CheckPoint Software > Case Studies > The Equitable Bank's Investment in Check Point Express for Enhanced Security and Efficiency

The Equitable Bank's Investment in Check Point Express for Enhanced Security and Efficiency

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Technology Category
  • Cybersecurity & Privacy - Intrusion Detection
  • Networks & Connectivity - Gateways
Applicable Industries
  • Finance & Insurance
  • National Security & Defense
Use Cases
  • Inventory Management
  • Tamper Detection
About The Customer
The Equitable Bank has been serving the Milwaukee area since 1927, growing to more than 10 branches and becoming one of the largest consumer lenders in Wisconsin, based on a percentage of assets. While home loans remain its main business, The Equitable Bank also lends to families and individuals for various needs, including cars, boats, vacations, and home-improvement projects. The bank prides itself on offering competitive rates, flexible payment options, and fast, efficient, knowledgeable service. With 150 employees across its locations, the bank promises that customers never have to wait for a loan officer to be in.
The Challenge
The Equitable Bank, one of the largest consumer lenders in Wisconsin, faced a significant challenge in providing a network with enterprise-class performance and security across its 10 locations. With a limited budget and IT staff, the bank needed to ensure quick loan approvals and instant access to centralized information for its loan originators. Additionally, the bank had to comply with stringent state and federal laws regarding customer privacy and data security. The bank's existing slow frame relay network was not sufficient to meet these demands, and a more robust, secure, and efficient solution was required.
The Solution
The Equitable Bank replaced its slow frame relay network with a 100 Mbps Ethernet optical network solution from a regional ISP. To leverage the available broadband speed, the bank required a secure VPN solution to connect its many metropolitan Milwaukee locations and link to its new disaster recovery site. The bank chose Check Point Express, recommended by local security consultant and value-added reseller JSO Technologies, for its uncompromising security, ease of management, and high availability. Using Check Point’s intelligent VPNs, the bank linked all its locations and connected to Fiserv, its service bureau for account and transaction processing. Check Point SecurePlatform on Intel-based servers provided economical, easy-to-install, and manage security gateways for the branches and main office. Loan originators working remotely had highly secure VPN access to all the resources they needed through Check Point VPN-1 SecureClient. The clustering and load-balancing capabilities of Check Point Express in the disaster recovery center ensured network availability for banking transactions and loan servicing.
Operational Impact
  • The implementation of Check Point Express brought several operational benefits to The Equitable Bank. The high-performance VPN network was crucial for retaining the most productive loan originators, as it provided them with secure, instant access to information while interacting with customers. The bank's business continuity strategy was strengthened with Check Point Express, which allowed for automatic failover in case a security gateway went down, ensuring non-stop security. The secure VPN connection between the main office and the remote disaster recovery site allowed the bank to turn its two existing locations into one secure virtual data center, improving performance and availability. The bank was also able to manage all VPNs and firewalls from a single SmartCenter console at the head office, simplifying management for the small IT staff.
Quantitative Benefit
  • Upgraded all locations to Check Point Express by the end of 2004
  • Established a secure VPN connection between the main office and remote disaster recovery site, enabling cost-effective growth
  • Enabled non-stop security through automatic failover in case of a security gateway going down

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