Technology | Xerocomm

Appliances from BlueCat Networks Set Xerocomm Free

OVERVIEW

Founded in 2003, Xerocomm, Inc. specializes in email filtering, data recovery and network design, implementation, and security. Serving several counties across California, this multi-dimensional company provides computer services and products to both residential and business customers. Xerocomm’s carefully selected technicians bring experience, various certifications and superior proficiency with the latest technology to the table, ensuring professional, friendly service for each and every one of their customers.

OPPORTUNITY

Being experts in network configurations and security themselves, Xerocomm recognized that they needed to address their own spam filtering and server security problems with a solid solution that would allow their staff to focus their attention on other matters. Christian Bryant, President of Xerocomm, was also frustrated with the constant patching and rebooting that was necessary to try to stave off DNS attacks and repeated server failure they suffered at the hands of inherently vulnerable BIND 8 and Windows servers. Cache poisoning was becoming far too regular an occurrence, and Bryant sought to put a stop to it.

After close to a year and a half of extensive research and product comparisons, Bryant found BlueCat Networks’ appliance technology and knowledgeable staff to far outweigh those of their nearest competitors.

SOLUTION

To address Bryant’s problem with his existing anti-spam server, BlueCat Networks supplied Xerocomm with a Meridius 1000 Email Gateway Appliance that delivered a 99% catch rate and zero false positives. BlueCat also performed an assessment of Xerocomm’s other appliances, which uncovered failures in spam processing due to server overload. Additionally, a review of their overall network revealed other configuration errors and RPD failures that, once fixed by BlueCat, resulted in significant gains in network performance and spam catch rates.

As for their DNS and DHCP security issues, Bryant selected BlueCat’s Adonis 1000 DNS/DHCP Appliances. For him, the appliance’s “rock solid” security and easy to use interface and were the key decision making factors. In fact, Bryant recalls one occasion in particular, where the Adonis 1000’s GUI made DNS configuration and management easy enough that Xerocomm’s receptionist – who had no prior technical knowledge of the product or of DNS configuration – was able to add zones and records, as well as deploy her changes with no training and minimal instructions by phone...all in no more than 10 minutes.

IMPACT

Maintaining their DNS in the past had proven to be such a daunting task, that it took valuable time and resources away from fieldwork, consulting and business development. The staff at Xerocomm was therefore relieved to find the Adonis 1000 DNS/DCHP Appliance to be “virtually impervious to outside attacks”. Whereas the company was previously experiencing DNS security breaches on almost a weekly basis, Bryant now reports that “Cache poisoning has been a complete non-issue over the last year” with the Adonis 1000 appliance in place.

Bryant also affirmed that most of Xerocomm’s data centre is now “completely automated just by installing the three BlueCat appliances”. This has not only allowed them to free up network operational staff to work directly on more important tasks such as combating known hackers, but also to move four (4) network engineers who were previously rooted in the datacenter scrutinizing spam quarantines and DNS caches, out into the field where their time is much better spent.

Finally, Bryant mentioned that having experienced frustrating results with support technicians at other companies in the past, he found his assigned client care specialist at BlueCat to be “intelligent and refreshing”. Bryant’s inquiries were often addressed within minutes, and any problems he encountered were resolved in a manner “way above my expectations”. He also commented that as a business owner, client care specialists at BlueCat taught [him] two very important points: “One is that good training with a product gave me more value from it, and therefore, higher returns on my investment. Two is that great and well-educated employees like [those at BlueCat] are a rare find, and inspire not only my loyalty, but also my own company’s mission when it comes to excellence in product and service delivery”.