cStor and Cylance Win Bid to Implement Advanced Cybersecurity and Endpoint Protection Solution for State of Arizona Agencies
cStor and CylancePROTECT® to help advance cybersecurity strategy and secure state agency data, systems and endpoint devices
Scottsdale, Ariz. Mar 30, 2017 – cStor, a leading provider of data center, cloud and cybersecurity solutions, today announced that the company and its channel partner, Cylance® Inc., have been selected to implement advanced endpoint protection and cybersecurity solution that will be leveraged across State of Arizona agencies.
As part of the State’s initiative to become a leader of technology and customer service, a strategic plan was developed to transform government operations over the next two years to be more efficient and effective, including advancing the State’s cybersecurity strategy and capabilities. The effort is designed to help reduce the overall risk of future compromises, free up duplicate resources for other key initiatives, and achieve cost savings through economies of scale.
In July 2016, a closed pool RFP within an awarded contract set was released to find a provider to assist the State with its defense-in-depth strategy and provide scalable cybersecurity and advanced endpoint protection technology to agencies.
As a provider on the State of Arizona’s Master Blanket Contract for Network Equipment and Security (Arizona Master Blanket Contract #ADSPO16-137340), cStor offered expert cybersecurity strategy including CylancePROTECT® technology from its partner, Cylance.
The RFP asked responders to submit two to three recommended solutions, which were then put through a rigorous, multi-step proof of concept (POC) process spearheaded by experts from the State. The evaluation team narrowed the responses and conducted a second, equally demanding POC to further narrow the field.
The bid was awarded in August of 2016, and the solution, along with cybersecurity strategy consulting from cStor experts, will help advance the State’s mission to improve defenses against cyber-attacks while doing more with less throughout State government.
“The nature of cybersecurity is growing more demanding and complex than ever before,” commented cStor president and CEO, Larry Gentry. “State governments are often targets due to the large amounts of U.S. consumer data they hold and are often the least prepared due to legacy systems and process complexity. This proactive move by Arizona will give its agencies a significant strategy and technological advantage that will help fortify data, systems and endpoints better than ever before.”
According to The Fiscal Times, cyber attacks against the U.S. government increased 1,300 percent between 2006 and 2016, and according to a consumer poll conducted by Pew Research, they are the second greatest global threat to the U.S. behind terrorism.
CylancePROTECT® offers advanced threat protection and is designed to predict and prevent cyberattacks rather than only detecting and mitigating them after malicious software has already begun executing. In early February 2017, Cylance was positioned as the leader for its ability to execute on Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms, based on product and service, overall viability, sales execution, pricing, market responsiveness, operations and customer experience.
“We’re very excited that CylancePROTECT and our partner cStor have been selected to power a state-of-the-art advanced endpoint protection solution for the State of Arizona” said Didi Dayton, vice president of worldwide channels at Cylance. “Working with advanced technology and channel partners with advanced security skills like cStor will help make sensitive data more secure. Their choices demonstrate that they’re at the forefront of states who demand the most stringent protections possible.”
The State of Arizona rollout is underway and the initial phase is expected to be completed in the spring of 2017.
About ADOA
The Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) was established by the Arizona State Legislature in 1973 to support the operation of state government. As the administrative and business operations hub of state government, ADOA provides medical and other health benefits to state employees, processing claims when employees get injured, maintaining office buildings for employees to work in, purchasing goods and services needed to conduct business, providing information technology and telecommunication services for employees, and much more. These centralized support services enable state agencies to focus their efforts on their own unique missions.
About cStor
cStor helps companies strategize, create and implement data center, cloud and cybersecurity solutions that help clients use IT to enable business transformation, reduce costs and gain competitive advantage. cStor’s proven capabilities with key data center and cloud technologies give clients the ability to collaborate with certified experts, and the confidence to move business forward faster and more efficiently than ever before. cStor serves clients across the southwest region with a focused, collaborative approach and superior results. For more information, visit www.cstor.com.
About Cylance® Inc.
Cylance is the first company to apply artificial intelligence, algorithmic science and machine learning to cybersecurity to prevent the most advanced security threats in the world. Using a breakthrough predictive analysis process, CylancePROTECT® quickly and accurately identifies what is benign and what is a threat, and prevents malicious code from ever executing on a targeted system. By coupling advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence with a unique understanding of an attacker’s mentality, Cylance provides technology and services that are truly predictive and preventive against the most advanced threats. For more information visit: www.cylance.com.
