AppLayer, The Bunker, Trend Micro and IBM team up to deliver versatile, ultra-secure cloud applications

Cloud technology company AppLayer has announced strategic alliances with secure IT services provider The Bunker, cloud security specialists Trend Micro and IBM. Together, the businesses will deliver PCI DSS compliant, ‘ultra- secure’ cloud services which adhere to FCA (formerly FSA) guidelines. These services are designed to meet the standards of organisations with strict security requirements, such as those in the financial services and payments industries.

UK insurance adviser Amity Financial Solutions is the first organisation to roll out a joint solution from the partnering companies. It is now using the resulting ultra-secure cloud application to manage its IT systems and telephony in its contact centres for both its insurance advice business and BigDog, the organistion’s social enterprise which is aimed at helping young people into apprenticeships and work.

“Amity and BigDog’s clients all rely on impartial advice and support. Whether it’s providing guidance on finding the right insurance policy or giving insight into how to secure a winning apprenticeship, our clients place a huge amount of trust in our consultants and services.” said Nick Chadborne, CEO of Amity Financial Solutions and BigDog. “AppLayer and its partners worked together seamlessly to provide us with the technology we need to ensure our contact centres run smoothly. This means that representatives can quickly respond to client requests and – most importantly -- our customers’ data and information stays safe.”

The alliance creates a ‘best of breed’ cloud solution designed to meet the IT needs of security-conscious organisations.

It combines:
• AppLayer’s in-depth knowledge and expertise in cloud applications;
• The Bunker’s ultra-secure methodology combined with state of the art military grade ex nuclear bunker facilities;
• Trend Micro’s 25 years of experience in digital information security; and
• IBM’s infrastructure and reach.

The resulting solution includes a secure hosted-desktop platform which monitors and highlights suspicious activity and allows organisations to manage security issues associated with ‘bring your own device’, where employees use their personal smartphones, laptops or tablets in the workplace.

“Compliance, security and flexibility are all key issues for organisations moving their systems to the cloud,” said Andrew McLean, CEO of AppLayer. “Partnering with The Bunker, Trend Micro and IBM made sense from the start. This strategic alliance means that we can now offer customers the best technology and security the market has to offer. We provide versatile and military grade security for the cloud, which opens doors to more regulated industries and markets. Together, we are all stronger in the cloud.”

“The Bunker specialises in providing an ultra-secure environment to host sensitive data and we are keen to extend our secure data management solutions by offering flexible, Ultra Secure cloud solutions to our security conscious customers. We are delighted to be able to do this now through our partnership with AppLayer,” said Graham Spivey, director of sales and marketing at The Bunker. “Amity Financial Solutions’ implementation of our first joint product is a great start and we are confident this is just the beginning of a fruitful partnership.”

“Partnering with AppLayer, The Bunker and IBM strengthens all of our cloud offerings,” said Tim Ayling, director at Trend Micro. “The combined specialist knowledge, experience, products and market share of each of our businesses means that together we can now offer our customers everything they’ve been asking for – ultra-secure, flexible, complete cloud IT solutions. The cloud they need, all in one place, securely.”