Steven Shaw, ICT Manager at BHA, explains "with approximately 1,500 fixtures running 364 days a year the demands on our voice and data networks are clear". With an aging outer perimeter and increased demands on integrity the BHA had multiple project objectives. These included replacing the existing firewalls due to product limitations and providing BHA race stewards and officials with an easy to use, yet highly secure mechanism to connect to the BHA systems on race days.
GGR proposed a perimeter security solution integrated with a secure remote access solution, using Cisco ASA firewalls and the ASAs SSL VPN remote access feature. Cisco ASAs provide strong perimeter security, and they remain easy to manage. RSA SecurID key fob two factor user authentication was implemented to provide a strong authentication mechanism for the race stewards, officials and other home worker staff.
Another key project goal was the control of office employees' usage of the Internet. BHA recognised that a web filtering and reporting solution was required to maintain productivity and reduce legal liability from inappropriate content. GGR's solution was to implement Websense WebFilter. Websense are the industry leaders in web filtering solutions. A key WebFilter feature utilised in BHA's solution is the quota feature, which allows time based quotas to be applied to web browsing. For example, allowing 30 minutes browsing per day (which could be in three ten-minute sessions) to social networking, auction, web mail or other non-work related sites.
Websense also provides industry-leading reporting tools to give complete visibility of Web usage plus the most comprehensive web filtering database.
The project has been extremely successful and GGR’s service, knowledge and ability to deliver have been outstanding, second to none. GGR have delivered a complete turnkey solution coming in on budget and meeting, if not going beyond, the key objectives the project was scoped to deliver. Their approach and model allowed much of the project to be delivered out of key business hours, limiting the disruption to our business while still completing the challenging objectives set within the specification.
GGR is now our network integrator of choice and as such are soon to be using their MPLS network services, for increased bandwidth between sites, along with the configuration and installation of our Head Office converged IP network operating data, voice, racing television and CCTV over a Switched infrastructure.
Steven Shaw - ICT Manager. British Horseracing Authority.
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