Vodafone Business recently outlined plans to offer its small business customers advanced cybersecurity and agentic AI services. This offering will be accomplished via the company’s $1 billion agreement with Google Cloud signed in 2024.
Flagging a rise in “increasingly frequent and sophisticated cyber threats” facing SMBs, Vodafone Business will roll out a managed detection and response (MDR) service enabled by Google Security Operations, aimed at identifying and mitigating cyber threats in real time.
The service will debut in Germany, ahead of a wider European rollout later this year.
In parallel, the operator unveiled the Vodafone Business AI Concierge, an agentic AI-powered virtual front desk built using Google’s Gemini platform. The tool is designed to automate customer interactions including handling enquiries and booking appointments, allowing businesses to maintain customer engagement outside working hours.
Fanan Henriques, Vodafone Business product and international business director, hailed the service as “one of the first telephony integrations with Gemini”. AI Concierge will initially launch in Germany and Greece.
Google Cloud VP of global generative AI Oliver Parker said SMBs are “often the most underserved when it comes to cutting-edge tech”, adding the tie-up combines “our Gemini models and enterprise-grade security expertise with Vodafone’s deep connectivity and customer reach”.
Henriques added the aim is to help SMBs “start using AI without complexity or risk” and make “advanced, secure AI practical for everyday business use”.
The launches form part of a 10-year agreement struck between the companies in October 2024 to accelerate digital transformation through AI and cloud services.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Google Cloud
