Spark Appoints Patric Balmer As New Managed Security Services Practice Lead

Wednesday, 1 June 2022, 10:23 am
Press Release: Spark

Spark has announced it has appointed Patric Balmer as its new Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) lead for its cyber defence business. Most recently, Patric was General Manager for Cybersecurity GTM at NTT New Zealand.

Over a career spanning 24 years, Patric has extensive experience in designing innovative and effective security solutions to government and private sector entities in New Zealand, providing a broad perspective on today’s security challenges and tomorrow’s security threats.

“I’m incredibly proud to be part of Spark’s Cyber Defense Team, the capability within the team is one of a kind here in New Zealand. The experienced team of specialised threat hunters combined with Sparks’s unique threat intelligence platform provides the perfect ingredients for our new-to-market Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services,” said Patric Balmer, MSSP lead at Spark

In announcing Balmer’s appointment, Josh Bahlman, Spark’s Chief Information Security Officer, said “Patric is dedicated to driving our managed security strategy to help our business customers implement strategies for their security operations to protect sensitive data, detect any imminent threats and respond accordingly. Patric brings a wealth of experience and credentials to the role and will undoubtedly help strengthen Spark’s go-to-market in providing modern and innovative security services to New Zealand organisations.”

Securing the workplace of the future
In a time of fast-changing and unpredictable business conditions, many organisations are adopting a hybrid working model – and strong cyber security is essential for today’s anywhere working.

“Today, the rise of a cloud-connected, mobile and remote workforce has put the visibility and control of users and devices outside of the enterprise. One of the major hurdles facing IT security professionals is developing, implementing and maintaining a modern cybersecurity program to secure this future of work. However - available time, resources and access to the required skill sets remain a constant challenge.

“With the increasing complexity of threats and cyber security resource shortages this has left many New Zealand organisation unable to effectively to detect and respond to threats. Our approach to MDR means we operate as an extension of your in-house team with 24/7 New Zealand-based detection and response. Our renowned cybersecurity experts are mission driven to protect your business. They are powered by our unique cyber threat intelligence and Microsoft security solutions delivered using MDR services,” Balmer adds.

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