mcr solves telco’s security and performance issues

High-performance secure Internet connectivity is vital for any telco’s delivery of quality services to its subscriber base and employees. It’s an essential component for accessing highly confidential electronic customer records, billing systems, and many other key applications.

When a telecommunication provider in Australia found its existing network security infrastructure was struggling, they sought a technology partner with a depth of experience in the telecommunications industry, who could offer the latest security solutions and help them meet the growing need for visibility, security and performance.

The telco needed a solution that would create different access points, provide reliable wireless internet access to retail stores, and reduce the management burden for IT administrators. One that could provide Internet access to a large number of customers and staff, while complying with Australia’s telecommunications consumer protection code in relation to sales, services, complaint handling and more. The company additionally wanted to ease management overheads and tackle the challenge of increased traffic across the network by reducing overall bandwidth consumption.

The company turned to their trusted partner of choice mcr Computer Resources to help. mcr, a Blue Coat premier partner, have earned strong reputation of sourcing and managing IT solutions that boost performance and have experience working with market leading clients and national Telcos across ANZ and Oceania.

mcr played a crucial role in the success of the installation by consulting with the company ahead of the deployment, to understand the business requirements as well as manage the entire project. Their expertise, outstanding client service and dedication to innovation made them the top choice for the telco, with whom they have a long-standing relationship.

Following an extensive assessment of the web security products available on the market, mcr selected Blue Coat’s Secure Web Gateway based on functionality, ease of implementation and value. Blue Coat’s proven and comprehensive solution features patented real-time content filtering technology to detect and block known and unknown malicious web threats, provides web caching capabilities, as well as an authentication mechanism to control user access to the Internet.

The first phase of the deployment focused on enabling granular levels of security from content filtering and virus scanning to enforcing rules based on a wide range of attributes such as type of user and nature of the website. By deploying Blue Coat’s Secure Web Gateway, the company now has complete control over web traffic, and has been able to implement strong user authentication and stringent security checks across their network. The Secure Web Gateway enables them to centrally manage users, services, and applications. This has helped them reduce the overall management burden. In addition, with this layered solution, they can now add new offshore employees to an established group with immediate access to approved sites; thereby improving employee collaboration.

Following the successful completion of this first phase of the project, mcr were the go-to partners when the company launched the second wave – bringing these enhanced security capabilities to its nationwide chain of retail stores.

The telco needed a solution that would provide the most secure Internet access for staff, customers and for demonstration purposes. With MCR’s selected solution powered by Blue Coat, the stores are now able to feature a demonstration desk enabling customers to engage with new devices.

With policy flexibility, central reporting, reliable performance and complete security, Blue Coat’s secure web gateway solution allowed the IT team to transform itself into a business enabler by fundamentally changing its approach to Web filtering and security.

“mcr understands that security is critical for telecommunications providers, as it can impact every part of their business,” said Sam Vakili, Chief Executive Officer at mcr. “The combination of Blue Coat’s technology and our leadership will provide our joint customers with a best-in-class solution for addressing security and enhancing network performance.”

The telco were impressed by the successful solution and execution – securing mcr a valuable long-term relationship, and the client a trusted partner to call when they face major projects in the future.