Security detail
Security detail
Sentivist, a network security and intrusion detection software package, helps the Riviera Hotel & Casino efficiently protect against online attacks
When it came time to renovate the Riviera Hotel & Casino in preparation for its Golden Anniversary this year, the property's executives decided to do more than simply clean and repaint. Part of the multi-million dollar remodeling was devoted to technical improvements, such as upgrading the facility's network and data asset security.
Indeed, it was a propitious time to re-examine the various security layers at the Riviera. Like many modern casino enterprises in the fast-paced environment of the gaming industry, the Riviera is focused on creating a fun and personalized environment for its thousands of customers. Electronic point systems, personalized incentive programs, credit card enabled slot machines and other technical advancements offer an enhanced customer experience, but they also result in a vast amount of information going in and out of the Riviera's system daily.
The Riviera requires strict security policies to ensure the safety of this information, such as credit card data, driver licenses, social security numbers and more. But to truly secure personal and financial data, the Riviera needed a comprehensive network security solution that could accurately detect and defend against any malicious network activity.
Like many hotels and casinos on the Vegas Strip, however, the Riviera has to manage a critical network with a limited IT staff. This requires security devices to manage, analyze, and defend against malicious activity that crosses the network to ease the burden on a small staff. A layered defense system is a key asset to ease the management of activity and allow the staff to concentrate on other critical issues.
Management tool
After a detailed review process of network security products on the market, Riviera chose NFR Security's Sentivist for its advanced management and defense capabilities. Sentivist keeps up with the fast pace of information that enters the network and analyzes traffic for malicious activity, allowing for a proactive security environment.
"Sentivist gives us vision and management in our network that we didn't find with other security solutions we tested," said Tim Wilbur, network security specialist at the Riviera Hotel & Casino. "With Sentivist, we can now see potential security threats in real-time and act on them immediately."
NFR Security's Sentivist provides a clear and precise view and management of suspicious activity on an enterprise network. A combination of pattern matching and anomaly detection identifies both known and unknown types of attacks. Customization and fine-tuning enable notification of "real attacks" and minimize distracting false positives. In addition, Sentivist provides comprehensive reporting and analysis tools help prepare for a future attack, or prepare for criminal proceedings.
Proactive security
The environment of a well-known casino increases the number of security issues to protect against. As with many organizations, Riviera saw the onslaught of attacks that were brought on by worms and viruses such as Nimda, Blaster and MyDoom. NFR's Sentivist provides advanced monitoring to manage both known and unknown attack methods. This solution provides Riviera with effective protection against worm and virus attacks.
The Sentivist Enterprise Console also provides advanced alert management through customized filters and views that give a quick means to focus in on relevant events. The hybrid defense capabilities of Sentivist enable the Riviera to monitor network traffic in real time for a wide variety of activity, including suspicious events, anomalous behavior, misuse, abuse and attacks.
With the constant stream of guests at the hotel and casino, having the network go down due to a new worm or virus is not an option. Sentivist monitors, detects and analyzes traffic going through the network and can alert the firewall of any suspicious activities to block. By using NFR's Sentivist, Riviera can increase proactive security with the reduction of false positives and the increased ability to detect and defend against known and unknown attacks.
"Sentivist enhances the security of our network by providing our staff with increased manageability to support our proactive efforts," said Wilbur. "With the combination of Sentivist's intelligent alert system and the ability to connect into the firewall, we can defend against malicious activity and block it from entering our network."
A vision into the network also gives peace of mind to a small IT security staff. Unlike other solutions that Riviera tested and reviewed, Sentivist allowed IT personnel to monitor the network and see all the activity that was happening for a comprehensive defense solution with detailed reporting.
-Edited by Paul Doocey from case study materials provided by NFR Security
SIDEBAR:
Just the facts
Casino: The Riviera Hotel & Casino
Size: 2,000 hotel rooms
Business Challenge: Install an easy-to-use security device to manage, analyze, and defend against malicious activity across the network
Solution: Sentivist IPS from NFR Security, a division of Fairfax, Va.-based Spectrum Systems
Key Quote: "With Sentivist, we can now see potential security threats in real-time and act on them immediately."
- Tim Wilbur, network security specialist
Sentivist, a network security and intrusion detection software package, helps the Riviera Hotel & Casino efficiently protect against online attacks
When it came time to renovate the Riviera Hotel & Casino in preparation for its Golden Anniversary this year, the property's executives decided to do more than simply clean and repaint. Part of the multi-million dollar remodeling was devoted to technical improvements, such as upgrading the facility's network and data asset security.
Indeed, it was a propitious time to re-examine the various security layers at the Riviera. Like many modern casino enterprises in the fast-paced environment of the gaming industry, the Riviera is focused on creating a fun and personalized environment for its thousands of customers. Electronic point systems, personalized incentive programs, credit card enabled slot machines and other technical advancements offer an enhanced customer experience, but they also result in a vast amount of information going in and out of the Riviera's system daily.
The Riviera requires strict security policies to ensure the safety of this information, such as credit card data, driver licenses, social security numbers and more. But to truly secure personal and financial data, the Riviera needed a comprehensive network security solution that could accurately detect and defend against any malicious network activity.
Like many hotels and casinos on the Vegas Strip, however, the Riviera has to manage a critical network with a limited IT staff. This requires security devices to manage, analyze, and defend against malicious activity that crosses the network to ease the burden on a small staff. A layered defense system is a key asset to ease the management of activity and allow the staff to concentrate on other critical issues.
Management tool
After a detailed review process of network security products on the market, Riviera chose NFR Security's Sentivist for its advanced management and defense capabilities. Sentivist keeps up with the fast pace of information that enters the network and analyzes traffic for malicious activity, allowing for a proactive security environment.
"Sentivist gives us vision and management in our network that we didn't find with other security solutions we tested," said Tim Wilbur, network security specialist at the Riviera Hotel & Casino. "With Sentivist, we can now see potential security threats in real-time and act on them immediately."
NFR Security's Sentivist provides a clear and precise view and management of suspicious activity on an enterprise network. A combination of pattern matching and anomaly detection identifies both known and unknown types of attacks. Customization and fine-tuning enable notification of "real attacks" and minimize distracting false positives. In addition, Sentivist provides comprehensive reporting and analysis tools help prepare for a future attack, or prepare for criminal proceedings.
Proactive security
The environment of a well-known casino increases the number of security issues to protect against. As with many organizations, Riviera saw the onslaught of attacks that were brought on by worms and viruses such as Nimda, Blaster and MyDoom. NFR's Sentivist provides advanced monitoring to manage both known and unknown attack methods. This solution provides Riviera with effective protection against worm and virus attacks.
The Sentivist Enterprise Console also provides advanced alert management through customized filters and views that give a quick means to focus in on relevant events. The hybrid defense capabilities of Sentivist enable the Riviera to monitor network traffic in real time for a wide variety of activity, including suspicious events, anomalous behavior, misuse, abuse and attacks.
With the constant stream of guests at the hotel and casino, having the network go down due to a new worm or virus is not an option. Sentivist monitors, detects and analyzes traffic going through the network and can alert the firewall of any suspicious activities to block. By using NFR's Sentivist, Riviera can increase proactive security with the reduction of false positives and the increased ability to detect and defend against known and unknown attacks.
"Sentivist enhances the security of our network by providing our staff with increased manageability to support our proactive efforts," said Wilbur. "With the combination of Sentivist's intelligent alert system and the ability to connect into the firewall, we can defend against malicious activity and block it from entering our network."
A vision into the network also gives peace of mind to a small IT security staff. Unlike other solutions that Riviera tested and reviewed, Sentivist allowed IT personnel to monitor the network and see all the activity that was happening for a comprehensive defense solution with detailed reporting.
-Edited by Paul Doocey from case study materials provided by NFR Security
SIDEBAR:
Just the facts
Casino: The Riviera Hotel & Casino
Size: 2,000 hotel rooms
Business Challenge: Install an easy-to-use security device to manage, analyze, and defend against malicious activity across the network
Solution: Sentivist IPS from NFR Security, a division of Fairfax, Va.-based Spectrum Systems
Key Quote: "With Sentivist, we can now see potential security threats in real-time and act on them immediately."
- Tim Wilbur, network security specialist
