Network security is a critical component for any sized organization. At Sansone Auto Mall, monitoring network activity and preventing unauthorized access is critical to ensuring the security of their network and continued success of their operation. "System compromise for Sansone is not an option. Implementing a reliable and tangible way to represent security activity on our network, in a format that management can easily understand, enables our organization to know that our network, and the vital information that it contains, is consistently protected," writes Omar Orellana, manager of technical operations for Sansone Auto Mall.

Serving the entire New Jersey metropolitan area for more than forty years, Sansone Auto Mall is now home to 400 employees working in all departments from sales and financing, to maintenance and repair. "Each department here is dependent on our network for their daily responsibilities. Any advance warning of impending attacks, or even competitors trying to gain insight into our operations, provides all-the-more protection thatÕs essential to reducing our exposure and imperative to conducting regular business activities for the company," stated Orellana. As the director of technology for Sansone Auto Mall, Orellana oversees security updates, administration, telecommunications, and system upgrades. Properly managing their available resources is the only way that Orellana can expect to successfully complete his everyday projects, and leaves very little time to dedicate to ongoing monitoring of the security of the network. It was necessary to find a better method.

Seeking a product that presents to management a reporting mechanism that confirms the network is being protected, how to gauge the security of the current network activity, and how effective their security policy is, on an ongoing basis, Sansone Auto Mall immediately began to investigate solutions that would ease the daily overhead involved with monitoring, yet provide them with the flexibility to be easily customized to their environment.

Customizable, Open Source Security

Previously running another open source platform on all servers within their organization, Orellana and his staff already possessed a strong familiarity with open source and its benefits, and as a result, wanted to implement a system that would maintain those benefits while still providing the functionality the organization required. While there were many open source platforms for them to choose from, Orellana also required a high degree of security assurance assembled in a package that was suitable for others to administrate, with reports present- presentable in a form that management could easily review. able

"I needed to find a powerful solution that would provide an easy-to-manage way for me to get some insight to the activity of my network. I specifically looked to Guardian Digital for their concentration on secure software solutions. Appliance-based solutions, while may appear easy to use, are too limited in functionality and cannot scale as our organization grows. Comprehensive reporting and logging, engineered security, and complete customization are far better in Guardian Digital products than any appliance has ever been," Orellana stated.

Guardian Digital: The Ideal Solution

Looking no further then Guardian Digital, Sansone Auto Mall purchased Internet Defense and Detection System to supply their network with robust intrusion detection and graphical system auditing. "Sansone Auto Mall purchased the Guardian Digital system based on its embedded software security, competitive price, and open source design model. My background knowledge of open source and system administration is a great benefit to our organization, but security and open source is a complex process. The ability for us to institute a product that is already tested and proven, as well as being open source, meant that we gained the additional benefits of software assurance, a point of contact should something go wrong, and the ability for my technical staff to manage the product without requiring my assistance," exclaims Orellana.

"Management required reports detailing network activity, and I wanted to be able to see what was going on in my environment to have the information necessary to determine what actions best to take to better secure our network. Internet Defense & Detection System made that part of my job easy with detailed graphical reports and auditing," Orellana continued.

Intrusion Detection & Prevention System

As the first fully open source intrusion detection and prevention system, Guardian Digital Internet Defense and Detection System provides a comprehensive structure for detecting and analyzing network traffic for suspicious or possibly damaging activity. Also incorporating an innovative intrusion prevention feature, IDDS proactively thwarts invasion attempts, keeping networks of all sizes protected from the daily threats of unlawful intruders and malicious network activity.

Integrating a number of other features including frequently updated attack signatures, an innovative attack severity rating system, pre-defined lists to block known attacks, and a simplified Web-based management system, IDDS is the most comprehensive intrusion defense system in its class. "The attack severity rating system makes it easy for me to make more efficient decisions on where and how my available resources should be allocated," said Orellana. Additionally, IDDS provides Sansone Auto Mall with valuable information regarding types of attempted attacks and specific information on which machines, if any, have been affected. "Keeping our system secure is the main part of my responsibilities here. The Guardian Digital system informs me of the types of attacks being attempted and allows me to better prepare our system to prevent future attacks. Furthermore, I am able to pinpoint specific machines that are infected with viruses or other malicious content and can take the appropriate action immediately rather than wasting valuable time searching for the problem," cited Orellana.

Knowledge-Based Security

After a seamless transition to the new system and a new sense of security as a result, Orellana is pleased with his decision. "Guardian Digital enhances our organization's network security while at the same time enabling me to be more productive on other projects. I am now consistently getting status reports on the system, which to me is an invaluable asset. If I am not conscious of the security of my network at all times, an attack will eventually succeed. The knowledge provided to me by Guardian Digital increases our understanding of activity on our network, and just how important it is to increase protection beyond the firewall," concludes Orellana.

Learn more about the Guardian Digital products
used to develop these solutions.

  Secure Software
  Appliances