Deep Blue's Fast Response to a Hotel in Need
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Transcript of Deep Blue's Fast Response to a Hotel in Need
Windsor Suites Philadelphia Case Study
Fast Response to Help a Hotel in NeedIn the aftermath of a crippling cyber-attack, Deep Blue Communications is called in to diagnose and fix a network that is down.
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Case Study - Fast Response to Help a Hotel in Need
The ProblemIn April of 2015, the Windsor Suites Philadelphia’s Wi-
Fi network provider experienced a breach in security
caused by a lack of an installed firewall.
This breach brought down over 600 of its customers
across the United States.
Unfortunately, Windsor
Suites was one of these
customers.
Through no fault of their
own, the hotel and its
guests found themselves
cut off from the internet
and the rest of the business world.
About the PropertyThe Windsor Suites is a 24 story, 200 room lifestyle
hotel in the heart of Center City Philadelphia,
catering to both leisure and corporate guests.
Windsor offers a 24 hour business center, on-site
Hertz car rental office, over 1,500 square feet of
flexible meeting space, and free Wi-Fi.
For those in need of an extended stay or relocation
while on business, its 75 extended stay suites (30
days or more) enable long term guests to enjoy the
comforts and conveniences of home and office.
Each suite features a full kitchen, walk in closets,
pillow top mattresses, and Keurig k-cup coffee
maker.
Access to a seasonal rooftop pool with views of
the Philadelphia skyline, for rest or relaxation is
Executive Summary
The Windsor Suites of Philadelphia, having lost their
access to the internet due to an online cyber-attack on
their Wi-Fi Service provider, found itself in a mission
critical failure situation.
Deep Blue Communications was called in to diagnose
network issues, restore internet access, replace the
current network with an upgraded secure system, and
provide ongoing support.
All this needed to be expedited to enable business
operations to continue. Access and security was restored
in 3 days, installation of a new network for the hotel was
accomplished within 3 weeks.
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Case Study - Fast Response to Help a Hotel in Need
provided. With a complete fitness studio, restaurants
offering fine dining and room delivery, and laundry
services available on most floors, Windsor Suites truly
provides everything a business traveler requires.
Among all these amenities, the free Wi-Fi network is the
mission critical system that enables both guests and
hotel to carry out day-to-day business activities. Without
secure Wi-Fi the property would be crippled.
Solution: High Level ViewThe heart of the problem with the old system stemmed
from the fact that the Wi-Fi provider neglected to install a
unified threat management system. In layman’s terms, a
firewall.
A firewall controls the incoming and outgoing network
traffic based on an applied rule set. Without this, a network
is open to a broad range of malicious attacks and cyber
vandalism.
Deep Blue was able to remotely access the network,
decommission the compromised hardware, install a new
front end with firewall, and new Ruckus Wireless access
points. Restoration of the network averted thousands in
lost revenue.
Solution: DetailsAfter being contacted by the hotel and learning of
the situation, Deep Blue immediately utilized the
limited information available to remotely access the
hotel network, map it, and diagnose the problem. It
was determined the front end had been completely
compromised by hackers and rendered inoperable,
but the AP’s were functional. The front end would
need to be replaced immediately.
To provide a new secure front end and lock down
the network, Deep Blue
overnighted an enterprise
grade firewall/gateway to
control in/out traffic to the
network. This offered ultra-
high performance, deep
packet inspection and all-in-
one multi-threat protection
not only to block the
latest attack combinations
including intrusion attempts, viruses, worms, phishing,
spyware, spam and many other malware types
effectively, but also to secure remote access among
branch offices, partners and customers.
Also shipped was a Nomadix AG5800 gateway to allow
authorized users to login and prevent others from
gaining access to the network. Designed for medium-
to large-size venues, the scalability of the AG 5800
supports anywhere from 300 up to 4,000 simultaneous
devices.
With this equipment installed and the network
secured and stabilized, Deep Blue could now set out
to complete a network design and install a secure new
Wi-Fi network.
Network Access Points
Switch Firewall Internet
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Case Study - Fast Response to Help a Hotel in Need
Network installers were on site within 3 weeks with
state-of-the-art Ruckus R500 and R600 dual band
access points. These AP’s support up to 500 clients,
concurrent dual band (5Ghz/2.4Ghz) connectivity,
three-stream MIMO 3x3:3, and concurrent HD IPTV,
VoIP, and data; perfect for a hotel servicing today’s
business traveler.
Upon installation of this new secure network, Deep
Blue proceeded to integrate it with the hotel property
management system (PMS) enabling full business
functionality. To put the hotel into full compliance
with corporate brand standards and eliminate any
corporate auditory risk to the property, a new custom
login page was created and guest login instructions
were put in each room.
Deep Blue also implemented its complimentary
user survey program. This program prompts users
to rate a Wi-Fi network on a scale of 1 to 5, providing
transparency and valuable guest satisfaction
information to the hotel.
The network is currently supported by a level 3
support plan. This service includes a three tiered Wi-
Fi network support system ensuring users get help
quickly and efficiently. They handle issues from simple
to the complex such as assisting inexperienced
users, conference support, staff level support,
ISP and routing, non-PC device setup, real time
monitoring, and most importantly network
security.
The Results
Guests now not only get online, but are able to
stream video, and use all their
Wi-Fi enabled and smart devices.
Not only has the new network performed
to the hotel’s satisfaction, but it reports that
since April only one customer Wi-Fi survey has
scored less than 5 out of 5.
The hotel has a state-of-the-art infrastructure
ready for any technology they’d like to deploy.
Comments from the HotelWe chose Deep Blue as our Wireless Internet Service
Provider due to their track record of success with
major brands across the hospitality industry as well as
their responsive customer service.
Our property experienced a security breach of our
previous Wireless Service Provider’s Network, causing
a compromise of our system.
After speaking with account executive Rachel Feurer,
we were confident that a similar issue would not
be possible with
Deep Blue, due to
their secure network
configuration.
Now, more than two
months into our
relationship with Deep
Blue, we could not
be happier with the
quality of our now state-of-the-art wireless network, as
well as the level of customer service provided by the
entire Deep Blue Team.
The Conclusion
In today’s hostile online environment a managed
Wi-Fi service provider’s attention to security is
paramount. There will be unscrupulous actors ready
to take advantage of any vulnerability.
What happened to the Windsor Suites of
Philadelphia and over 600 other properties could
happen to any hotel whose Wi-Fi provider is not
compliant in security practices.
If security isn’t one of a Wi-Fi service provider’s key
one concerns, they’re leaving businesses open to
failure on a potentially catastrophic level.
Deep Blue Communications is a full service managed Wi-Fi provider to the hospitality, retail, and high user density markets. We design, install, and support Wi-Fi networks across the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Providing 24/7/365 U.S. based help desk support to a portfolio of over 1,200 properties, Deep Blue maintains a superior level of customer support and active Wi-Fi network management.
Deep Blue’s passion for Wi-Fi drives it to continuously find innovative uses for Wi-Fi in areas of network monetization, business operations optimization, and elevated user experience.
Deep Blue Communications is preparing the way for a continuously connected world.
Deep Blue Communications7 Century Hill Drive • Latham, NY 12110 • 1-844-389-2718
[email protected]/engage
“We could not be happier with the quality of our now state-of-the-art wireless network, as well as the level of customer service.”
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