An ever-changing security landscape
SiGMA sits down for an exclusive interview with Justin Cosnett, Continent 8’s Chief Product Officer
It has been a busy few months for Continent 8 Technologies with a number of product developments and senior hires.
From a product perspective, the global managed hosting, cloud, connectivity and security provider recently launched its Public Cloud solution in Gibraltar for the first time while also augmenting its Secure product suite amid an alarming rise in cyber attacks.
We sat down with Justin Cosnett, Continent 8’s Chief Product Officer, to learn more about these product launches and what is in store for the company over the next six months.
You recently launched your Public Cloud solution in Gibraltar. Can you tell us a bit more about this?
We opened our Gibraltar data centre back in 2011 and have continued to invest in the jurisdiction ever since. Our highly secure and unique data centre is actually located 500m deep within the Rock of Gibraltar from where it connects companies to a private network spanning more than 70 locations worldwide.
We recently strengthened our product offering in Gibraltar with the launch of our Public Cloud. This was in direct response to changing market conditions and demand for innovation in infrastructure by Gibraltar businesses.
What sets your Public Cloud Solution aside from others in the market?
Our Public Cloud offers customers a multi-tenanted IaaS platform to host customer infrastructure as Virtual Machines. Importantly, this eliminates the need for ongoing hardware investment and providing flexibility to pay for resources as required.
In addition, it has been architected on Nuntanix Hyper Converged Infrastructure, guaranteeing the highest levels of performance and functionality for Gibraltar businesses. Other key features include a self-service portal with template-based provisioning, feature-rich Edge devices, and the ability to integrate with Continent 8 co-location, MPLS and Cloud Connect services, plus DDoS protection.
Everything is managed by Continent 8 up to and including Hypervisor but customers still have control and management of internal systems. It means we can take care of the infrastructure support and maintenance thus allowing our customers to focus on running and growing their respective businesses.
You recently received AWS Select Consulting Partner Status – how does this tie in with the launch of your Public Cloud in Gibraltar?
Achieving AWS Select Consulting Partner Status strengthens our Cloud capabilities and competencies. It means we can support iGaming customers with the deployment and hosting of AWS Outposts through an AWS Outposts Enablement Package. This provides a delivery team to lead, co-ordinate and support the deployment from pre-install to go-live.
We have already supported several iGaming customers with this in the US and our AWS Select Consulting Partner Status allows us to offer AWS Outposts to businesses in Gibraltar too.
For Gibraltar specifically, this means that in addition to hybrid or new customer environments, we can deliver a network edge (NEaaS) capability for customers to deploy an AWS Outpost in a “greenfield” scenario – customers don’t need to implement specific dedicated infrastructure to support connectivity.
What current and future challenges does your Public Cloud help operators and suppliers overcome?
Our proven Public Cloud is live in a number of jurisdictions such as Atlantic City, the Isle of Man, Colombia, Dublin, Malta and now of course Gibraltar. Cloud infrastructure brings several benefits, but most notable is reducing the cost of purchasing and maintaining physical infrastructure. Other key benefits include scalability and flexibility.
Continent 8’s Public Cloud is behind our inline unrivalled DDoS mitigation platform, and there are benefits available with the Wep Application and API protection (WAAP) via our WAF solution. Given the ever-changing cyber security landscape and increased threat businesses of all sizes now face, this is an important feature. We have seen DDoS attacks increase significantly, especially during the pandemic, with the volume and complexity of attacks only set to increase.
What can we expect from Continent 8 over the coming months?
We are growing at a rapid rate, as evidenced by our expansion in the US where we are now live in more than regulated 20 states where we are delivering a first-to-market strategy to enable customers to capitalise on this fast-growing and rewarding market. We can support local companies with connectivity but also European operators looking to enter North or South America, thanks to a global connected network.
Our services continue to develop and expand as we navigate the ever-changing security landscape. This includes the recent launch of our Managed Services offering which allows us to deliver comprehensive threat protection, detection and response capabilities.
SiGMA Americas Virtual:
The SiGMA Americas Virtual show will run from the 13th to the 14th of September, 2021. Features include a fully interactive expo floor, networking chat rooms, and a high-profile lineup of panelists. Beautifully designed booths come equipped with state-o-the-art product displays and chatbox features, while attendees can visit the virtual stage, where a series of panels and keynotes will discuss key topics during the live 2-day conference.
Explore the agenda or check out who’s on the floor plan.
