Built for resilience

Re-inventing cyber security. (Image: NEC XON)

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Recently, one of South Africa’s leading workforce solutions providers needed to replace legacy anti-virus and static defences. The company had to keep up with increasingly devious cyber attack methods like fileless malware, lateral movement and credential misuse. With its distributed IT environment expanding and the stakes of a breach higher than ever, an upgrade was insufficient – it needed a transformation.

That transformation came through a strategic partnership with NEC XON and the adoption of Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR (Extended Detection and Response). The unified, AI-powered platform is designed to modernise cyber security across endpoint, network and cloud.

The journey began with a critical realisation: traditional anti-virus solutions could no longer offer the visibility, speed or adaptability required to defend against modern threats. Fragmented tools were causing alert fatigue, slowing down responses and increasing exposure.

Enter NEC XON. The cyber security integrator kicked off its engagement with the customer through a detailed advisory session which included a strategic audit. The team evaluated the customer’s IT estate, assessed threat exposure and benchmarked existing controls.

“A cookie-cutter solution wasn’t going to work,” says Armand Kruger, NEC XON Head of Cybersecurity. “Instead we created a tailored roadmap aligned with the customer’s risk posture and business priorities.”

One critical gap NEC XON identified was the absence of extended detection and response (XDR) capability. Despite having core infrastructure in place, the customer lacked integrated visibility across its digital environment. This discovery shaped the decision to implement Cortex XDR, with objectives centred on transforming cyber security from reactive to proactive.

Immediately, the customer enjoyed Cortex XDR unified visibility across endpoints, networks and cloud assets, enabling the customer security team to detect threats with far greater accuracy. AI-driven behavioural analytics reduced noise, allowing analysts to focus on genuine risks. Automated responses kicked in at machine speed, containing threats before they could spread.

Armand Kruger, head of Cyber Security at NEC XON.

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“What used to take us hours or even days to piece together, we can now investigate and contain in minutes,” says the customer’s CISO. “It’s empowered our team to operate like a modern, intelligence-driven SOC.”

A clear demonstration of the platform’s value came shortly after deployment. Cortex XDR detected a lateral movement attempt involving compromised credentials. Its real-time analytics flagged the anomaly, correlated activity across endpoints and automatically isolated the affected system. Another incident saw a phishing-based attack neutralised before the malicious payload could activate – thanks to AI detection and automated containment.

“These weren’t just test cases. They were real-world validations of our threat models,” says the CISO. “And Cortex XDR delivered, each time.”

What set NEC XON apart, according to the customer, was not just its technical acumen but its strategic approach. Rather than simply deploying Cortex XDR, NEC XON embedded it into the customer's wider operational model. The result was not a standalone security tool but an integrated layer of resilience aligned with broader business processes.

“NEC XON weren’t just implementers, they were partners,” says the CISO. “They adapted the solution to our environment, guided us through every step and ensured we could scale securely. Their impact went far beyond delivery.”

Beyond just enhancing security, the implementation laid the foundation for our broader digital transformation. With real-time visibility and automated threat response in place, security was no longer a bottleneck. It became a business enabler.

“Now they can embrace cloud, modernise systems and scale digital services with confidence,” says Kruger. “Cyber security is no longer something they react to. It’s embedded in their growth strategy.”

To CIOs and CISOs still relying on traditional tools, this customer offers a word of advice: rethink your model. “Legacy tools can’t keep up,” the CISO warns. “The shift to XDR isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.” But the tech alone isn’t enough. “NEC XON brought Cortex XDR to life in our context. They helped us to deploy and transform. That’s the difference between buying software and building cyber resilience.”

Don’t leave your business exposed. Click here to see how NEC XON can help.