Verizon Business Positioned in Leaders Quadrant for North American Managed Security Service Providers Magic Quadrant

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Business announced today it has been positioned by leading industry analyst firm Gartner in the Leaders quadrant of Gartner's 2009 report, “Magic Quadrant for Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) North America.” ¹

“We believe the confidence customers have expressed in our services confirms that Verizon Business has redefined the information security landscape to become the premier provider of managed security services worldwide,” said Kerry Bailey, senior vice president - global services, Verizon Business. “We feel our leading position in the managed security services Quadrant among global service providers reflects our extensive security expertise and solutions suite.”
For the purposes of this report, Gartner defines “managed security services” (MSS) as the remote management or monitoring of IT security information, assets and processes where the delivery of those services is via remote security operations centers, not through personnel on-site.

According to the report, “Each of the service providers in the Leaders quadrant has significant ‘mind share’ among enterprises looking to buy an MSS as a discrete offering. These providers generally receive positive reports on service and performance from Gartner clients. MSSPs in the Leaders quadrant are typically appropriate options for enterprises requiring frequent interaction with the MSSP for analyst expertise and advice, portal-based correlation and workflow support, and flexible reporting options.”

Gartner criteria for completeness of vision include market understanding, offering strategy, business model, innovation and geographic strategy. Criteria for ability to execute include product/service capabilities, customer experience, market responsiveness and track record, overall viability and operations.
Added Bailey, “Verizon Business is committed to helping our customers confidently and safely enhance their overall security, and our customers’ vote of confidence to Gartner indicates that we’re delivering on that promise.”

Most Comprehensive Set of Capabilities for Secure, Global Communications

Verizon Business has the most comprehensive set of capabilities for global, secure communication services. For that reason, enterprises and government agencies rely on Verizon Business’ Security Solutions to help them manage security risk and protect critical company assets. The MSS suite includes monitoring and management for numerous devices, including anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware, application log monitoring and management, Denial of Service defense, firewall, router, VPN, image and content control, intrusion detection and protection, proxy service and unified threat management.

Verizon Business MSS capabilities are complemented by leading professional security services in the areas of business continuity consulting; forensics and investigative response; governance, risk and compliance; identity management; and threat and vulnerability. Additionally, Verizon’s security portfolio includes governance risk and compliance solutions, data loss and prevention solutions and identity management solutions.

More information on Verizon Business’ MSS suite is available by visiting: http://www.verizonbusiness.com/products/security/managed.

About the Magic Quadrant
The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2009by Gartner Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner’s analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the Leaders quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a leading provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large-business and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed global network reach with advanced technology and professional service capabilities, Verizon Business delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world. For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.

####

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

1 Gartner Research: “Magic Quadrant for MSSPs, North America,” Kelly M. Kavanagh and John Pescatore, April 16, 2009.