DeviceLock Case Study: Cambridge Building Society deploys DeviceLock to control USB devices

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	Case Study

Irwin Mitchell proves commitment to information security

National Law Firm of the Year, Irwin Mitchell, has demonstrated the value it places on data security and confidentiality by rolling out SmartLine's DeviceLock® endpoint security solution across the organisation. The DeviceLock® solution, which Irwin Mitchell purchased from reseller, GSS, ensures that no information can be removed or copied from the corporate system without appropriate authorisation. DeviceLock® controls access to all ports and devices on the company's network, including USB ports and memory sticks, CD-ROMs, portable storage devices, MP3 players, FireWire, WiFi and Bluetooth. It also protects organisations from keylogging attacks. But unlike solutions that simply disable the port completely, DeviceLock® offers a layer of management, so that the IT department can set and change settings.

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The client

Cambridge Building Society employs 200 people in a network of 23 offices and branches across the East Anglia region of the UK. It is an independent, local, mutual society that has played a major role in the development of local home ownership and provided a secure home for savings since 1850. It aims "to offer competitive rates of interest to both savers and borrowers and to provide a first class service to the community from conveniently situated offices".

In 2006 Cambridge Building Society won What Mortgage magazine’s "Best Regional Lender over 2 Years" and "Best Regional Lender over 5 Years" trophies. In addition, it was a finalist in the "Best Regional Lender over 10 Years" category.

The need

As with every financial institution, Cambridge Building Society is subject to stringent security regulations. And to stay ahead in the security arena it has recently undergone a combination of security upgrades to safeguard against viruses, Trojans, worms and data theft.

The Society operates a Windows 2003 server environment with the majority of workstations running Windows 2000. These upgrades opened the door to the possibility of locking down each workstation to prevent users plugging in external devices - such as iPods and digital cameras - to the network.

The specific requirement was to deploy software that would work with Active Directory and prevent unauthorized access to drives that have the capability to import or export data.

The solution

The IT team at Cambridge Building Society undertook a comprehensive review of the software available on the market and tests were carried out on DeviceLock® and several of its competitors (such as DeviceWall, Sanctuary Device Control, Safend Protector, etc.). DeviceLock® was the eventual winner and is currently being deployed across the Society’s network.

Trevor Tannenbaum, the Society’s Assistant Manager or IS Support says "Trials showed that the ability to enable certain USB devices is very useful when building new machines because it prevents a complete block on the likes of USB-connected keyboards and mice."

DeviceLock was chosen because it covered all the areas that had been identified by the IT team’s security review and both internal and external audits – and more. Tannenbaum goes on to confirm "Our main reason for choosing DeviceLock is that it became clear that not only is it incredibly effective, it also offers exceptional value for money. In fact, it represented by far the best value for money compared to the other products we tested."