Redditch Borough Council secures against authorised device access and malware with Reflex Disknet Pro

Background
Redditch Borough Council delivers a wide array of vital services in the town of Redditch, Worcestershire, and its outlying areas.  The Council works to deliver a full range of local services for the benefit of around 79,000 residents and the many others who live and work in the area.  The Council employs some 1,100 people to deliver its services.

Challenge
In the mid-to-late 1990's, boot sector viruses spread via infected floppy disks was by far the biggest security problem facing businesses.  This was a time before companies had embraced the Internet to any great degree and floppy disks were the simplest and quickest method of transferring information.

The IT department at Redditch Borough Council identified that a major virus threat to their network was being caused by users introducing floppy disks onto their work PC, that they had been using at home.  They needed a solution that would manage the introduction of foreign media and control the installation of software and new files on every corporate PC.

Prior to adopting Reflex's security solution Redditch was reliant on an anti-virus package that was deployed on a small number of machines.  The anti-virus solution, however, failed to provide complete security and the associated costs of protecting the network from unauthorised software installations and viruses proved to be beyond the scope of available budgets.

Redditch was looking for a product that could prevent the transfer of viruses via floppy disks and ensure the network remained available and secure.finding a suitable security solution.  His ambitious brief was to find an all in one solution; capable of maintaining data integrity as well as guarding against the introduction of malicious code and unlicensed software programmes.

The Solution
Reflex Disknet Pro was tested against a variety of competitive products as Redditch searched for a solution to the security problem facing them.  Reflex Disknet Pro's ease of installation, comprehensiveness and competitive pricing made the product stand out as the best possible solution.  Reflex Disknet Pro provided Redditch with a solution that could control the introduction of floppy disks, and in following years removable media devices, to the network.

Reflex Disknet Pro provided a policy driven mechanism with which Redditch could secure its information and ensure the integrity of its data providing unrivalled end point security over the use of USB and other Memory Devices. The introduction of the Reflex product allowed system administrators to take control of the network managing removable media either by denying all access, providing read only access, allowing full authorised access or enforcing only encrypted access.

"Reflex Disknet Pro provides a cost effective, configurable environment that allows us to centrally control the client PC's profile with ease," said Andy White, Network Development Manager with Redditch Borough Council.  "There simply isn't another product on the market that offers the same level of security and manageability as the Reflex solution."

The Results
Over the last six years, Reflex Disknet Pro has provided a comprehensive level of security to Redditch Borough Council, successfully preventing the use of unapproved removable media and unlicensed software whilst stopping viruses and other malware from impacting its network.

Andy White commented, "The Reflex Disknet Pro product has kept our network secure for a number of years.  The use of floppy disks and in subsequent years, removable media devices, to transfer information has always been a problem and Reflex Disknet Pro has given us a means of controlling rogue devices.  Users can no longer connect USB devices, memory sticks, digital cameras or PDAs to their PC and risk introducing malicious code onto the network.  Reflex Disknet Pro is the perfect solution for managing this problem and we have found the support and dedication of the Reflex Magnetics team to be outstanding, offering us the comprehensive technical support we require."

Andy Campbell, Managing Director, Reflex Magnetics commented, "The threat to businesses presented by the introduction of malicious code, or theft of data, via removable media devices is growing at an alarming rate.  As plug and play devices increase in popularity this problem is only going to get worse.  The Reflex solution makes it impossible for employees to introduce security threats via devices such as USB memory sticks whilst also protecting against data theft."