The Entertainer

Since implementing the Vialtus solution, The Entertainer has seen numerous benefits including:

• A multi-layered security solution that protects against online and external threats across the company’s entire network.
• A fast and reliable broadband connection in both its head office and stores.

ENTERTAINING THE NATION
Headquartered in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, The Entertainer is a family-run business of 26 years with 41 retail stores nationwide and an online portal, www.thetoyshop.com. The company's portfolio includes toys, infant care products, children’s clothing, art and craft sets, video games and puzzles. The Entertainer has also acquired ‘The Gadget Shop’ brand, reaching a new customer base via website sales at www.thegadgetshop.com.

GAME FOR A CHALLENGE
Previously The Entertainer’s retail stores and head office were linked via a dial-up public internet connection. With an expanding number of stores and a large amount of sensitive data on its network, The Entertainer wanted to create a faster, more secure, always-on network across its geographically dispersed locations. With the proliferation of threats from the internet, The Entertainer needed to protect its network from external access and attacks such as phishing, spyware, malware and distributed denial of service (DDoS). “Security was high on our agenda,” explains Ian Pulsford, Head of IT at The Entertainer. “We wanted to achieve the same high level of protection that we have at our head office across our entire network. Obviously increasing the speed and efficiency of the network was important, but security was our main priority when looking to upgrade our IT system.”

SOLVING THE PUZZLE
A leased line communications customer of five years, The Entertainer looked to build on its already strong, existing relationship with Vialtus Solutions. As The Entertainer’s needs changed, Vialtus was able to offer a solution that met all of the company’s objectives. “We implemented Vialtus’ Secure Office package to provide a fast, reliable and secure network across all of our 41 stores, as well as the head office,” comments Pulsford. Secure Office from Vialtus provides cutting-edge measures that help protect the network and data that passes throughout the organisation. Secure Office goes beyond strong security perimeters and password systems – which can easily be bypassed with hacker password-cracking software and advanced viruses, trojans or worms – with additional layers of security in a Layered Security Architecture (LSA). Providing The Entertainer with a centrally managed, secure network, Secure Office builds up layers of security with a managed firewall, anti-virus software and malware protection, as well as prevention systems such as intrusion detection. “Incorporating these features into a single strategy, means we are better equipped against new and emerging internet security threats,” states Pulsford. By creating a private network, Secure Office prevents information being ‘dropped’ onto the public internet, securing business critical data and customer details. Secure Office extends its high level security perimeter to every device on the network including remote offices and home workers. “In order to increase the speed and reliability of the network connections, Vialtus also upgraded our dial-up connection to ADSL broadband. With a 6Mb leased line to the head office and dedicated 2Mb lines in remote stores, the network is both quick and robust,” explains Pulsford.

ALL OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED
Working with Vialtus, The Entertainer has received significant benefits. “Implementing Secure Office means our objective to improve network security has been achieved,” describes Pulsford. “Having the same level of security across the entire network that we have at our head office is fantastic and has given us a vastly improved protection policy. As Secure Office has all the features required to protect our network in one package, our business costs and time expenditure have also been dramatically reduced. The team at Vialtus ensured the implementation went smoothly and completed within our specified time-frame,” boasts Pulsford. “Following the upgrades from Vialtus, we have experienced a significant improvement in reliability across all of our stores. It means that we can operate more efficiently across the business, safe in the knowledge that the network connection won’t let us down. Vialtus has given all of our connections a guaranteed amount of bandwidth to the head office. Over time, this will also allow us to roll-out intranet-based solutions for our HR software and our PoS software,” concludes Pulsford.