C.F. Sharp Holdings, Inc.

The Information Age has revolutionized the way companies manage their operations. At the very heart of this new phenomenon is turning information into useful and manageable knowledge resource. Managing knowledge and information is a key factor in spelling a company’s smooth operations. However, the security of this information is the cornerstone in ensuring the success or failure of a company’s business.

C.F. Sharp Holdings, Inc., a member of the C.F. Sharp Group, spared no expense in securing the company’s network system. It provides administrative and accounting services necessary for and in support of the business operations of all the companies belonging to the group.

Security Directive

Mr. Raul Austria, EVP for Finance and COO of C.F. Sharp Holdings, said the company needed a solution that would address its concerns about network security because of its Internet connection. The company wanted to protect its Internet servers and its databases from unauthorized access. Moreover, its foreign business partners also required that a security protocol be implemented on their network for their business transactions.

“We then decided that it was the perfect time to implement a firewall system and to abide with the directive as well,said Mr. Bong Baje, CF Sharp IT Director. “Although it was more than two years ago that C.F. Sharp considered purchasing the firewall application software, the price of the software at that time was a bit expensive.

Mr. Baje said that today, most of the applications of the C.F. Sharp Group are “web launchable specifically the databases. The group, especially the MIS Department, saw the need for a firewall appliance or application software. Fujitsu came into the picture and provided C.F. Sharp a network firewall solution that would address its network security problem by recommending the Cisco PIX515E firewall appliance that, aside from meeting the specs of the requirement, fits the budget of C.F. Sharp.

Smooth installation

Installation of the Cisco PIX515E firewall appliance according to Mr. Eric Rivera, Network Supervisor of C.F. Sharp, was smooth. There were few challenges encountered and among which was the time of the installation itself. This was done after office hours to give way for the daily operations of the company. Another minor setback was when the internal network cannot be accessed. However, Rivera stressed that this was just part of a natural process of installation.

After determining the full scope of the company’s network security problems and concerns, FPI conducted a Vulnerability Assessment (VA) of the company’s network to identify its weaknesses.

Based on the results of the VA, FPI found critical information on possible vulnerabilities of the company’s network. A set of firewall policies was written to limit and control the access of data from and into the company’s network.

Security Benefits

“The network traffic improved as well as the network security of C.F. Sharp infrastructure, Equipped Mr. Rivera. Another benefit that C.F. Sharp derived from the Firewall implementation is that proper identification and designation of open ports were done. This, in turn, prevented hacking of the system to take place.

Addressing the security issue is just one of the ways C.F. Sharp continuously strives to improve its daily operations. Like the rest of the group of companies, C.F. Sharp aims to be world-class. The company is ambitiously looking ahead at implementing a video conferencing over IP.

This planned video conferencing initiative will enable C.F. Sharp to conduct interviews, anytime and anywhere, via IP. “This will result not just in cutting costs in terms of travel expenses of interviewers, but also in making it as an attractive alternative to traveling, particularly right after the September 11 terrorism attack that made some people fear flying to other countries,he said.

C.F. Sharp is confident that with the continued support from FPI, the company will be able to fully exploit the advantages of having a secure network. Adding to this is the plan of C.F. Sharp to make itself a state-of-the-art company in terms of ICT needs. “With FPI as our IT partner and guide, C.F. Sharp is sure to achieve more successes both for the company and for our clients,concluded Mr. Baje.