How NEC XON tackled identity risk for a major telco - Michael de Neuilly Rice — Michael de Neuilly Rice, cyber architect at NEC XON

For one leading South African telecommunications operator, identity protection has become a strategic priority as identity-centric attacks proliferate. The company faced mounting pressure to secure both human and non-human identities across complex hybrid environments.

In response, NEC XON and Silverfort have helped to modernise its identity security architecture – delivering comprehensive visibility, tighter control and adaptive protection for every authentication event in its IT environment.

The challenge: modernising identity protection in a hybrid world

Like most large enterprises, this mobile provider relied heavily on Active Directory (AD) as the foundation of its identity infrastructure. However, legacy protocols, service accounts and complex privileged access requirements introduced significant risk. As a result the security team faced several critical challenges:

Securing privileged administrative accounts across AD and mission-critical systems;
Enforcing multifactor authentication (MFA) for both human and non-human identities;
Detecting and blocking lateral movement during potential compromise scenarios;
Gaining visibility into service account usage and high-risk authentication paths; and
Integrating identity threat detection and response (ITDR) insights into Microsoft Sentinel SIEM for real-time monitoring.

Traditional security tools struggled to provide this level of visibility and control, particularly for legacy systems and machine-to-machine (M2M) authentications that do not automatically support MFA.

The solution: unified identity protection with Silverfort

NEC XON partnered with Silverfort to address the provider’s identity security challenges. Silverfort’s Unified Identity Protection Platform integrates seamlessly with Active Directory and cloud identity providers, delivering holistic visibility and control over all authentications. As a result, the company now benefits from a significantly enhanced security posture, including:

Adaptive MFA enforcement: MFA is extended to every identity, including users, administrators and service accounts, even on systems that previously could not support it.
Privileged account protection: High-risk administrative authentications are secured through step-up MFA and access policies that dynamically assess user behaviour.
Just-in-time (JIT) access controls: Privileges are granted only for the precise time and context required, reducing exposure during and after sessions.
Service account visibility: All service accounts are identified, dependencies mapped and authentication activity monitored to detect anomalies.
Identity threat detection and response (ITDR): Suspicious authentication activity is detected in real time and integrated directly into Microsoft Sentinel, providing the security operations centre with actionable intelligence.

“Silverfort reimagines identity security, turning MFA into a dynamic control that verifies every action, not just every login. It represents a new way of thinking about how identities interact and establish trust,” says Armand Kruger, head of cybersecurity at NEC XON.

Rapid value and measurable impact

Deployment proved both fast and effective – the solution delivered immediate insight and tangible risk reduction. The company said that what stood out was how quickly it could start identifying risks and enforcing security controls with Silverfort. It wasn’t just fast to deploy – it was fast to deliver value. “This is the fastest roll-out we’ve ever completed, which speaks volumes,” says Kruger.

The implementation marked a fundamental shift in how identities are protected across the organisation.

“This deployment fundamentally changed how identities are protected,” says Michael de Neuilly Rice, cyber architect at NEC XON. “The introduction of ITDR capabilities enables continuous monitoring, adaptive authentication and rapid response to identity-based threats – significantly strengthening our client’s security posture and resilience.”

The partnership between the provider, NEC XON and Silverfort demonstrates how proactive collaboration can drive meaningful security transformation. By modernising identity protection across both human and non-human identities, the company has established a new benchmark for “zero trust” maturity within the telecoms sector.

The focus has shifted from reactive defence to proactive protection, allowing the organisation to anticipate, detect and respond to identity-based threats before they escalate.

About NEC XON
NEC XON is a leading African integrator of ICT solutions and part of NEC, a Japanese global company. The holding company has operated in Africa since 1963 and delivers communications, energy, safety, security and digital solutions. It co-creates social value through innovation to help overcome serious societal challenges. The organisation operates in 54 African countries and has a footprint in 16 of them. Regional headquarters are located in South, East and West Africa. NEC XON is a level 1-certified broad-based black economic empowerment business. Discover more at www.nec.africa.