Betacom, Bellevue, Washington, United States: Betacom AirGap Protection

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Betacom AirGap Protection™ was introduced in June 2023.

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Private 5G networks are at the core of modern automation projects because they provide the performance needed to reliably run mission-critical Industrial IoT applications, including automated guided vehicles, autonomous mobile robots, and high-definition cameras. Above all, these networks need to provide the highest level of security available as the potential attack surface is increased with every new IIoT device added to the network. Betacom 5G as a Service (5GaaS) is a private 5G network service that is built from the ground up to protect critical infrastructure and data from threats. Betacom 5GaaS now features a new cyber defense architecture introduced in June 2023 – Betacom AirGap Protection™ – adding another layer of security to Betacom’s Zero Trust design and management capabilities. No other private wireless network on the market offers this level of security.

Betacom AirGap Protection isolates private 5G traffic from an enterprise's IT infrastructure using traffic segregation, 3GPP tunneling, encryption, and access controls. This not only limits the impact of malicious activity but also facilitates the deployment of new services without affecting other systems.

Betacom 5GaaS, now enhanced with AirGap Protection, is a fully-managed private wireless service. Betacom plans, designs, builds, and operates the network from its Security and Service Operations Center (SSOC). The SSOC is equipped with AIOps tools and staffed by US-based experts who proactively manage customers' private wireless networks.

Betacom's private wireless networks are completely isolated from other networks, ensuring the privacy and encryption of business-critical data. In addition, micro-segregation creates physical and logical separation between applications, allowing customers to assign security policies to certain types of traffic or nodes.

Betacom’s AirGap Protection defends against common attacks on traditional networks and cellular vulnerabilities identified by 3GPP and the OnGo Alliance. This includes protection against man-in-the-middle attacks, stolen credentials, session hijacking, and denial-of-service attacks.

As companies deploy private wireless networks for automation and IIoT, Betacom's multi-layered security, including AirGap Protection, helps reduce the risks and augment customers’ existing intrusion detection and prevention strategies.  As cyber threats increase, particularly in critical infrastructure sectors, Betacom's security solutions play a crucial role in safeguarding data and systems.

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The AirGap Protection framework was first deployed in Betacom’s private 5G networks at MxD, which is designated the National Center for Cybersecurity in Manufacturing by the U.S. Defense Department. MxD works with industry and government leaders to develop and proliferate new tools to address the pain points of manufacturers at its Chicago facility. MxD and their 300 Manufacturing Members immediately recognized the benefit of the added security layer that AirGap Protection delivers for private 5G networks.

The industry as a whole agrees.  Several analysts commented on the business impact of the innovative cyberdefense approach: 

 “As more companies deploy private wireless networks to support automation and IoT initiatives, many worry about the risks of increasing their IT attack surface. Betacom’s multi-layered approach and new AirGap Protection architecture can help alleviate the risks and augment customers’ existing intrusion detection and prevention strategies.” Michela Menting, Senior Digital Security Research Director, ABI Research

“Betacom AirGap Protection takes security on private wireless network technology to an entirely new level. It is the next step in an ongoing battle enterprises fight whether they use public or private wireless networks. This delivers a foundation for the next phase of economic and business evolution driven by wireless connectivity, automation, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and real-time data analytics.” Jeff Kagan, Industry Analyst

AirGap Protection is now part of every Betacom 5GaaS deployment, across the transportation, logistics and manufacturing segments. Our customers deeply appreciate the extra peace of mind this added layer of security offers them as they deploy automation to improve productivity and operational efficiency.  Betacom is a privately held company and we don’t report our revenue numbers.

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https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/S58JWZgucXBNo8ovzSt4a4TimGUWKcYFCT2..." style="height:208px; margin-left:0px; margin-top:0px; width:394px" />Betacom takes a Zero Trust approach to design networks as if they have already been breached. By hardening the network from end-to-end, Betacom reduces the attack surface and limits the impact of malicious activity. Betacom Zero Trust design spans four areas: 

1. On the Edge – Security starts with strong 3GPP authentication and SIM-based access control for each device. Betacom works with customers to define granular security policies that dictate which nodes and resources each endpoint can access – closing loopholes that allow unfettered access to sensitive systems and data. 

2. In the Radio Access Network (RAN) – Betacom works with leading RAN partners to continually optimize their platforms and deploy them in unique ways to address security at a system-level. Betacom AirGap Protection utilizes encryption and tunnels from the RAN all the way to the network core to ensure that traffic remains secure and invisible to other enterprise IT infrastructure. 

3. At the Core – Betacom has redesigned the standard 4G/5G core by consolidating and hardening all elements on a single server that is hosted on-premises. This provides the flexibility of a distributed architecture without sacrificing security. 

In the SSOC – The Betacom Security and Service Operations Center (SSOC) provides another layer of intrusion detection without ever decrypting or exposing customer data. Betacom continually monitors network performance and traffic patterns and employs proven security tools to identify potential attacks and vulnerabilities. Betacom service level agreements (SLAs) outline a notification and escalation process that can trigger an enterprise’s security response strategy.