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Press Release
Pasporte Selects ConSentry's Intelligent Switch Platform for All Customers
ConSentry's
Intelligent Switching Architecture Delivers Operational Efficiency, Reduced Cost, Network Control, and Visibility in a Single Platform
Milpitas, Calif. – March 10, 2008 – ConSentry Networks announced today that Pasporte, the U.K.’s leading provider of managed ICT outsourcing to the mid-market, is deploying the ConSentry LANShield™ Switch platform for all customers. ConSentry’s intelligent switch will provide user, file, and application control along with granular network visibility for Pasporte’s managed customers in each of the company’s three datacenters.
Pasporte operated a traditional network based on Cisco access switches within its datacenters, but proactively sought to upgrade these products to provide additional levels of control and visibility. After reviewing enterprise switches from ConSentry, Cisco, and Juniper, Pasporte selected the LANShield CS-4048 for its ability to immediately give control and visibility of its network while being deployed in the same way as a traditional edge switch. Pasporte will replace its existing Cisco access switches with the ConSentry CS-4048 48-port Gigabit switch.
“As part of our strategy to continually improve the service offering to our customers, we presented ourselves with a challenge to source an intelligent switch that would be more operationally and technically effective than our existing Cisco devices. The ConSentry switches offer in-depth visibility of user access, application activity, and traffic flows,” said Steve Bedford, senior solutions architect at Pasporte. “Other vendors have a piecemeal approach, with multiple add-ons and layers that increase operational expense with little extra benefit. Once we evaluated ConSentry’s single platform, it was an easy decision to deploy its product. ConSentry offers a simple solution with a level of functionality that the competition can’t touch.”
ConSentry’s intelligent switch delivers a complete understanding of users, what applications they have access to, and their file and Internet activity. This understanding, tied with the LANShield’s transparent role-based access-control capability, means that Pasporte can take complete control of its LAN. The LANShield Switch authenticates users and devices against standard identity stores and automatically learns their roles. For each traffic flow, it identifies the application in use and applies policies based on that user’s role.
This level of granularity ensures Pasporte is fully aware of all activity on the customer network and can manage that activity to an individual user level. The integration of user, role, and application control in a single platform, in addition to standard switching functionality, improves efficiency, reduces OpEx, and demonstrates a clear differentiated service offering for Pasporte.
“The majority of our customers have a dynamic and diverse workforce. Some of them, JD Sports and Orient Express Hotels for example, need to address the important issue of PCI compliance. They must have the ability to know exactly what is happening on their LAN,” continued Bedford. “The ConSentry LANShield Switch understands users and their roles within the organization and addresses these challenges by ensuring only certain users can reach the applications and servers involved in credit-card transactions. Furthermore, historical reporting allows us to create audit trails for all of this activity.”
Every new client of Pasporte will be provisioned on a ConSentry-enabled LAN. In addition, as each client contract is renewed, Pasporte will replace the existing Cisco switches with the ConSentry LANShield platform. To confirm its commitment to total LAN security, Pasporte is also deploying ConSentry LANShield Switches on its own network, utilizing role-based LAN segmentation to ensure only approved individuals have access to specific customer information and resources.
Bedford concluded, “Other switch vendors’ access-control solutions use bolt-on technologies that create additional overheads and technical headaches. ConSentry’s intelligent switch simplifies the complexities of LAN management, and as a result, our ongoing costs related to troubleshooting, network management, security, and reporting are all significantly reduced.”
“Pasporte is a leader in the outsourced ICT industry and wanted to continue its track record of innovative offerings to its customers,” said Dean Hickman-Smith, vice president of worldwide sales at ConSentry. “The deployment of intelligent switching has provided new functionality, visibility, and control that have undoubtedly enhanced Pasporte’s competitive advantage, all for the price of traditional layer-2 edge switches.”
About Pasporte
Pasporte is the UK’s leading provider of ICT outsourcing and brings on-demand IT expertise, experience and scale economies to mid-market organisations. Delivering on its promises, Pasporte forges strong and personal client relationships based on honesty and trust to guarantee a tailored solution that will meet business goals. Its services and solutions offer a tailored blend of: Managed Applications, Managed Hosting and Managed Networks.
In partnership with IBM Global Services and award winning global communications provider Orange Business Services, Pasporte provides high quality hosting infrastructure and world-class networks, together with 24x7 services to deliver complete outsourced IT solutions.
As an IBM Premier Services Partner and Regional Systems Integrator, Pasporte is the power behind many of IBM’s major mid-market outsourcing projects. Pasporte was awarded the prestigious IBM Beacon Teaming Award for Consultants & Integrators 2006, and more recently winner of IBM’s Global Services Business Partner Leadership Award 2005, 2006 and 2007. Pasporte has also been awarded Orange Business Services’ Partner of the Year 2005, 2006 and 2007.
About ConSentry Networks
The ConSentry Networks Intelligent Switching architecture delivers native user and application control at the LAN access edge. With this technology, ConSentry’s award-winning LANShield product family enables IT managers to improve the visibility, control, and performance of users and applications and radically simplify LAN deployment and operations. ConSentry is backed by blue-chip venture capital firms Accel Partners, DAG Ventures, INVESCO Private Capital, and Sequoia Capital and is headquartered in Milpitas, California.
ConSentry Networks, the ConSentry Networks logo, LANShield, and "Control every user. Secure every port." are trademarks of ConSentry Networks Inc., for use in the United States and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.
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