Microsoft Security

1. Background: Cyber security as a growing challenge for SMEs and C-level executives

Cybercrime is no longer confined to large companies. Customers in the large enterprise, mid-market and SME segments of the Austrian market are increasingly becoming targets, yet they often lack the internal security resources, specialist knowledge and round-the-clock operational models required for a rapid response. For SME and mid-market clients, the damage caused by digital attacks is significant and multifaceted. Typical threats include:

Espionage
Theft of intellectual property
Attacks on confidential content and data
Attacks on the integrity and availability of systems
Theft of financial or digital assets

2. The solution: AI-powered cyber defence for SMEs&C

The CANCOM Cyber Defence Centre harnesses the full capabilities of the Microsoft security platform – from end devices to the cloud – and transforms them into a standardised, repeatable managed security service for SMEs and C-level clients.

CANCOM Austria’s Cyber Defence Centre is an Austrian Security Operations Centre (SOC) that provides professional support to businesses in the field of cyber security. The solution combines local security expertise, Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender, AI-powered analytics, standardised playbooks and automated response capabilities to ensure a faster return on investment, measurable business impact and scalable protection for corporate and SME customers.

The key services are:

Detection of previously unknown cyberattacks in customers’ IT infrastructures using Microsoft security signals and AI-powered analytics
Real-time detection, triage and efficient response to current threats through standardised playbooks and automation
Continuous improvement of the customer’s security posture in line with zero-trust principles, ‘secure-by-design’ principles and expectations for responsible AI
Protection of valuable business resources and digital assets through scalable managed services that can be consistently delivered to a wide range of SMEs and large enterprises

3. Benefits for customers: Expertise in the fields of cyber security, digital sovereignty and Microsoft technology

CANCOM Austria offers comprehensive support in all relevant areas of cyber defence – drawing on Austrian expertise, the scale and maturity of the CANCOM Group, a proven ‘Centre of

Excellence model, reusable intellectual property and deep integration of Microsoft technologies. This combination creates a clear competitive advantage in the local SME and C-level market: customers benefit from the agility and customer focus of an Austrian security partner, backed by the operational strength, experience and delivery capacity of a large, established IT service provider. The offering is designed to help SME and C-level customers strengthen their cyber resilience, increase transparency, improve digital sovereignty and accelerate the secure adoption of cloud and AI solutions.

Benefits at a glance:

Protection of all corporate data – whether on end devices, servers or in the cloud
Predictable implementation through standardised assessments, phased roll-out, proof of concept and standardised onboarding
Proactive security analysis around the clock, all year round
Immediate initiation of defensive measures when required through automation, Sentinel Automation Rules, Logic Apps and proven response playbooks
Threat analysis carried out in Austria to strengthen customer trust, transparency and digital sovereignty
Clear dashboard and easy-to-understand reporting
Focus on the essentials thanks to many years’ experience in operational security, mature processes and insights gained from a broad customer base across the DACH region
Optimal utilisation of existing and new Microsoft security solutions, including Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft 365 Defender, Azure Lighthouse, as well as Microsoft programmes for co-selling, CSP and customer support
Repeatable deployment through productised offerings, reusable security use cases, standardised reporting, service packages and a dedicated security practice that continuously improves the deployment mechanism
Empowering client teams through practical security advice, reporting and knowledge transfer to enhance client expertise and local solution adoption
Competitive advantage through CANCOM’s scale, its experienced security organisation, 24/7 deployment capacity and the ability to standardise proven security services for SME and C-level customers – something smaller local providers are often unable to deliver to the same extent, with the same speed and reliability

4. Impact: The transformation of SME&C, visionary leadership and scalable growth

The introduction of the Cyber Defence Centre brought immediate technical benefits and had a tangible business impact across the client’s organisation. Operational security measures are increasingly being automated, enabling IT teams to focus on strategic priorities whilst enhancing resilience, audit readiness and the trust of senior management. The solution strengthens digital sovereignty by ensuring that customer data remains within the customer’s own tenant and by providing transparent, locally delivered threat analysis. Its productised architecture enables SMEs and C-level clients to achieve a faster return on investment and supports a consistent roll-out across both the enterprise and SME segments. With Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender, AI-powered detection, standardised playbooks and ‘secure-by-design’ implementation patterns, the CDC demonstrates its leadership role in ‘Frontier Transformation’ for the local market. CANCOM stands out thanks to its combination of local Austrian delivery, operational reach across the DACH region, more than

a hundred security specialists, a multilingual 24/7 SOC operation and a mature Microsoft implementation. This enables customers to access enterprise-grade cyber defence in a package model suited to the scale of SMEs and C-level enterprises. The model is scalable across the entire DACH region, aligned with planning for the financial year 26, and positioned to support sustainable growth in the areas of Microsoft Security, Azure usage, CSP initiatives and co-selling implementation.

https://www.cancom.at/it-security/cyber-defense-center

https://www.cancom.at/microsoft-azure

Business challenge

Protection against cyber-attacks is now business-critical for organisations, particularly for SMEs and C-level clients, who must defend increasingly complex hybrid and cloud environments with limited in-house security capabilities. Even the smallest anomalies must be detected and assessed before any damage occurs. This requires expertise, resources and technologies that many organisations do not have at their disposal on their own. At the same time, whilst many smaller providers in the local market can offer individual security services, they lack the necessary scale, a 24/7 operating model, in-depth Microsoft expertise and the cross-client experience required to industrialise cyber defence for SMEs and C-level clients. A leading Austrian company was therefore seeking a solution to better protect its digital infrastructure against targeted attacks, detect and assess security incidents in real time, initiate automated countermeasures and create a repeatable security operations model that is scalable beyond a single implementation.

Solution

In collaboration with Microsoft, CANCOM Austria has implemented the Cyber Defence Centre (CDC) based on the Microsoft Security Stack. This combination of an experienced security team, cloud-based technology and AI-powered analytics enables proactive threat detection and rapid response – round the clock, 365 days a year. The CDC is delivered as a product-based managed service with a defined onboarding process, standardised operational procedures, reusable detection scenarios and clearly defined service modules, which reduce the payback period for SME and C-level clients. Unlike point solutions or narrowly focused security providers, CANCOM combines consultancy, implementation, managed operations, Microsoft licensing and CSP administration, as well as long-term customer support, within an integrated delivery model.

Integration is multi-tenant via Azure Lighthouse, whilst customer data remains within the customer’s own tenant. Analysts work with clearly defined RBAC roles and zero-trust-compliant access models. Microsoft 365 Defender provides XDR signals, including those from Defender for Endpoint, Identity, Office 365 and Cloud Apps. These data sources are fed into Microsoft Sentinel via native connectors and correlated with additional sources such as firewalls and NSM.

The CDC utilises this information in the LOG (SIEM) and EDR modules to map an attack in full across the MITRE ATT&CK matrix. Analysts assess alerts based on standardised playbooks and escalate only verified incidents. Monthly dashboards and reports enhance transparency at executive level. Automation is achieved via Sentinel automation rules, Logic Apps and, optionally, via an integrated SOAR platform such as XSOAR. AI-powered analytics and the purple team approach ensure that use cases and processes are continuously improved. The operating model is guided by ‘secure-by-design’ principles and the responsible use of AI in security operations.

CANCOM Cyber Defence Centre – Standardised, experienced, integrated

Through the CDC, CANCOM Austria brings together comprehensive security expertise and more than 7,500 hours of operational services per month. More than 110 specialists – including the Purple Team – currently protect over 130 clients in the DACH region. The 24/7 operation is supported by a multilingual team of analysts working in 16 languages. The high quality of detection is reflected in a true-positive rate of 89 per cent. This scale of operations forms the basis for a ‘Centre of Excellence’ approach, which pools proven knowledge into repeatable services, reusable intellectual property and consistent customer outcomes. For SME&C customers, this scale is a key differentiator: they gain access to enterprise-grade security capabilities, proven processes and extensive experience in dealing with threats, without having to build these capabilities in-house.

Implementation

CANCOM supports its customers with consultancy, proof-of-concepts, implementation and managed operations. The solution is based on a proprietary development by the CDC and utilises Microsoft Sentinel for data collection, clustering, monitoring and automation. The architecture follows Microsoft’s best practices for Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), is fully multi-tenant and designed for repeatable deployment across numerous local SME&C customers.

Deployment takes place in close collaboration with Microsoft’s field sales, SME&C, CSP and co-selling teams. Joint planning, local go-to-market coordination, the use of Microsoft programmes, market positioning and customer support help CANCOM to effectively establish itself in the Austrian SME and small business segment, attract new customers and displace less integrated security approaches. CANCOM’s competitive advantage lies in its ability to combine the implementation of Microsoft programmes with a well-established local delivery organisation, broad customer reach and the credibility of a major IT service provider capable of supporting customers from consultancy through implementation to ongoing operations.

CANCOM also adopts a ‘Customer Zero’ mindset by utilising Microsoft technologies and AI-supported security processes internally, thereby transforming operational insights into reusable customer IP. This enhances the quality of services, accelerates the development of expertise and enables consultants and analysts to pass on practical knowledge to client teams.

Results and added value

Customers benefit from seamless monitoring of their IT infrastructure, faster investigation and a more targeted response to genuine incidents. False alarms are filtered out through structured processes and automation, saving resources and reducing response times. The integrated Microsoft Security platform measurably increases security maturity, protects critical resources and ensures transparency at management level through dashboards and reports. For SME&C customers, the CDC offers a clear path to faster value creation, scalable protection, greater digital sovereignty and the sustainable adoption of Microsoft security technologies. Compared to fragmented security offerings, CANCOM delivers a stronger value proposition thanks to its scale, experience, 24/7 SOC capabilities, Microsoft expertise, reusable intellectual property and the ability to deliver consistent results across a wide range of customers. For CANCOM and Microsoft, this offering creates a repeatable growth engine in the areas of security, Azure, CSP and co-selling initiatives, supported by continuous investment in training, empowerment and the transformation of local customers.