SYDNEY, Nov. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For the fifth consecutive year, Frost & Sullivan Australia has recognized Verizon for its leadership in the Australian managed security services market. The company has received the 2012 Frost & Sullivan Australia Excellence Award for Managed Security Service Provider of the Year, one of the analyst firm's annual Best Practice Awards.

The award acknowledges Verizon's leadership in identifying the growing trend toward security-as-a-service, as well as meeting increasing customer requirements for compliance and privacy through Verizon's security services -- including content security, firewall, authentication, and intrusion detection and prevention systems.

The Frost & Sullivan Australia Excellence Awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding performance by companies in the Australian information and communications technology industry.  Award participants are judged according to their market performance in the preceding year, based on criteria that include market leadership, year-on-year growth rate, market performance, solutions capability and market penetration across various technologies.

John Karabin, area vice president for Verizon Australia and New Zealand, said: "Government and enterprises increasingly have greater expectations for their business security solutions. For Verizon to receive this award for the fifth year in a row is a recognition of the breadth and depth of Verizon's security practice."

Verizon also recently announced that it has been awarded a Gatekeeper accreditation and a Common Criteria product certification by the Australian government, recognizing Verizon's proficiency in delivering specific Identity Access Management solutions that enable the secure delivery of key online government services.

Verizon helps organizations protect their core asset: data. The company does this through a robust suite of security services -- including governance, risk and compliance solutions; identity and access management solutions; investigative response; data protection services; threat management services; and vulnerability management services -- delivered in the cloud or on premises. For more information, visit us at www.verizon.com/enterprise. For ongoing security insight and analysis from some of the world's most distinguished security researchers, read the Verizon Security Blog.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with nearly 96 million retail customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 184,500.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

SOURCE Verizon