MISA was launched in 2018 with 26 members. Today, just over 160 industry leaders from across the international cyber security spectrum work together to share threat intelligence, extend solution capabilities, and increase customer protection.
MISA membership is by invitation only. Organisations must be nominated by Microsoft, and must demonstrate integrations that support the goal of improving enterprise security. We were selected to join the association as a managed security service provider, for our NettProtect vulnerability scanning solution and turnkey add-ons to our Cyber SoC packages, as well as our Microsoft Defender for Endpoint managed service, which is geared to reinforce network security through next-generation detection, investigation, and threat-hunting.
“We are very proud to be part of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association,” says Ryan Roseveare, Managing Director of BUI, “Our MISA membership not only deepens our longstanding relationship with Microsoft, but also opens the door for our specialists to collaborate with some of the top security professionals in the world. We are excited to share our expertise with our new peers. And we look forward to delivering even more value to our customers, through innovative security offerings that meet their business needs.”
Our Cyber Security Operations Centre (Cyber SoC) integrates with Microsoft Azure Sentinel, a cloud-native, AI-based security information and event management solution, to make threat detection and response smarter and faster. The state-of-the-art facility harnesses Microsoft security resources to monitor enterprise networks, servers, endpoints, databases, and applications.
“The success of our Cyber SoC lies in the combination of cutting-edge technology and industry-leading skills,” explains Roseveare. “We have created a compelling solution by reducing the cost and complexity of managed security services, and by giving our customers value-driven add-ons, like our Cyber SoC Panic Button for emergency assistance,” he notes.
“The Microsoft Intelligent Security Association has grown into a vibrant ecosystem of the most reliable and trusted security software vendors across the globe.Our members, like BUI, share Microsoft’s commitment to collaboration within the cyber security community to improve our customers’ ability to predict, detect, and respond to security threats faster,” says Rani Lofstrom, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Microsoft Security.
First Technology Group’s MISA membership follows several company milestones since 2020. We have achieved Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Service Provider status and attained advanced specialisations in Adoption and Change Management and Windows Virtual Desktop. We have also been named Microsoft Country Partner of the Year (in South Africa), Microsoft Modern Workplace Partner of the Year, Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Partner of the Year, and Microsoft Security Partner of the Year.
“We are determined to help our customers strengthen their cyber defences in the face of increasingly sophisticated threats,” says Roseveare. “As part of MISA, we are now even better positioned to empower organisations to protect their assets – from identity to infrastructure, and from the edge to the cloud,” he concludes.
