Cisco Systems G.K. and NEC Corporation announced a partnership aiming to provide users with end-to-end network infrastructure for authenticity verification, monitoring and management. The joint venture will use NEC’s scalable blockchain solution, combined with Cisco’s fraud detection technologies. The new system is going to monitor the state of modification of network equipment to provide enhanced security against fraudulent behavior.
NEC Corporation is one of the leaders in IT integration and network technologies for corporate and public use. Тhe company provides solutions for a safer and efficient society. Cisco on the other hand, offers privacy-oriented solutions for gathering personal information and other data.
The cooperation comes after cyber threats becoming more and more severe, with growing concerns about supply chain privacy in large-scale industry workflows. Furthermore, working in a multi-vendor environment with a wide array of network equipment opens the “backdoor” for illicit actions.
In order to combat these obstacles, the two technology giants cooperated to give businesses a network platform for safe and secure data transmission with added device authentication over the blockchain network.
The cooperation would include Cisco’s Trustworthy technology, combined with NEC’s blockchain network. Cisco’s system utilizes device-specific ID codes, in order to authenticate and verify that the device is in its original state, both in the hardware and software side. The ID codes would be verified against a blockchain-based database, providing instantaneous tampering detection.
Also, the new system would record historical data so that system administrators could manage and monitor the authenticity and current state of every device. NEC plans to expand the network with blockchain monitoring throughout the lifespan of each machine, as well as life cycle detection for countermeasures and replacement planning purposes.
Cisco and NEC managed to split the work into two primary areas – Manufacturing and Delivery, as well as Operation and Maintenance. During the manufacturing stage, NEC would partner with Cisco to provide products with secure IDs. The two companies would further cooperate with trusted vendors and Integrators to provide a stable partnership.
In the Operation and Maintenance area, NEC and Cisco would use the end-to-end system, combined with NEC’s anti-tampering mechanism and Cisco’s Trustworthy protocol. The two areas combine in a scalable blockchain, providing real-time data and secure connections between parties
In the meantime, NEC plans to provide the system for use over local 5g networks. This way, companies can authenticate, monitor, and manage their entire system over a secure in-house connection.