Legal approach
While clients have to jump through hoops to prove they are not laundering money when they approach legal firms,  legal firms across the UK are equally under growing pressure from existing and prospective clients to demonstrate that they follow a best practice approach to network security. Business is increasingly aware that to counter growing threats to their networks they need to implement security systems that deliver business continuity and secure remote access.

Thorntons  takes its responsibilities with regard to information security assurance and the integrity of client data extremely seriously, resulting in a review  of firewalls and remote access solutions to deliver more efficiency, flexibility and functionality.

It commissioned information security advisor, Sapphire to provide advice on the best solution to implement and ultimately help replace its existing network firewalls with a new remote access solution.  Sapphire is well known within the Scottish legal community for its comprehensive array of security services  and its quality consultancy.

Flexible approach to working
In terms of remote access, Thorntons’ key concern was to provide employees with a more flexible approach to work. Some staff wanted to work from home; others needed put in longer hours when required, without having to be tied to the office; yet a further group wanted the ability to access the firm’s network when on holiday.

Director of IT, Sarah Blair (left) explains, “With our existing virtual private network (VPN) based approach, it was becoming increasingly difficult and time-consuming to support these growing needs.

"Staff were complaining that the system was cumbersome to use and difficult to access the full range of information they needed. As a result, we decided that we needed to migrate to a more secure and cost-effective remote access connectivity solution.”

“We wanted a system that was easy to administer, straightforward to use, flexible, and," she adds, " cost-effective.”

With Sapphire’s help, Thorntons looked for a system that would allow staff to securely retrieve case loads, work on business critical applications and access a broad range of information remotely from any location. Sapphire played a key role in this pre-sales process, providing expert consultancy and advice to help Thorntons choose its appropriate solution.

On careful consideration of competitive offerings, Thorntons opted to implement Microsoft Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG), a browser-based secure socket layer SSL VPN solution, part of the Microsoft Forefront business security products. Thorntons also chose to implement PINsafe from Swivel, to deliver a second layer of authentication around the Microsoft’s IAG authentication procedures.

Upgrading the network firewall, Sapphire recommended the implementation of the rewall solution from partner organisation, Stonesoft, a leading network security solutions provider. Thorntons chose  StoneGate because it was considerably more sophisticated than its previous solution. In particular, it enables the company to scan all web and mail traffic, pinpointing in a fine level of detail the nature of all attempts to access the network, as well as giving in-depth reporting of traffic types.

Sapphire helped Thorntons to carry out a staged implementation of these solutions. The Stonegate firewall was implemented first, followed by the installation of  IAG and PINsafe. Sapphire consulted on the need to follow a strict order of implementation, a process  made more seamless by the use of the same Sapphire consultant on both projects.

Assessing the benefits
Since the completion of the Sapphire-led implementation,Thorntons has seen many benefits. Among these It has saved significant time in terms of reduced need to support remote users. It is also able to support a much wider group of remote users, doing so while yet significantly reducing administrative overheads.

Thorntons has also been able to monitor and track access to its systems more closely. It has achieved much better granular control over what people access,now generating a full range of management reports to aid the decision-making process.

The system also allows Thorntons to enforce specific policies, allowing access to the firm’s network to be tightly restricted. Devices without the correct security levels or the right anti-virus software, for example, are only be permitted restricted access. These processes are self-managing, not requiring any direct intervention from Thorntons’ IT team.

Blair identifies another key benefit: “Before we implemented the new system, we had to provide staff with their own laptops every time they wanted to work flexibly from home, were going away on holiday or on a business trip. We had to set-up and configure all of this kit specifically for each staff member every time there was such a need.

“This proved particularly cumbersome when changes needed to be managed. We had to reconfigure each individual device which in practical terms meant home visits for many users,” she continues. “Today, all of this is done automatically and centrally. The Thorntons’ in-house IT team does not have to do anything in terms of providing or configuring new equipment. "

Sapphire also put in place a Special Security Agreement (SSA) with Thorntons which allowed the work to be carried out in as flexible and cost-effective a way as possible.

“We have been happy with the highly professional, proactive and responsive service and support Sapphire has provided,” adds Blair. “In fact we have just renewed our maintenance contract with Sapphire, which underlines the level of trust we have in the relationship.”

And the firm is looking to continue to use Sapphire, for example for regular penetration testing. As Blair concludes, “we currently don’t have any specific security projects in the pipeline, but Sapphire would certainly be our preferred supplier for any future work we decided to carry out.”

Broadband reaching out to virtual
No business should slow down simply because workers aren't in the office, opinions IT director Steve Clarke (Right:http://www.carbonfootprint-energyefficient-it.com) who talked on the issue recently for Silicon.com, and shared his team's remote working scheme.

The UK worst snow for 18 years in early February storm will have cost companies up to £1bn. Clarke argues that such an event should never bring a business to a halt. The ability to work from anywhere should be a standard capability and yet,   business that has invested in such technology  remains surprisingly low.
The good outcome however is that CTO and CIO should now have the attention of the CEO to put in place effective remote working.

Clarke survived the recent white-out with a fully functional team, mostly techies (though service delivery and project management are also important in the department), whose requirements outstrips the general user-base, and includes secure administrative access to production servers, applications, core switches and the like.

Finance department users can have weird and wonderful requirements, particularly if they have macro-filled spreadsheets. Clarke urges they be consulted on plans.

His infrastructure technicians have company laptops that  have to be taken home every night. " No good sitting in an office drawer when disaster strikes."

AOL broadband uses VPN to secure connectivity - as it eliminates the need to expose internal systems to the  world. To secure the VPN,  multiple level authentication using Active Directory login details and a SecurID token is used. Everyone also has a personal PIN for VPN connection.

Clark's division has  implemented a 'lights out' capability on all systems, enabling remote power cycling, so the datacentre operates with little if any local intervention. The same goes for core network infrastructure, with full remote management even if the network itself is down, achieved by an out-of-band capability for all core network locations providing access to core switches without needing the network to be functional.

The VPN remote access server (RAS) needs control as it can get expensive - depending on how many concurrent licences are needed. Clarke runs on a ratio of about three accounts to one RAS concurrent licence and that seems to work well.

Enabled mobile devices
The mainstay is web access to email and for the mobile workforce we've enabled both BlackBerry and Windows mobile devices to access corporate email. The SharePoint document repository ensures files can be accessed remotely and a long culture of instant messenger use is a real boon when individuals need to communicate on the fly.

The division has instantly available teleconferencing facilities, and videoconferences can be set up simply by using webcams and Skype. More involved meetings need whiteboards or document sharing,making use of online web conferencing tools, that provide instant functionality at no cost  taking advantage of the free trials.

His facilities "didn't take a lot to achieve, wasn't even very expensive, just required a bit of forethought and a discrete implementation project."

Biggest expense is the RAS, but to enable a business to continue to function, is really is worth it. He adds: "In fact many staff were probably more productive than normal because they didn't have to undertake the daily grind of getting in to the office."

Clarke's remote working plans continue and will include the cloud and software as a service offerings further loosening the ties to the office. "We've thought about utilising one of the virtual (right:http://www.shakethepillars com/?p=55) online worlds  to set up an office where staff could gather - one which closely mirrors the traditional office but with the working flexibility now desired by many."

Thorntons  
Sapphire    
Swivel
AOL UK
Silicon.com article