Windsor Suites Philadelphia Case Study Fast Response to Help a Hotel in Need In the aftermath of a crippling cyber-attack, Deep Blue Communications is called in to diagnose and fix a network that is down.
Executive Summary The Windsor Suites of Philadelphia, having lost their access to the internet due to an online cyberattack 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. The Problem In 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 Property The 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. 2
Access to a seasonal rooftop pool with views of the Philadelphia skyline, for rest or relaxation is 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 View The 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. Network Access Points Switch Firewall Internet 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: Details After 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 3
set out to complete a network design and install a secure new Wi-Fi network. 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 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 login instructions were put in each room for guests. 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. 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. 4
Comments from the Hotel We 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 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. 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 Communications 7 Century Hill Drive Latham, NY 12110 1-800-622-0396 sales@deepbluecommunications.com info.deepbluecommunications.com/engage v 1.0 7.15.15