Fred. Olsen strengthens remote web security
By Retail Technology | Tuesday August 6 2013
Cruise operator implements web security gateway to protect against malware in real time and access to sensitive content
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has turned to Websense for real-time malware protection for around 800 remote, mobile and office-based users.
The company has chosen Websense Web Security Gateway Anywhere (WSGA) to protect against malware in real time and facilitate safe access to social media websites for employees.
Just two months after implementation of both cloud and on-premise versions of WSGA at the company’s Ipswich, Suffolk headquarters in February 2013, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is already reporting a significant decrease in helpdesk requests by users.
Adding data loss protection
Over the coming months, the cruise operator intends to deploy more WSGA features, including selected data loss prevention (DLP) features, such as preventing the upload of credit card files and other sensitive personal information. Following this first phase, WSGA will be expanded to further onshore group offices and, eventually, to the company’s four cruise ships.
Andrew Ericsson, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines IT and networks manager, explained that WSGA offers Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines defined granular access to web content and a dynamic relationship with the system.
“We want to embrace social networking so it can be used to our business advantage,” stated Ericsson. “Websense enables us to do this without worrying about malware. The solution also has superior management that enables us to allow work-related activities and disallow access to games, photos and non-business content.
"As Websense scans pages in the background, you can work without noticing you’re being protected in real time. It’s seamless for users and performance is not affected, which was the whole idea.”
User-friendly interface
Ericsson added that WSGA’s most distinctive feature is its user-friendly interface: “WSGA is a combination of being sophisticated, yet simple, to use. My six-year-old could actually use the control panel, whereas other products we looked at had interfaces that were so complicated and dated, it was like going back 15 years.”
Following competitive analysis, and after testing up to five competing products, WSGA was chosen due to the integration of cloud with on-premise service, exactly meeting the company’s new requirements.
