Zero Trust, Fraud Prevention to Transform Cybersecurity

Q: What aspects were key to replicating Appgate's outstanding global positioning within the Latin American market?
A: Our success is based on our combination of global presence and regional DNA. Although we are a US company, we have strategic offices that allow us to be closer to the Latin American market. Beyond technology, our differential lies in our ability to connect clients' needs with advanced solutions, backed by a solid focus on security and fraud prevention.

Q: What are the main services you offer and how do they differ from those of traditional companies?
A: First, our secure access unit is based on the zero trust model, which breaks with the traditional paradigm by first validating the user's identity before granting access. Through our Universal Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution, we enable organizations to identify, contextualize and authorize connections dynamically, ensuring granular control and minimizing the risks associated with unauthorized access.

Our second unit, electronic fraud, responds to the financial industry's need to move its services to digital channels without compromising security. Through our 360 Fraud Protection solution, we offer a comprehensive approach ranging from identification of exposures to robust, real-time user authentication, ensuring that every digital transaction is legitimate and significantly reducing fraud risks without affecting user experience.

Finally, our Threat Advisory Services unit focuses on vulnerability detection and enterprise application protection. Through advanced security strategies, we help our clients identify and close risk gaps in their technology infrastructure, ensuring that their investment in digital transformation is backed by a secure and resilient environment.

Q: What were the main challenges you identified in the market, and how do your solutions address them?
A: The rise of digitization has transformed the way individuals and businesses interact with technology, creating new cybersecurity challenges. The need to establish secure access in a dynamic environment drove the development of our zero trust solution, which ensures that only authorized users can interact with critical assets. Similarly, the exponential growth of digital channels in banking and other industries exposed users to increased fraud risks, leading to the creation of 360 Fraud Protection. This solution was designed to monitor, prevent, and mitigate attacks throughout the lifecycle of a transaction. Finally, the growing sophistication of cyberthreats and the need to protect the integrity of business applications motivated the implementation of our Threat Advisory Services, ensuring a reliable and constantly evolving technological environment.

The main challenge our customers face is ensuring secure access in an increasingly interconnected digital environment. The accelerating digital transformation has driven the consumption of services and goods through technology platforms, which has significantly increased the risk of cyberattacks. However, the industry has prioritized ease of access without strengthening security, exposing companies and users to threats such as ransomware and phishing.

Q: How has the adoption of Appgate’s solutions impacted institutions and businesses in the region?
A: Our technology has redefined the concept of secure access in key sectors such as finance, government, and corporate. Through Appgate SDP, we implement a security model based on zero trust, ensuring that every user and device is authenticated before accessing critical systems. This has allowed institutions in Latin America to mitigate risks of fraud and cyberattacks, optimizing digital adoption without compromising security. In the area of electronic fraud, our solutions have helped financial institutions reduce losses, strengthen customer confidence, and increase efficiency in detecting and preventing attacks.

Q: How does the relationship with strategic partners allow Appgate to improve digital security?
A: Our partners play a key role in delivering value to the end customer. In a region as large and diverse as Latin America, having specialized local partners allows us to accelerate positioning, optimize customer retention, and ensure high levels of satisfaction. Brazil and Mexico, as major economies, require differentiated approaches, while the rest of the region demands specific cultural adaptation. Our partner network not only amplifies our operational capacity, but also strengthens the effectiveness of our cybersecurity solutions in secure access and electronic fraud prevention.

Q: How does Appgate integrate its solutions within customers' existing platforms?
A: Integration depends on the customer's level of cybersecurity maturity, starting with rapid deployments and progressively scaling up to a fully structured secure access strategy based on Universal 0.3 Network Access. This strategy enables enterprises to securely connect their critical assets. Unlike other solutions, our Direct Route technology avoids multiple intermediaries, reducing costs and improving operations.

Q: How has the digital transformation influenced the adoption of your solutions, and how has it affected the way enterprises manage access to their networks and applications?
A: The pandemic accelerated digitization and increased the attack surface as employees moved from operating within secure corporate perimeters to connecting from anywhere. Many companies granted access without ensuring security, increasing their exposure to fraud and cybersecurity incidents. Our e-fraud business unit saw a 77% growth in fraud cases and a 320% increase in data leakage incidents between 2022 and 2023. Digital transformation drove social media presence, exposing more users and businesses to attacks such as phishing, which grew 82% in the same period.

Q: What trends are shaping the evolution of cyberthreats in Latin America, and how are organizations preparing to face these challenges?
A: Threats are evolving at a speed that prevents many companies from keeping up. Eighty-three percent of companies feel that fraud schemes change too quickly and 81% are unable to identify vulnerabilities in real time. The lack of communication between fraud controls weakens the response of financial institutions, exacerbating the problem. Our report indicates that 74% of fraud incidents originate from increasingly sophisticated and massive phishing attacks, highlighting the need for more integrated and cross-cutting security strategies.

Q: What are Appgate's expansion plans for Latin America in the next 12 months?
A: We are strengthening our secure access unit in Latin America, particularly through collaboration with partners and channels that have commercial and technical autonomy. In the next 12 months, we will focus on companies lacking large budgets but face a growing need to invest in cybersecurity. In response to this market need, Appgate has been investing in its managed security service providers (MSSP) strategy, seeking to partner with industry experts that offer consolidated and managed services. Our goal is to offer secure access in a flexible and scalable way, with monthly consumption models that reduce the cost barrier while adapting to local needs, especially in Mexico.

Q: What recommendations would you give to businesses looking to adopt a more robust cybersecurity strategy?
A: Executives should have a good understanding of their company's needs and priorities before making decisions, as an effective cybersecurity strategy should not always focus on the lowest cost. Decision makers should have a clear view of the risks and solutions available so that they can implement a scalable solution that grows with the business, without compromising security. It is preferable to opt for solutions that offer flexibility and adapt as the organization evolves. In addition, it is critical to avoid fragmented approaches with multiple vendors that can make integration difficult, and instead look for solutions that are easy to implement and provide immediate benefits, such as fast and scalable secure access.