In the wake of the federal government's decision last year to discontinue the cyber hubs program in favour of a more cost-effective approach, many agencies are still uninformed of the alternative opportunities available. An independent panel has recently suggested the government to update the Secure Internet Gateways for progressing without the cyber hubs effectively.

Today, Verizon Business Australia has appointed Claudine Beltrami as the head of its Federal Government business. Based in Canberra, Beltrami will supervise a team of client partners, addressing the increasingly intricate requirements of Verizon's federal and state customers. This role will be especially significant due to the challenging nature of cyber activities for the said customers following the cyber hubs program being discontinued.

Beltrami possesses 25 years of professional IT experience, and she has served in multiple executive and leadership roles throughout her career. Most recently, she was at the head of Cisco’s sales and enablement team in Canberra. There, she piloted various teams spanning sales, systems engineering, client success, and consulting services. Prior to her eminent tenure with Cisco, Beltrami held comparable roles at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Compaq.

"Claudine’s background, deep relationships and expertise in the public sector will allow her to partner strategically with our Government customers to help them construct a resilient and secure digital future for Australia. We are excited to welcome her to the team!” expressed Robert Le Busque, Regional Vice President for the Asia-Pacific region at Verizon Business Group.

In response to her appointment, Beltrami stated, “I am grateful to be able to work with colleagues who are all focused on delivering the most transformative solutions – built on the most reliable and secure networks – that modernise and safeguard critical infrastructure, and enable those in public service to achieve their missions. It’s an exciting time in the public sector, and with this top-tier team, I anticipate partnering with our clients to help them better serve their constituents.”

Verizon Business Australia has been offering managed network and security services to enterprise and government agencies in Australia for over two decades. It has also claimed Gatekeeper service provider status accredited by the Australian government for over ten years and supports Public Key Infrastructure deployments in government, property, and healthcare industries. The company's state-of-the-art Asia-Pacific Advanced Security Operations Center, based in Canberra, boasts Australian Government cleared security specialists providing round-the-clock monitoring.

Beltrami holds an MBA degree from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Canberra. With the combination of her strong educational background and professional experience, she will bring valuable insight in her new role at Verizon.