SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, March 30, 2017 – cStor, a leading provider of data center, cloud, and cybersecurity solutions, today announced that the company and its channel partner, Cylance®, have been selected to implement an advanced endpoint protection and cybersecurity solution that will be leveraged across State of Arizona agencies.

As part of the State’s initiative to become a leader of technology and customer service, a strategic plan was developed to transform government operations over the next two years to be more efficient and effective, including advancing the State’s cybersecurity strategy and capabilities. The effort is designed to help reduce overall risk of future compromises, free up duplicate resources for other key initiatives, and achieve cost savings through economies of scale.

In July 2016, a closed pool RFP within an awarded contract set was released to find a provider to assist the State with its defense in-depth strategy and provide a scalable cybersecurity and advanced endpoint protection technology to agencies.

As a provider on the State of Arizona’s Master Blanket Contract for Network Equipment and Security (Arizona Master Blanket Contract #ADSPO16-137340), cStor offered expert cybersecurity strategy, including CylancePROTECT® technology from its partner, Cylance.

The RFP asked responders to submit two to three recommended solutions, which were then put through a rigorous, multi-step proof of concept (POC) process spearheaded by experts from the State. The evaluation team narrowed the responses and conducted a second, equally demanding POC to further narrow the field.

The bid was awarded in August of 2016, and the solution, along with cybersecurity strategy consulting from cStor experts, will help advance the State’s mission to improve defenses against cyberattacks while doing more with less throughout State government.

“The nature of cybersecurity is growing more demanding and complex than ever before,” commented cStor president and CEO, Larry Gentry. “State governments are often targets due to the large amounts of U.S. consumer data they hold, and are often the least prepared due to legacy systems and process complexity. This proactive move by Arizona will give its agencies a significant strategy and technological advantage that will help fortify data, systems, and endpoints better than ever before.”

According to The Fiscal Times, cyberattacks against the U.S. government increased 1,300% between 2006 and 2016, and according to a consumer poll conducted by Pew Research, are the second greatest global threat to the U.S. behind terrorism.

CylancePROTECT offers advanced threat protection and is designed to predict and prevent cyberattacks rather than only detecting and mitigating them after malicious software has already begun executing. In early February 2017, Cylance was positioned as the leader for its ability to execute on Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms, based on product and service, overall viability, sales execution, pricing, market responsiveness, operations, and customer experience.

“We’re very excited that CylancePROTECT and our partner cStor have been selected to power a state-of-the-art advanced endpoint protection solution for the State of Arizona” said Didi Dayton, vice president of worldwide channels at Cylance. “Working with advanced technology and channel partners with advanced security skills like cStor will help make sensitive data more secure. Their choices demonstrate that they’re at the forefront of states who demand the most stringent protections possible.”

The State of Arizona rollout is underway and the initial phase is expected to be completed in the spring of 2017.