Case Study
City of Utrecht Selects M86 Security to Secure Its Network from Web Threats Client: City of Utrecht Website: www.utrecht.nl Requirements: Web filtering and reporting Filtering Solution: M86 Secure Web Gateway
“Since deployment of the M86 Secure Web Gateway, maintenance of our security solution has become much easier and requires less resources” Kaj Siekman Security Coordinator City of Ultrecht
BACKGROUND Dating back to Roman times, Utrecht is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands with almost 300,000 citizens. Its central location makes it a leading center for exhibitions and conferences. Utrecht is also host to Utrecht University, the largest university of the Netherlands, as well as several other institutes for higher education. The City of Utrecht (Gemeente Utrecht) was looking for a solution that would secure its infrastructure and operations. Since its departments (such as the Fire Department, GGD and Burgerzaken) use the Internet as a tool for communication, they are prone to Web-borne attacks. Therefore, the city was looking for a way to ensure the availability, integrity and confidentiality of its communications. The city’s operational strategy is based on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) that needs to be flexible for various user groups. It should also prevent liability and reputation damage created by spyware. City administrators were looking for a complete solution that could prevent incoming and outgoing crimeware (the anti-virus technology they used was not enough). The ICT’s effectiveness was hampered by inefficient use of desktop resources and desktop maintenance, data theft and bandwidth. There was also concern regarding “social engineering” attacks towards their employees who might be duped into visiting infected websites. ”Considering the sensitive nature of our information and communications, there is no room for us, as one of the largest cities in The Netherlands, to compromise in the area of information security,” stated Kaj Siekman, Security Coordinator at the City of Utrecht.
BUSINESS CHALLENGE AND REQUIREMENTS The City of Utrecht is legally and ethically bound to protect the privacy of information. Heavy use of Internet as a communication and information tool makes the city vulnerable to attacks by cybercriminals. “We realized that our traditional anti-virus solutions had serious limitations when it came to detecting unknown malware and stealthy crimeware attacks originating from the Web,” stated Kaj Siekman. As a result, the city sought a real-time solution that prevents data leakage caused by crimeware, Trojans and other malicious Web content from entering its network. The city’s thousands of users are divided into different user groups, depending on their particular responsibilities and department. Departments include public services such as the Fire Department and Municipal Healthcare Services (GGD). Some departments and personnel were allowed to use the Internet for research and e-government services, while others only needed limited Internet access. The ability to define specific security policies for different user groups was imperative.
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