Bed Bath N’ Table owner upgrades network security

The Dempsey Group has chosen leading IT solutions and managed services provider, Blue Connections, to provide a Fortinet network security solution to refresh its ageing network infrastructure and improve its security posture.

The Dempsey Group was established in 1960 and later expanded to encompass the Bed Bath N’ Table brand and the Domestic Textile Corporation.

During an investigation of its current network, The Dempsey Group discovered that the security predominantly around the store routers was dated and coming up to end-of-life (EOL). Using EOL technology poses major security threats if left unchecked as vendors stop providing technical support and issuing security patches.

The Dempsey Group IT operations manager, Lui Di Sarno said, “The Dempsey Group needed a solution that was cost-effective and best suited to its business requirements. The Dempsey Group chose Blue Connections because of their long-standing relationship along with Blue Connections’ reputation as a best-in-class IT solutions provider and its strong partnership with Fortinet, a global leader in broad, integrated, and automated cybersecurity solutions.

“It took about three months to scope the project given The Dempsey Group’s footprint and the number of stores across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. The Dempsey Group gave the Blue Connections team 12 months to complete the project as that was the hard cut-off date for EOL for the routers.

“However, Blue Connections surpassed expectations and managed to complete the project within four months. With the solution we now have greater visibility and centralised management, so we can push out updates on the fly, and we have more control.”

Blue Connections practice manager – networks, security and comms, Paul Wilson commented, “Within The Dempsey Group’s ageing solution there were legacy problems, including routers providing basic security, that couldn’t support the throughput that was required. At the same time, the network was not using the latest firewall security prevention techniques, which could put the company under threat from multiple attacks.

“Blue Connections knew that the Fortinet FortiGate Next Generation Firewalls would be an excellent solution for The Dempsey Group as they offered comprehensive enterprise-class network security in a compact desktop form ideal for branch offices and mid-sized businesses using the nbn.”

The Fortinet FortiGates include a built-in digital subscriber line (DSL) modem along with support for 3G/4G connectivity via external thirty-party USB modems. They protect against cyberthreats with system-on-a-chip acceleration and industry-leading secure software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) in a simple, affordable, and easy-to-deploy solution.

The Dempsey Group also deployed Fortinet’s FortiEDR, which uses machine learning to automate endpoint protection against advanced threats with real-time orchestrated incident response capabilities providing greater control over network, user, and host behaviour in The Dempsey Group’s environment.

Fortinet channel director, Tim Fitzgerald added, “Fortinet worked closely with Blue Connections in defining a repeatable and standardised approach to retail store network infrastructure while ensuring the network edge was fully secured and simple to co-manage with Dempsey’s internal team. The rollout was exceptionally managed by Blue Connections. Our shared commitment to ensuring our customers receive the best solutions to meet their needs continues to be our priority now and into the future.”