Protect what you value. CASE STUDY Gemino Healthcare Finance McAfee Total Protection Service Lets Growing Finance Company Keep IT Security Simple Customer profile Lender to U.S. healthcare providers Industry Finance IT environment Three servers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, support 16 users in two offices and on the road. Remote users connect via VPN over a T1 line. The computing environment is a mix of Microsoft Windows 2003 Server, Windows XP, and Vista Business. Challenges With only one IT person supporting the entire company, managing information security must be as simple and easy as possible. McAfee solution McAfee Total Protection Service protects Gemino’s network from viruses, spyware, and other malware attacks. McAfee SiteAdvisor Enterprise, part of Total Protection Service, also protects users from visiting unsafe web sites. Results • Significantly reduces IT overhead and frees server space, thanks to the web-based central management console, hosted for free by McAfee • Founded in 2007, Gemino Healthcare Finance is a specialty healthcare lender focused solely on providing financing to healthcare service providers throughout the U.S. The company serves all healthcare services segments with typical needs ranging from $500,000 to more than $10 million in revolving lines of credit, term loans, and real-estate financing. Three servers in the company’s main office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, support a total of 16 employees who work in the Philadelphia office; a sales office in Atlanta, Georgia; home offices; and on the road. Wanted: Simple yet safe security without adding headcount Peter Herschel, director of IT at Gemino Healthcare Finance, is a one-person IT department for the company. “We need to be able to grow our business but, if at all possible, we want to avoid having to add IT headcount,” says Herschel. Yet malicious viruses, phishing scams, spyware, and other security threats can’t be ignored. “I need to keep security risk management simple,” adds Herschel. “I have too many other things to do to be an IT security administrator.” Gemino Healthcare Finance first implemented a popular anti-virus product on each of its desktops. To extend protection to its three servers, Herschel upgraded to the anti-virus vendor’s small business security package. This product had a complex licensing process and required the installation of additional software on a company server. Consequently, when the software license came up for renewal, Herschel began looking for options that would provide the necessary protection with far less hassle. Stronger protection, easier management, and lower costs Herschel wanted to stick with a well-known, reputable vendor so he decided to download a free trial of McAfee Total Protection Service (formerly McAfee Total Protection™ for Small Business) from the McAfee web site. He was so impressed with McAfee’s automated, security-as-a-service solution for small businesses that half way through the 30-day free trial, he purchased it. “McAfee Total Protection Service was just what I was looking for—a security solution that would protect our business without taking up much of my time,” says Herschel. “Having the management console hosted by McAfee was also a big plus. And it costs significantly less than our previous solution, too.” With the McAfee SecurityCenter, a web-based, centralized management console within McAfee Total Protection Service, Herschel can see at a glance the information he needs to know—for example, which machines have out-of-date .DAT files, or whether there are any new files in quarantine. Herschel also receives periodic emails from McAfee with security status updates. When an event needs immediate attention, an alert automatically appears on his screen. Eliminates unnecessary travel and on-site IT support Automatically alerts users to suspicious web sites even before they visit them Saves money compared to competitive solutions; annual savings of 60% on anti-virus software alone • • Gemino Healthcare Finance Web-based, hosted management console lowers IT overhead Because the SecurityCenter management console is hosted by McAfee rather than an in-house server, Gemino Healthcare Finance doesn’t have to dedicate physical resources to it or spend time maintaining it. Removing the previous security solution’s software freed up needed space on a server as well as reduced Herschel’s maintenance burden. A web-based management console also means that Herschel can access it from almost anywhere. Herschel also likes being able to easily see which Total Protection Service components he has installed on which machines and having the flexibility to install only those components that are needed. “For instance, I have the option to install Total Protection Service’s anti-virus or firewall software on my servers as I see fit,” he explains. Central management saves time Central management of security software, automatic updates, and anywhere access saves Herschel hours on security administration. “Over a T1 line, it takes only a couple minutes to install Total Protection Service software for remote users,” he says. “Instead of physically visiting their machines, I just send them an email with a link to the Total Protection Service client, and they simply click to download it.” Using McAfee Total Protection Service also saves the company money compared to its previous solution. By switching to McAfee’s solution, the company’s annual expense for anti-virus software alone has been slashed by 60 percent. McAfee SiteAdvisor Enterprise protects users from visiting potentially dangerous web sites One of the biggest security threats facing Gemino Healthcare Finance is phishing— specifically, employees accidentally visiting fraudulent financial institution web sites. For instance, before implementing McAfee Total Protection Service, a Gemino employee accidentally visited a counterfeit Wachovia Bank web site when a phishing email indicated a problem with an employee’s bank account. With McAfee SiteAdvisor™ Enterprise, a component of McAfee Total Protection Service, Gemino employees can now educate themselves as to web sites that might be potentially dangerous. Whenever they type in a web site address, McAfee SiteAdvisor immediately displays a red, yellow, or green safety rating on their screen. If they conduct a search using Google or Yahoo and a yellow or red dot appears to the right of sites listed, they know those sites are slightly or highly suspicious. “Our defenses go up instantly when we see a yellow or red dot,” says Herschel. “We don’t even have to visit the web site and we already know something about it.” Summary “McAfee Total Protection Service helps keep managing security simple,” says Herschel. “It’s easy to deploy and easy to administer, and it enables me to focus on other areas of IT to help keep our business growing.” McAfee Total Protection Service was just what I was looking for—a security solution that would protect our business without taking a lot of my time. Having the management console hosted by McAfee was also a big plus. And it costs less than our previous solution, too. Peter Hershel Director of IT Gemino Healthcare Finance McAfee, Inc. 3965 Freedom Circle Santa Clara, CA 95054 888.847.8766 Tel. www.mcafee.com McAfee and/or additional marks herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of McAfee, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the US and/or other countries. McAfee Red in connection with security is distinctive of McAfee brand products. All other registered and unregistered trademarks herein are the sole property of their respective owners. © 2008 McAfee, Inc. All rights reserved. 5-gemino-001-0508p