Cybersecurity specialization is its strength, as well as the skills and expertise that allowed the company  to have a strong presence on both the Italian and International scene since 2008, with offices in Vilnius and Dubai. We are talking about HWG, founded in 2008 in Verona and offering medium and large-sized companies IT security services. 

Their core is the Security Operation Centre and their mission is to protect companies and take charge of the management and prevention of cyber incidents. 

Their motto? “Focus on growing your business, while we secure your critical system”.

Their first distinctive points is the specialization: they are not a generalist partner, but they specialize in cyber security. 

Another key element is the technical-consulting aspect: they want to position themselves as an extension of their clients’ IT security team to take charge of day-to-day activities, but also the development of the strategy, the governance and the processes needed to improve companies’ security. 

They are able to combine technical management and consultative elements in order to maintain the hard core of day-to-day operations –  such as incident management, 24-hour monitoring, and technology configuration and maintenance – but also to offer support from the perspective of governance processes and strategy development. By doing so, they can help all the stakeholders to spread the importance of security in their company, while also making it a key element in risk assessment from a business development perspective. 

What are the most relevant areas of cyber risk in relation to fintech? How is HWG managing to combine strategies and services truly dedicated to the fintech world?

We talked about it with Stefano Brusaferro, sales and marketing director at HWG.

Watch the full interview

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A new solution, “Bank4ME” designed to ensure that the branch is always operational but remotely, at a time when it is particularly important to offer this service to bank customers. An international acquisition thanks to which it will be able to offer to its customers the possibility to managing centrally the security of the devices by protecting, monitoring and controlling the assets.

Auriga, corporate member of Fintech District, has two important pieces of news to share. Vincenzo Fiore, CEO of Auriga, explains them in this interview, also announcing the will to accelerate international development.

As a company that is always attentive to innovating and responding to market needs, have you recently launched solutions to help banks deal with the coronavirus emergency and minimize its impact?

In the current scenario, bank branches, as an essential service for citizens and businesses, must play a key role, not only in terms of economic support in an unprecedented period, but also, and above all, in terms of accessibility to financial services.

As a result of recent social distancing provisions, several of our client banks have pointed out to us the need to guarantee continuity of the services offered to their clients and their full efficiency, while guaranteeing at the same time, adequate levels of security for both clients and employees.

Digital technologies represent a strategic solution in this context, because they not only guarantee the full efficiency of services, but also allow to preserve the human component and take advantage of the advice of banking professionals.

Our Bank4ME solution – one of the modules of our NextGenBranch proposal – has adapted itself to this situation since it is designed to ensure that the banking branch is always operational remotely.

Through a platform station, present in a reserved area of the branch and accessible to customers after recognition, you can access all the services of your bank in self-service assisted mode and interact with the bank’s consultants in videoconference, in a secure and personalized way.

What are the main advantages of this solution?

Bank4Me allows you to:

• guarantee the continuity of the services offered to the client (consultant always available, remotely, as in a branch) and at the same time safeguard the health of both employees and clients, keeping in line with the imposed obligation of social distancing;
• enable smart working for employees, operators and managers in branches, who until now have generally been denied the possibilityof continue working;
• reduce the management costs of the branches and make them more flexible by freeing the offer of consultancy services from the physical presence of the manager and safeguarding the levels of service availability and customer experience.
• make the consultancy relationship more efficient and also promote a growing digitalization of services, with a view to greater multigenerational inclusion

Bank4ME extends our NextGenBranch proposal, thanks to which the branch is transformed into a consultancy space with added value. A modern and technological branch, open 24 hours a day every day, where the customer can access all services in self-service mode without giving up consulting support or assistance in real time, but having it delivered in an innovative way.

Bank4ME also responds to the urgent need of banks to maintain their presence on the territory, while reducing branch management costs and breaking down the existing barriers between the physical and digital world, thanks to the use of technology.

What other news about your company?

Auriga recently announced the acquisition of Lookwise Device Manager (LDM), a modular cybersecurity platform and business unit of S21Sec, a leading European security services specialist and part of Sonae IM, Ventur Capital focused on cybersecurity, retail and telecommunications technology investments.

The agreement provides for the acquisition and integration of LDM expertise and technology in Auriga’s business. The acquired unit, based in Madrid, Pamplona and Mexico City, brings with it a proprietary platform capable of providing the most advanced and effective countermeasures to defend against cyber threats, malware and hacker attacks. Auriga also acquires the LDM client portfolio, while working with S21Sec to offer expanded cybersecurityconsultancy to customers and prospects.

Recognized worldwide as a solution to respond to the latest malware attacks, LDM received the ATM Cyber Security Excellence Award at the ATM Customer Experience & Security Summit in 2018.

How does this acquisition enrich your offer and what benefits does it bring to your customers?

By integrating LDM with the WWS suite, Auriga offers its customers the ability to manage the security of devices (such as ATMs, POS terminals, critical infrastructure control systems) centrally by protecting, monitoring and controlling assets.

In this way we can significantly develop the most effective cyber risk management and prevention capabilities for our customers, that in turn can protect the digital financial services offered through their channels. All with a minimal use of resources and time.

The acquisition responds to Auriga’s international growth strategy, which also sees its network of offices extended to Madrid and Mexico City, as well as its desire to invest in a sector such as cybersecurity which, in the light of the advent of a digital transformation economy and the proliferation of cyber threats, is becoming an increasingly strategic priority for banks.

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Flywallet is a digital payment and identity system that integrates itself into existing banking systems. It is based on economic wearable and biometric authentication that makes daily activities such as contactless payments, ticketing, access to websites and physical locations and finally digital identity, easier and safer.

This startup is currently in the fundraising phase. Founder and CEO Lorenzo Frollini announces: “by the end of the year we will be launching our first wearable payment on the market with our main banking partner. We will add more functions gradually”.

After the debut on the Italian market, with the first wearable device, the idea is to expand abroad “also looking for new partners within Fintech District”. Frollini explains that he decided to join the community considering it “the ideal ecosystem to grow quickly and to have the opportunity to compare and create synergies with other startups and other Italian and international fintech players”.

Going back to the idea behind Flywallet, Frollini explains how it all started by noting that today we are all tired of carrying cash and payment cards and remembering PINs and passwords, so we rely more and more on smartphones for our lives.

“What if someone could access our device by bypassing the security systems? In an instant we would lose our identity, our money and access to our personal data – explains Frollini – With Flywallet everything is safer because it is a stand-alone device with proprietary firmware and an innovative algorithm that makes each transition unique and temporary. A fingerprint is sufficient for confirmation. It can be integrated into multiple media such as bracelets key rings, watch straps and such, so each user can choose the style they prefer.

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Talos is a Ligurian startup dealing with cybersecurity. It is a spin-off belonging to the University of Genoa and provides cybersecurity solutions, particularly in the field of mobile applications. It is addressed both at companies offering their customers applications and to all those who use mobile applications within their work activities.

Talos’ flagship product is Approver, a fully automated service which allows you to evaluate the security of mobile applications, but there are others coming soon. As CEO Luca Verderame explains, “we are an innovative startup and deal with research, so we are working hard to expand our portfolio of products and services, especially in the iOT, Fog and cloud sectors“.

Meanwhile, Talos is creating many partnerships with national and international companies to make itself known. Its product, being in “as a service” mode, is available all over the world but at present is almost exclusively on the national territory. This is why Verderame is starting collaborations with both European and non-European companies.

In October, Talos became part of the Fintech District “having a technology and solutions that can be very interesting for those working in the fintech sector. “More and more mobile apps are used for activities related to the financial world “explains Verderame adding that Talos arrives in the community eager to bring innovation and team up with both national and international technological realities

Next year it will undoubtedly take part in Cybertech Europe and in the event “Banche e Sicurezza”, as well as in numerous specialist workshops, on topics related to the research activities it carries out within its team.

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