because of this, Trustwave is afforded with each passing year new opportunities to take meaningful and measured actions that help organizations avoid dangerous threats, respond to malicious activity and reduce their overall exposure to attack.

Given how active the climate is, we'd have been asleep at the wheel if 2015 didn't turn out to be an impressive year for us. But little did we know how truly unforgettable it would turn out. By no means an exhaustive list, let's raise a glass to 15 of our top achievements and accomplishments from the past 52 weeks.

1. We joined the Singtel family.

How's that for a start? In April, Singtel, Asia's leading communications group, announced plans to acquire Trustwave, with the deal closing in late August. While the acquisition strengthens Singtel's information security capabilities, we're not going anywhere. Trustwave continues to operate as a standalone business unit, with continued enhancement of the services, products and support that we provide you. The acquisition only bolsters our ability to expand our global leadership in cybersecurity and managed security services - and there soon will be a lot more to tell you on that front.

2. We turned 20.

In 1995, as major companies were still scrambling to establish a web presence, Trustwave had already launched - and we have grown to have one of the broadest cybersecurity portfolios in the industry. Aside from the acquisition, our platinum anniversary was filled with milestones that served as a testament to our nonstop innovation and desire to arm IT and security professionals in the trenches with the resources, expertise and technologies they need to fight cybercrime, protect data and reduce risk.

3. We forged vital relationships with Akamai, Palo Alto Networks and Bit9 + Carbon Black.

2015 saw a flurry of new alliances with other information security vendors, all designed to extend our managed security services (MSS) portfolio and reach more enterprises. Trustwave and Akamai united to provide vulnerability assessment, denial-of-service prevention and incident response. Meanwhile, Trustwave and Palo Alto Networks announced a major, global MSS alliance. And, Trustwave now offers a Managed Application Control service-based on the Bit9 Security Platform.

4. We made big waves in Canada. 

Speaking of alliances, Rogers Communications announced it will offer Trustwave Managed Security Services to help businesses in the Great White North cope with an increasing set of security challenges, including advanced threats, resource constraints, skills shortages, compliance requirements and the rapid adoption of new technologies. A few months before the announcement, we opened a Trustwave Security Operations Center in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region in Canada to meet client needs and support the growth of Trustwave MSS.

6. We unveiled new security tools for SMBs.

Cybercriminals don't discriminate by size, and small and midsize businesses are an increasingly attractive and viable target. In November, we announced a solution to help processors, acquirers and ISOs provide affordable, easy-to-use and sustainable security to their small merchants. The Trustwave SMB Security Toolkit delivers an integrated and advanced set of 13 security tools, from anti-virus and remote access protection to web malware monitoring and mobile security.

7. We again preached the security-first mindset.

We teamed up with Sage Payment Solutions to expand its merchant compliance program, offering SMBs additional information security protections beyond Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance. Sage rolled out new endpoint protection services from Trustwave, including anti-virus protection and file integrity monitoring, which are now available as part of its merchant compliance program.

8. We measured the ROI for a cybercriminal.

In June, we released the 2015 Trustwave Global Security Report, which revealed conclusions gleaned from hundreds of forensic investigations, thousands of penetration tests, millions of vulnerability scans and billions of security and compliance events. Among the most fascinating findings was that we were able to measure the average return on investment (ROI) a cybercriminal can earn - 1,425 percent - during a monthlong ransomware campaign.

9. We helped you protect your Internet of Things. 

By the end of the decade, tens of billions of things will be connected to the internet. The Internet of Things (IoT) can revolutionize businesses by allowing them to be more efficient and construct smarter products, but it comes with serious risks. Our new Managed IoT Security portfolio aids both developers and users proactively identify and react to threats on web-connected platforms and devices.

10. We unveiled comprehensive mobile security through the cloud.

We extended our expertise in threat, vulnerability and compliance management to mobile with the release of the Trustwave Secure Mobility Platform. It furnishes businesses with across-the-board protection of their mobile deployments and workforces. The platform's maiden product release delivers proactive protection to mobile point-of-sale (POS) devices.

11. We made it easier than ever to understand the benefits of managed security.

A large majority of businesses either are partnering or plan to partner with a managed security services provider. But there remain reticent companies that may be unsure why they should delegate the burdensome task of handling security to someone else - or fail to grasp the benefits of such an arrangement. That is why we created a handy flow chart, which asks "Is Managed Security Right for Your Business?" One business that would have answered yes is My Fit Foods, a health food retailer that partnered with Trustwave because managing security on its own became too onerous. You can watch the video case study here. For businesses that want to dig deeper into the subject, we also created a comprehensive white paper, titled "Why Move to an MSSP?"

12. We rolled out an online Security Stats center.

Statistics help us react intelligently and make smarter decisions. The security professional equipped with the latest data can use it to win support from executive leadership, persuade employees to behave smarter on the corporate network and ensure investments are going to the right place. Our stats portal is regularly updated with the latest facts, figures and trends.

13. We garnered worldwide news coverage with major research discoveries .

Our elite SpiderLabs team is continually hard at work, fusing creativity, curiosity and passion to plunge deep inside the cybercriminal underbelly and uncover the latest threats that seek to wage harm on businesses worldwide. Some of our research team's most notable discoveries this year - to name just a few - include a new point-of-sale malware family named Punkey, the RIG 3.0 exploit kit and a gaping SQL injection hole in Joomla.

14. We visualized why you should test, not guess your security DNA.

We love infographics. They're a great way to dissect a complex issue into something that is digestible - and in the elaborate world of information security, there are plenty of those. One infographic stood out this year in the number of times it was downloaded: the 10 biggest reasons why organizations should test their entire IT infrastructure, from their databases to their networks to their applications - their security DNA.

15. We helped diagnose your health care security with a new report.

Many experts and news outlets have called 2015 "The Year of the Health Care Breach" - and for good reason. We knew the onus was on us to elucidate why health care and medical organizations have become such a target and what they can do about it. The 2015 Security Health Check Report from Trustwave canvassed 400 technical and non-technical health care professionals to formulate a detailed overview of the impediments they face, how they perceive security at their organizations and recommendations for response.

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We can't wait to see what 2016 has in store. One outcome is certain: Trustwave will be on the frontlines again, watching your back.

Cas Purdy is vice president of corporate marketing and communications at Trustwave.