Entrust Customers

Perot Systems Chooses Entrust To Connect Its Global Mobile Workforce

Perot Systems is a worldwide provider of information technology services and business solutions to large multinational enterprises. The company delivers business integration, systems integration and application development, and infrastructure services to help clients take full advantage of business over the Internet by accelerating growth, streamlining operations and creating new levels of customer value. With 70 percent of its more than 7,500 employees working from remote locations around the world, ensuring secure communications across its global mobile workforce is one of Perot Systems' greatest challenges.

The Challenges of Supporting Remote Employees
Perot Systems relies on a tightly knit network of professional consultants to support the myriad needs of its diverse, far-flung client base. The company's consultants roam from client site to remote office, from hotel room to home, in their efforts to develop and deliver innovative solutions to meet client needs. Perot Systems' remote employees require timely access to mission-critical and sensitive information, particularly information residing in the corporate knowledge-base (the repository for RFP and decision-making tools) and client trouble-ticketing applications. While the company's success depends largely upon employees' ability to tap into such information anywhere, at any time, the need to protect that information and secure communications is just as vital.

In the process of evaluating security options, Perot Systems recognized that basic Internet security available via SSL and username/password combinations was not sufficient to protect the privacy of its customer and competitive information. Basic Internet security does not provide the strong, auditable verification of transactions the company required. Perot Systems also needed strong assurance of all remote individuals attempting to access corporate resources.

In addition, Perot Systems realized the leased lines approach it had been using to protect access to corporate information was neither a cost-effective, nor a responsive solution. Furthermore, the company's productivity was declining while overtime demands were rising, as consultants were often forced to wait until they were off client sites, at home or in a hotel to dial in-usually at a very high cost. To top it all off, Perot Systems needed a way to provide secure access to multiple application environments without increasing the administrative support needed to maintain this secure network.

Combining Innovative Security and Wireless Devices with Internet Speed
Perot Systems turned to Entrust for help in meeting the challenges of connecting its global mobile workforce. Implementing a combination of Entrust VPN and Web Portal solutions, the company was able to rapidly integrate security into its existing environment to offer new and more cost-effective services to its employees.

By establishing a VPN using product from CheckPoint to enable secure remote access to six key applications, Perot Systems deployed digital certificates to 6,000 employees. Today, the company achieves positive identification and assurance of all employees accessing its valuable customer information. Enhanced entitlement and privacy capabilities ensure that the right people are accessing the right information.

In addition, Perot Systems has created significant increases in employee productivity by leveraging the unique "zero-footprint" client capabilities of the Entrust Web Portal Solution. Consultants at client sites are now able to use standard Web access to establish a secure connection to the corporate intranet, ERP system, time tracking and other applications.

Perot Systems also chose to take advantage of leading-edge wireless devices such as the Palm and Compaq iPaq handheld devices. The Entrust VPN solution enables end-to-end protection of information regardless of whether an employee is accessing corporate information via a Web-browser or wireless device.

With more than 6,000 employees currently deployed, Perot Systems also benefits from the advanced security management capabilities of its Entrust solution. These capabilities allow the company to effectively and efficiently manage the wide range of security requirements with significantly less administrative burden on end-users and administrators-regardless of the application or platform. Automated and transparent management, in turn, has reduced Perot Systems' cost of ownership associated with maintaining its overall security environment.

Results

• Significant increase in productivity for up to 70 percent of Perot Systems' workforce
• Almost 50 percent savings in communications expenses
• 6,000 employees currently deployed
• Web-based security and wireless devices enable consultants to provide real-time responsiveness to client inquiries and requests

Learn more about this story at: Internet Week.