Celona intros new security features, global partners for private 5G push

By James Blackman October 30, 2024

Collected at: https://www.rcrwireless.com/20241030/private-5g/celona-intros-new-security-features-global-partners-for-private-5g-push

Private 5G specialist Celona has introduced a new suite of ‘zero-trust’ security capabilities, under the name Aerloc, for industrial customers deploying private 4G and 5G networks to underpin IT and OT functions. New capabilities include unified SIM-based authentication, dynamic and distributed policy enforcement, and IT/OT air-gapping on common 4G/5G infrastructure. The California firm has also introduced a three-tiered global sales channel partner scheme, and a global distribution deal with TD SYNNEX. It has said a new neutral host product and device certification scheme are in the works, to be announced before the year is out.

By-the-by, the firm also confirmed that UK-headquartered oil and gas company BP and US-based system integrator Insight are taking private 5G solutions from it – to deploy and resell, respectively. A number of other sales partners of different stripes were confirmed, besides its better-known partners (Verizon, NTT, Xantaro, Velaspan) including: global integrators STC, Capgemini, and Tech Mahindra; and regional integrators Future Technologies (a Nokia favourite, which is now appearing on Ericsson slide decks, also), GDT, Black Box, and INS. These companies have been variously grouped in the new three-tier channel partner scheme.

The Aerloc suite is pitched squarely at the Industry 4.0 set; it addresses key concerns in industrial IoT, said Celona. Traditional IT zero trust architectures often fail in industrial settings because data is required to be kept on-premise (at the enterprise edge, away from the cloud) for latency, reliability, and security reasons, because “thousands of IoT devices require agentless authentication”, and just because of enforced separation of IT and OT networks. Its Aerloc solution combats these issues, it said, by “unifying” IT, OT, and 5G in a “seamless solution” without compromising the principles that have tended to keep them apart, and make security controls complex to organise and administer. 

Introduction of common SIM authentication for IT and OT devices eliminates the need for device-side IoT software or agents, it said. It claims Aerloc offers native integration via APIs with firewalls, network access control (NAC) systems, and SD-WAN solutions in edge, cloud, and hybrid setups. It integrates with firewalls and policy platforms from Palo Alto Networks, Cisco, and Aruba; others will be integrated, also. Meanwhile, it said its distributed policy enforcement works with sundry security assessment tools and orchestration platforms to enable localised policy enforcement at the edge at a granular level – “down to the individual device or user”.

As well, its own ‘micro-slicing’ technology affords a way to air-gap IT and OT traffic on the same private 5G network. It stated: “IT and OT traffic can be securely segmented both physically and logically over the air, on the LAN and within the shared 5G LAN network. This unique intent-based segmentation of IT and OT traffic ensures the separation of critical operational data from general enterprise traffic to maintain security and performance integrity across both environments. BP and Insight were quoted in the press release.

Stefan Garrard, principal enterprise technology engineer at BP, said: “A secure, reliable, and cost-effective network is essential to our operations in industrial environments like our refineries. The new Celona security features further strengthen the robust connectivity we need to address these challenges. With the ability to securely leverage the same private 5G infrastructure for both IT and OT, we are confident that this Celona enhancement will strengthen our operational integrity and drive innovation, ensuring we remain at the forefront of safe and efficient energy production.”  

Jeremy Nelson, chief information and security officer for Insight in North America, said: “Cybersecurity is one of our strongest practices, and we work with enterprise teams every day to develop and deploy bulletproof cybersecurity strategies. With Aerloc, Celona is filling a critical gap between the IT and OT networks that has become more glaring as industrial organisations roll out their digital transformation programs, expanding the potential threat landscape. Celona brings us one step ahead of the game, allowing us to offer our customers an advanced private 5G solution that extends zero trust to where it’s needed most.”

Rajeev Shah, co-founder and chief executive at Celona, said: “Celona Aerloc represents a significant milestone in how industrial networks are secured. By seamlessly integrating zero trust principles with our enterprise 5G LAN architecture, we empower organisations to confidently migrate mission-critical OT operations to private 5G while maintaining ironclad security and granular control. Aerloc eliminates the traditional trade-off between operational agility and cybersecurity, paving the way for true IT/OT convergence and all the benefits it offers.”

Meanwhile, the company’s channel scheme has been rebranded and expanded as Frequency Partner Program to introduce new tiers, training, and marketing resources. The new deal with TD SYNNEX is geared to bring new resellers and managed service providers in global markets. Celona claims around 150 partners globally. It works with global system integrators NTT DATA, Capgemini, and Tech Mahindra. In Europe, it has partnered with Alcadis, Alternetivo, Clarus Networks, Telonic,and Xantaro. The company has also expanded into China with Xingtera, CBN, and Inspur. 

It has relationships with Rhodos Consulting in South Korea, Sojitz Tech-Innovation in Japan, stc in Saudi Arabia, and Axity, Indeplo, and Inpro Telecom in Latin America. Rob Mustarde, senior vice president of worldwide sales at Celona, said: “We’re enabling our partners to accelerate their business opportunities in this developing market. Together we’re advancing a new era of enterprise networking that is fundamentally transforming how businesses operate.”

Cheryl Day, a senior vice president at TD SYNNEX, said: “The private 5G market is experiencing explosive growth… Our relationship with Celona will enable our vast network of partners to offer new solutions and value-added services to enterprises worldwide.”

Joel Mora, senior global account manager at GDT, said: “The new structure, training resources, and distribution will be significant in helping us deliver cutting-edge private wireless solutions to our customers. Deepening our partnership with Celona will bring the transformative power of 5G LANs to organisations across industries.”