AsiaNet 95687

TOKYO, Apr. 28, 2022 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ --

- Vulnerability Countermeasures Deployed in Minimum 30 Minutes -

Internet Initiative Japan Inc. (IIJ, TSE Prime: 3774), one of Japan's leading Internet access and comprehensive network solutions providers, announced on April 28 the launch of an online sales channel for Safous, its zero-trust network access (ZTNA) (*) service released last year. Until now, IIJ only offered Safous through its group's local offices (in the U.S., Mainland China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan). However, the addition of an online sales channel allows customers to apply for services without being tied down by a country or region. Customers can now start using Safous, with a lead time that can be as short as 30 minutes, by simply selecting the required plan and options on the Safous website.

(*) ZTNA: A type of zero-trust solution that provides seamless and secure remote access to internal applications. Instead of authenticating at the boundaries of a corporate network, authentication is performed through a trusted broker system each time an application is accessed.

This service securely connects users to corporate information resources, such as business applications in the customer's office or the cloud. Safous utilizes robust authentication and has authorization control from a user terminal or IoT device. IIJ has deployed access points (PoP: Point of Presence) for authorization to customers' specified locations prior to the start of their service. This configuration will eliminate the need to allow users to access corporate networks from outside and mitigates the risk of attacks targeting corporate networks.

Background
There has been a large shift towards hybrid work and an increase in working from home in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift towards the ability to work from anywhere can be observed overseas and in Japan. The challenge that emerged with this shift is that companies need to create an environment where business resources can be securely utilized from various locations while maintaining the same convenience that existed before the pandemic. To respond to this need, IIJ released Safous last year. Additionally, security threats, such as cyberattacks aimed at companies' supply chains, are continuing to increase. In particular, global companies that do not have strong security controls over their overseas locations are requesting immediate implementation of services that will enable employees to securely and seamlessly access internal resources from outside the company. For this reason, IIJ has added an online sales channel that allows customers to subscribe from any country or region, and to start using the service right away.

Characteristics of Safous' online sales
The contract procedure can be completed online, and customers can instantly deploy security measures against cyber threats whenever needed. Simply select a plan on the dedicated website, register the users and groups, specify the business resources that customers want to allow access to, set the access policies, and customers can begin using Safous in as short as 30 minutes. There is no need to install any additional agents on the terminal, nor does Safous require a dedicated infrastructure. Safous is available from a minimum of 10 accounts. With its online sales channel, IIJ can now assist customers who want to try out security threat countermeasures by focusing on users and targeted operations.
For details of this service, refer to the following site:
https://www.safous.com/

Online sales channel: https://www.safous.com/pricing

Price: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202204150017-O3-2L1z62NO.pdf

Functions: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202204150017-O2-B332hlrx.pdf

Safous' Global Service Director, Miki Tanaka, said, "We are very pleased to be able to offer this service to our customers. We believe that the addition of Safous' online sales channel as a ready-to-use ZTNA product has the potential to significantly lower the bar for ZTNA adaptation. With the current global situation, security threats are becoming more and more prevalent and more aggressive, and we believe that implementing ZTNA is the first step in protecting our own company. We will further expand the security functions of Safous so that many of our customers can smoothly balance the challenges of COVID-19, such as diversification of work styles and optimization of IT infrastructure, with the strengthening of security measures."

IIJ will continue to actively expand the functions of this service and strengthen its sales system so that customers can balance the optimization of IT infrastructure in line with the diversification of working styles and the strengthening of security measures smoothly.

About IIJ
Founded in 1992, IIJ is one of Japan's leading Internet-access and comprehensive network solutions providers. IIJ and its group companies provide total network solutions that mainly cater to high-end corporate customers. IIJ's services include high-quality Internet connectivity services, system integration, cloud computing services, security services and mobile services. Moreover, IIJ has built one of the largest Internet backbone networks in Japan that is connected to the United States, the United Kingdom and Asia. IIJ was listed on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2022. For more information about IIJ, visit the official website: https://www.iij.ad.jp/en/

The statements within this release contain forward-looking statements about IIJ's future plans that involve risk and uncertainty. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results.

*All company, product and service names used in this press release are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Source: Internet Initiative Japan Inc.

--BERNAMA