CheckPoint Software > Case Studies > Superior Court of California Enhances Security with Check Point's IPS Software Blade

Superior Court of California Enhances Security with Check Point's IPS Software Blade

Technology Category

Cybersecurity & Privacy - Intrusion Detection
Networks & Connectivity - Gateways

Applicable Industries

National Security & Defense
Semiconductors

Use Cases

Indoor Positioning Systems
Tamper Detection

Services

Hardware Design & Engineering Services
System Integration

About The Customer

The Superior Court of California, Orange County, is the trial court for the second most populous county in California. It hears civil, criminal, family, probate, and juvenile cases. The court operates in eight locations and employs 3,000 people. It provides Internet services to the public, the legal sector, and partner agencies. The court has a significant responsibility to safeguard the integrity of court records while providing secure and reliable access to these records for a wide range of users, including specific government agencies and the general public.

The Challenge

The Superior Court of California, Orange County, faced a significant challenge in safeguarding court records from potential cyber attacks while ensuring secure remote access for authorized external agencies. The court, which operates in eight locations and employs 3,000 people, provides internet services to the public, the legal sector, and partner agencies. The challenge was to expand intrusion protection to all chokepoints without exceeding the budget. The court needed to protect the integrity of court records while allowing online access to a wide range of users. This responsibility included blocking malicious activity from external sources, providing broad coverage in protecting application vulnerabilities, and ensuring secure and reliable access to court records.

The Solution

The court selected Check Point's IPS software blade to address its security challenges. The solution offered complete intrusion protection for the entire network, allowing the court to extend intrusion prevention to all its 12 VLANs and eight interfaces. The solution was also affordable, reducing the court's hardware requirements by 50% by integrating IPS with the firewalls. This efficient use of resources allowed the court to extend IPS coverage throughout its network without having to upgrade the capacity of its security gateways. The solution also provided more robust security for the integrity of court records, with more protections and up-to-date threat signatures. The Check Point solution also offered low CPU utilization, stability, and ease of management, with firewalls and IPS centrally managed from the same security dashboard.

Operational Impact

The implementation of Check Point's IPS software blade resulted in a more secure, affordable, and efficient system for the Superior Court of California, Orange County. The court was able to replace a limited IPS system with Check Point’s integrated IPS software blades, strengthening its defense against Internet infiltration. The solution improved security at a lower cost and simplified management. The reduced CPU utilization provided a longer-term solution. The stability of Check Point firewalls provided more reliable security. The ease of management, with firewalls and IPS centrally managed from the same security dashboard, improved IT productivity. The solution also offered preconfigured recommended settings, saving set-up time and management effort.

Quantitative Benefit

With the IPS software blade for three chokepoints, the court saved between $50,000-$75,000, potentially up to a couple hundred thousand dollars.
Reduced hardware requirement by 50% with integrated firewall and IPS software blade.
On the busiest court days, CPU utilization for IPS is less than 20 percent, allowing more protection without hardware upgrade.