World's Largest Beer Brewer Sets Up Cybersecurity Team AB InBev controls over 400 beer brands including Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois, but faces so many attacks it needs a dedicated cybersecurity unit to protect the business.

If a reminder were needed that nobody is immune to the threat of cyberattacks, the world's largest brewer of beers has felt the need to establish its own cybersecurity division.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) controls over 400 different brands of beer including Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, Beck's. Hoegaarden and Leffe. It's a huge player in the market as a multinational drinks company, and as Reuters reports, it felt the need to protect itself from attack. The company's solution is to setup a dedicated cybersecurity unit in Israel, which is widely viewed as a leader in online security and threat detection.

Luis Veronesi, AB InBev's vice president of global security and compliance, explained that, "With increasing digitalization, we have to be prepared to defend against anything coming." The cybersecurity office is located in Tel Aviv and will be fully-focused on discovering potential attacks against the company before they happen as well as analyzing any threats.

The move to protect itself online isn't without cause. Veronesi admits the company is already facing regular attacks that are either attempting to disrupt operations or force the company to pay up, suggesting ransomware remains a big threat for businesses.

Locating the team in Israel makes sense when you consider AB Inbev already operates there after acquiring Israel-based startup Weissberger last year. Weissbeerger collects data in real-time regarding beer consumption at the point of sale using the internet. Now its operations will be protected by this new cybersecurity unit.

As I'm sure many of my fellow beer drinkers around the world will agree, AB InBev's move to protect itself and keep the beer flowing should be welcomed and copied across the industry.