Client Story: Aalborg Instruments.

The risk with conducting business on the Internet is ever-changing and constantly growing. As a result, a powerful email security system is an essential component to any corporate network. Protecting data integrity from external threats through while controlling access internally is a key concern for Lars Baan, Vice President of Operations for Aalborg Instruments.

"The most important aspect of my job is to ensure my employees have the resources they need and are using them to do their job efficiently. If our network is compromised as a result of email compromise or a phishing attack, important data can be lost or intercepted and potential downtime would significantly decrease employee productivity, affecting our overall business," states Baan.

Founded in 1971, Aalborg Instruments is a leading manufacturer of flow instrumentation. Recognizing the growing need for network security and not having solid protection from the outside world, Aalborg began looking for a comprehensive system to replace the router firewall security they had in place. "We rely on web and email for everything from communication to actual sales. Our web server has become one of our biggest sources of income and it is essential to the success of our business that it is protected," said Baan.

Put in charge of executing a new security system for Aalborg, Baan was looking for a cost-effective solution that encompassed powerful functionality and manageability. "I have to make sure the people in the company are able to function whether that means having the ability to consistently browse on the Internet or communicate fluidly through email, we needed a system that would allow me to do that effortlessly" states Baan.

“Guardian Digital made the process easier than I could have ever imagined. Now, more than three years later, we still look to Guardian Digital for all our security needs.”

– Lars Baan, Vice President of Operations, Aalborg

Employing two system administrators having limited experience with how to keep their network secure, comprehensive support was also a rigid requirement. It was essential to Aalborg that their network was going to be monitored and support would be readily available during the initial configuration process and for years after.

Finally, as a fast growing company, Aalborg wanted to implement a system that would be flexible and have the ability to adapt to their changing needs. "The infrastructure needed to be able to expand with our company in regards to employee size and shifting business requirements," states Baan.

Concerned with cost, flexibility and level of available support, Aalborg turned to Guardian Digital for an answer.

First considering products including those offered by McAfee and Symantec, Aalborg concluded that it did not offer the level of flexibility, security, ability to grow with their organization, and lacked some applications necessary to fulfill their project requirements. It was determined that products offered by other vendors were lacking key components and would have required purchasing, deploying, and managing multiple "single-purpose" solutions, increasing costs and management overhead.

Where others failed, Guardian Digital enterprise solutions best fit the vast requirements set forth by Aalborg. Interested in many of Guardian Digital's most prominent enterprise solutions, combined with the backing of Guardian Digital comprehensive support, Aalborg purchased award-winning EnGarde Email Security Gateway to power their Internet email operations.

With solutions and service contracts in place, Aalborg now had the tools to sufficiently create, maintain and secure their web presence and adapt as their requirements changed over time.

EnGarde is an enterprise-class solution engineered to enable administrators to quickly and cost-effectively build a complete and totally secure online email presence while simultaneously preventing Internet threats. This comprehensive solution includes DNS, Web, and email services to reduce the time and resources required to build and maintain a secure and effective network.

EnGarde Email Security Gateway provides all the tools necessary to build a complete corporate email messaging system. WebMail creates the ideal organizational communication system. Encrypted email connectivity and integrated spam and virus protection keep the network safe from unsolicited emails, phishing attacks, malicious content and multiple other Internet threats.

Each of Guardian Digital's enterprise applications supplies administrators with extensive system auditing and reporting. Given these tools, administrators have all the information they need to analyze network status, system information, user information and much more. Detailed graphs and reports assist in accounting for unauthorized use, pinpoint potential network disturbances, and ensuring resources are being used and managed appropriately.

EnGarde Email Security Gateway is extensively used to control spam and further protect against viruses and other malicious activity. Not having a gateway email solution prior, Aalborg employees were forced to sift through massive amounts of email that were not related to business, significantly hindering both employee and network productivity. "It is important to our firm to maintain the productivity of our employees while protecting them from unsafe and inappropriate content. With EnGarde Email Security Gateway, I can control, on a corporate level, the types of messages our employees receive ensuring the integrity of each message and eliminating unsolicited email. Since implementing EnGarde Email Security Gateway, spam has been reduced by 99%," exclaimed Baan.

Having little familiarity with Linux, it was important to system administrators at Aalborg that comprehensive support and managed services were available.

Guardian Digital support staff answered the call going above and beyond what the company had ever expected them to do. "We are more than satisfied with the level of support we have received from Guardian Digital. They have been very prompt to answer any questions that I had and any problems that arose were taken care of immediately," stated Baan.

With Guardian Digital's comprehensive managed services, Guardian Digital engineers oversee initial installation, and continuously monitor firewalls and network activity, informing organizations of any discrepancies and resolving issues, allowing system administrators to concentrate on other business tasks. "There have been many instances when I am not even aware that a network disturbance has taken place and Guardian Digital support alerts me of the issue and instantaneously resolves it before it can negatively affect our business," said Baan.

Guardian Digital's enterprise support and managed services include everything from installation assistance, technical support, automatic updates, built-in system alerts, vulnerability testing, remote evaluation and system customization. "Guardian Digital support is great on so many levels. The one thing I find particularly noteworthy is my ability to recommend a feature enhancement and the seriousness in which they accept it and actually consider it for implementation," continues Baan.

The implementation of Guardian Digital products has given system administrators at Aalborg peace of mind when it comes to the security of their network. The innate security offered by Guardian Digital coupled with the proactive system monitoring allows administrators to concentrate on core competencies rather than security issues. "Guardian Digital has freed my mind of eternally wondering if the network is being attacked or if my users are being intruded upon by spammers and viruses. My employees are more productive and in turn, I am more productive. I no longer have to spend time fixing and cleaning infected computers," states Baan.

With the growing trend toward network security becoming stronger it is apparent to companies, such as Aalborg, that securing network data Is the best way to mitigate network attacks and prevent viruses and other malicious content from spreading to others. It is because of the lack of security in the corporate environment that viruses and other attacks have become rampant. "Network security is what brought Guardian Digital into our company. Security solutions are there and I am able to forget about it. Forgetting about it is the greatest benefit of all because it frees up my time for other things," said Baan. "As technology evolves and our company's needs change, rest assured, we will be turning to Guardian Digital for new solutions," finishes Baan.

After all is said and done, Aalborg Instruments is more than pleased with their decision to implement Guardian Digital solutions. "When first looking into new methods to secure our network, I was unsure how difficult it was going to be. Guardian Digital made the process easier than I could have ever imagined. Now, more than three years later, we still look to Guardian Digital for all our security needs," states Baan.