TECHNOLOGY The Technology section of CT&C is sponsored by Digital BackOffice. Learn more at: www.digitalbackoffice.com
Are You Afraid Of The Dark?
Ridgefield works to better secure their technology network
M
any people fear the dark and the accompanying lack of visibility it brings. Andrew Neblett, the IT Director for the town of Ridgefield, like many others, feared what that lack of visibility meant for his network. Was his network being attacked? If it was, would he even know about it? That sentiment is what pushed Neblett to learn more about how he could better secure his network. With that in mind, Neblett’s first call was to Francis Palacio, the President of Digital BackOffice, his trusted network infrastructure partner. Network infrastructure, like building construction, requires a combination of industry knowledge, experience, capital, and human resources. Digital BackOffice’s team has decades of experience that allows them to provide personal attention to understanding customer needs. Understanding Neblett’s concerns, Palacio started by demonstrating the kind of visibility Neblett knew he needed. As a Palo Alto Networks partner, Digital BackOffice leveraged the Security Lifecycle Review (SLR) tool. An SLR integrates findings based on data collected by an onsite device during a specified time period that includes: applications, SaaS-based applications, URL traffic, content types, and known and unknown threats traversing the network. Palacio also ran a Palo Alto Networks Traps Advanced End Point Protection demonstration in parallel with the SLR presentation to show Neblett, in real-time, what was getting through his current network security lineup. Having multiple products operating and analyzing data in silos led to a fragmented and incomplete view of what was happening on Neblett’s network. The Digital BackOffice and Palo Alto Networks teams were able to demonstrate how Traps provides superior endpoint threat prevention while bridging the gap between endpoint and perimeter security, which improves the efficiency and effectiveness of Next-Generation Firewalls to provide a stronger defense with fewer resources. This unified approach to security also provides unmatched visibility and adaptability. In January of 2019, the town of Ridgefield implemented Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls and Traps Advanced End Point Protection. Neblett shared that although government funding is not necessarily
38 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | SEPTEMBER 2019
abundant for projects like this, he had the full support of his First Selectman, Rudy Marconi. Marconi understood the importance of properly securing the town’s infrastructure. In recent months we have seen two other municipalities in Connecticut hit by cyber-attacks that infected both endpoints and servers and caused data breaches and encryptions. These unfortunate events made Neblett and Marconi all the more confident in their decision to act. “Traps has already saved me a couple of times. I like that it’s smart and updates itself all the time. It’s proactive for me,” Neblett said. Until now, the missing piece of the security puzzle has been the inability to seamlessly integrate endpoints into a security ecosystem. Attempts to use a hodgepodge of third-party applications, hardware and custom integration to address sophisticated, endpoint-targeted attacks have failed in exploit prevention or early detection of malware. Palo Alto Networks addresses this gap by integrating firewalls and endpoint security in a way that provides unmatched, comprehensive protection and unhindered visibility.
