IFAW Enhances Security with Check Point Endpoint Security

• Cybersecurity & Privacy - Endpoint Security
• Cybersecurity & Privacy - Network Security

• National Security & Defense
• Telecommunications

• Remote Control
• Tamper Detection

• Cybersecurity Services

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) had been a Check Point customer for about eight years and was familiar with the quality and superiority of Check Point security solutions. However, they faced a challenge when users began experiencing problems with secure remote access. With approximately 70 percent of employees working outside the organization’s headquarters, IFAW needed a secure remote access solution that could guarantee more internal security and controls, especially for mobile users. The majority of mobile users were migrating away from using IFAW global dial-up access to the available broadband access options in hotels and conference rooms. This migration led to issues such as worm infestations, an increase in malware, and users returning to the office with unauthorized software installed on their devices. IFAW was concerned that the remote workforce, who had access to confidential internal systems while on the road, would use a VPN tunnel to unknowingly inject something inappropriate inside network headquarters.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) began four decades ago and has grown to become the world’s leading international animal welfare organization. With a support base of over two million contributors worldwide, IFAW connects government leaders, communities, and similar organizations together to accomplish real solutions for animal safety and environmental conservation. With offices on every continent except for Antarctica, IFAW has a broad base of support, which includes legal and political experts as well as internationally recognized scientists, to tackle global preservation and animal welfare challenges.

IFAW found its solution in Check Point Endpoint Security, the first single agent for total endpoint security that combines the highest-rated firewall, network access control (NAC), program control, antivirus, anti-spyware, data security, and remote access. While considering product options, IFAW relied heavily on industry trade publications like Network World, Secure Computing, and others to provide a sounding board for potential solutions. Check Point Endpoint Security is unique in that it includes both data security for preventing data loss and theft and a VPN client for secure remote access communications. A single management console enables administrators to view and modify endpoint security policy with ease and assurance. And Check Point Endpoint Security is unified with the Check Point unified security architecture, enabling monitoring, analysis, and reporting of endpoint security logs and events from SmartCenter, Provider-1, and Eventia management systems.

• With Check Point security solutions, IFAW now feels confident that it can allow users to connect from virtually anywhere. This feature saves IFAW time and money. According to Ponte, opening up their acceptable use and security policies has allowed workers to connect to any wired or wireless internet access system that they can find, in turn increasing worker productivity. And IT is experiencing benefits too. “For IT, hand-in-hand with that benefit, is a tremendous reduction in the amount of malware,” says Ponte. The Check Point unified security architecture has actually allowed IFAW to enhance security because it eliminates the errors and administrative overhead of keeping lots of different security systems synchronized.

• Eliminated the need to manage multiple security agents
• Reduced administration time and effort
• Simplified deployment