Desert Research Institute Enhances Data Security with Check Point Solutions
Technology Category
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Hybrid Cloud
- Networks & Connectivity - Gateways
Applicable Industries
- Glass
- National Security & Defense
Applicable Functions
- Procurement
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Tamper Detection
- Traffic Monitoring
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
- Cybersecurity Services
About The Customer
The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is a world leader in investigating environmental changes and their impact. As a nonprofit research arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education, DRI conducts research projects spanning land, air, and sea. The institute supports main campuses in Reno and Las Vegas and at three remote locations. It employs 550 people who travel globally, involved in projects in most of the world’s countries. A wide range of governmental agencies, such as the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense and the Navy, and other organizations grant research contracts to DRI. These contracts, which are the primary funding source for DRI, come with specific sets of data protection guidelines.
The Challenge
The Desert Research Institute (DRI), a global leader in environmental research, faced significant challenges in protecting sensitive data against email and other attack vectors. The institute's rapid growth led to the addition of new locations, increased network traffic volumes, and a larger attack surface to protect. The institute supports main campuses in Reno and Las Vegas and at three remote locations, employing 550 people who travel globally. DRI conducts research projects funded by governmental agencies and other organizations, which come with specific sets of data protection guidelines. Adhering to these security parameters is critical for retaining long-standing contracts. The small DRI team needed to standardize security across all locations to save time, optimize resources, and simplify management. They conducted an extensive evaluation of security solutions, including Check Point, Cisco, and Fortinet.
The Solution
DRI deployed a Check Point 15,600 Next Generation firewall at its primary locations and five Check Point 3200 Security firewalls to enable secure VPN connectivity for mobile employees worldwide. These firewalls provide high performance, reliability, and uncompromised security to protect users, traffic, and data from sophisticated Gen V threats. DRI uses the built-in application control, URL filtering, IPS, antivirus, and anti-bot capabilities to defend against multi-vector attackers. The SandBlast Network, built into the firewalls, provides zero-day protection with Threat Emulation and Threat Extraction capabilities. The entire infrastructure—systems, policies, and configurations—is centrally managed from a single pane of glass in the Check Point R80 SmartConsole. This allows the small team to work concurrently from the same rule base without conflict, even with global locations to monitor.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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