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CRIF's Virtualization Project: Enhancing Security and Flexibility with Check Point Solutions
Technology Category
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Databases
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Virtual Private Cloud
Applicable Industries
- Cement
- National Security & Defense
Applicable Functions
- Procurement
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
- Tamper Detection
Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
CRIF, a leading provider of added-value solutions and information services for the financial services industry, embarked on an extensive virtualization project across its entire infrastructure. The project was extended to the security layer with specific goals to simplify IT security and management, reduce costs, streamline resource utilization, guarantee the highest reliability and extensive network protection, gain a comprehensive view over transactions and applications, and future-proof the security infrastructure with an eye on increasing virtualization. The challenge was to find a solution that offered the highest reliability and performance, transparent security management from a centralized console, effective management of a mixed (virtual/physical) environment, and the ability to scale by adding new systems and services as soon as they were needed.
About The Customer
CRIF is a leading provider of added-value solutions and information services for the financial services industry, supporting decision-making and preventing fraud. Based in Italy, the company has a staff of approximately 1,450 and offers its services to more than 1,900 financial institutions worldwide. CRIF handles highly confidential, business-critical information, making security paramount. The company has a mixed environment of virtual and physical systems, with a server farm of up to 1,200 machines. CRIF's goal is to increase virtualization to fully reap its management and economical benefits.
The Solution
CRIF deployed four Check Point VSX appliances, running dozens of virtual firewall instances, to gain control over its new virtual infrastructure. The deployment was carried out gradually to meet the growing needs of the company and the increasing presence of virtualization within the enterprise. Alongside the VSX appliances, CRIF also relied on five clusters of physical UTM-1 appliances, running a set of software blades, providing a comprehensive and flexible security solution for the entire network. The company aimed to gradually increase virtualization to fully reap its management and economical benefits. CRIF also deployed Eventia Log Analyzer for further management and control over data and information running on the corporate network. Both real-time and historical reports are now available to the IT staff for a more comprehensive visibility over the complete system. Through the virtualization of security, ongoing management has become significantly easier and more effective.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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