sfConsole 2009
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Key benefits:
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"To us sfConsole means security, and in this issue there's no room for compromise. I'm sure this is the product every NetWare administrator has been waiting for."
Milosz Ignatowski
Network Administrator
PTK Centertel's IDEA, Warsaw, Poland
Customer Background
In recent years, the cellular phone has turned from a luxury yet cumbersome gadget to a ubiquitous tool used in daily work, communication and entertainment. Among Poland's three mobile phone network operators, PTK Centertel is the only operator of a dual-band mobile network, which consists of the analog PTK Centertel network and the digital IDEA network. Thanks to the company's commitment to maintaining high level of customer service and developing diversified offerings for individuals and businesses, PTK Centertel has invariably pioneered mobile communications in Poland. Today PTK Centertel's IDEA network can boast a customer base of over 4.5 million and a powerful sales distribution comprising several thousand sales outlets in Poland.
The Challenge
PTK Centertel's IT infrastructure connects the company's headquarters with several dozen local offices spread throughout Poland, offering its employees continuous on-line access to key services and applications (billing systems, management systems, etc.). Additionally, in all major offices local servers provide access to files, printers and email.
"In such large corporate networks as ours, the top priority for IT pros is ensuring the highest level of data security, and preventing hostile incidents that could damage the company's IT resources. That's why we've created and adopted strict in-house security standards," Milosz Ignatowski of PTK Centertel informs.
Many would agree that, more often than not, the Novell NetWare system comes across as the most stable and security-conscious network platform. However, access to a server's console is one of its weaker sides. PTK Centertel administrators used to access servers with Novell's RConsole, but with the increased need for control of access rights, better protected passwords and secure connections to the server console, it turned out that only AdRem's sfConsole can seriously eliminate the risk of unauthorized server access.
The AdRem Solution
Implementation of sfConsole in PTK Centertel's infrastructure bolstered the integrity of NetWare servers. The program protects remote access to server consoles through eDirectory authentication and 128-bit key encryption. Additionally, the local console is effectively protected by eDirectory authentication, a keyboard lock and a password-protected screen saver.
According to Ignatowski, sfConsole puts administrators in unprecedented control of corporate IT infrastructure, and complies with the company's rigorous security standards. "Using this program we can log all activities performed by users on the console. This means now we can find out not only what happens on the console, but also when it happens, and what workstation is involved. The bottom line is that we are able to track, analyze and detect system security breaches on the fly," explains Ignatowski.
Another feature that directly improved PTK Centertel's system integrity is the option of granting authorized console users access rights to console commands and screens. From a central location, one can distribute among the company's administrators precise rights that match their expertise and responsibilities, which makes it possible to prevent unauthorized and incompetent activities on the server console.
Apart from boosting security, sfConsole streamlined many administrative tasks performed by the Centertel's IT team. "Data compression in sfConsole was a real surprise to us. We figured out that remote console operations over usually slow WAN connections were as fast as those on the physical server console. If I add the file transfer feature, single sign-on technology, and protocol-independence - capabilities absent from RConsole - the adoption of sfConsole seems a natural thing to me," maintains Ignatowski.
Conclusion
"To us sfConsole means security, and in this issue there's no room for compromise. It is the only solution of this type available on the market that meets PTK Centertel's rigorous security model. Interestingly enough this advanced tool is small in size - we got it installed in less than 20 minutes and literally from the start we could fully utilize its features. I'm sure this is the product every NetWare administrator has been waiting for," concluded M. Ignatowski.
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