SUNNYVALE, Calif., -- Nov. 16, 2004 -- The combined forces of managed security services provider Computer Concepts and SonicWALL have turned a security breach into a secure, flexible and cost-effective solution for Southwest Family Medicine. After hackers disabled their entire computer system, the medical practice eventually found remedy together with a new approach to IT with SonicWALL channel partner Computer Concepts.
Colorado-based Southwest Family Medicine is a small group practice with a customer base of approximately 6,500 patients. In July 2003, the practice's computers suddenly froze and began to shut down, infected by a Trojan. After working unsuccessfully with an external consultant to solve the problem, the clinic decided to involve the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in order to protect patient records. The CBI removed the server for forensic tests, leaving Southwest Family Medicine without computers for three weeks.
Vicky Rauzi, practice manager and part owner of Southwest, says, "We were literally back to paper and pencil. We didn't know what patients had been scheduled or how much doctor or nursing time we needed. We couldn't see if there was an outstanding balance when patients came in, so we couldn't do collections. To make matters worse, we weren't able to bill during that time, but of course we still had to pay staff and cover expenses."
At that point, Rauzi engaged Computer Concepts, Inc, a managed IT services provider, who retrieved the equipment from CBI only to discover that hackers were still using it as music and game servers, effectively disabling the practice's network. Eric LaRochelle, President of Computer Concepts, decided on a complete change of approach to secure Southwest's systems for the future.
Computer Concepts replaced the practice's firewall with SonicWALL TZ170 Series security appliances, converted the practice systems to thin clients, and installed a new practice management system based on a hosted SonicWALL PRO 2040 appliance running Global VPN Client software and SonicWALL's Intrusion Prevention Service (IPS) to prevent future worm, Trojan or virus attacks. The TZ 170s provide secure VPN tunnels over a DSL line to Computer Concepts' hosting center, which now maintains and updates software programs, conducts audits and security checks, and deals with any IT problems that may crop up.
"We use SonicWALL security solutions because SonicWALL provides the greatest amount of value for the dollar," comments LaRochelle. "We either install or refer SonicWALL products to clients, and use them exclusively in our own hosting center."
Computer Concepts, Inc. specializes in networked solutions for the healthcare market and currently provides managed services for 135 client practices and two hospitals. LaRochelle comments, "HIPAA regulations are a driver for the medical community to update their IT systems. Practices need to demonstrate clear intent to secure the network and have the correct auditing capabilities."
LaRochelle estimates the initial costs to build an IT infrastructure at a four-doctor practice average some $140,000 plus an additional $90,000 for support. "With hosting," he points out, "customers save a great deal of money and their costs are fixed. The return on investment for hosting over a five-year period is less than the initial expense to build the infrastructure. We bring a new office online in just a couple weeks, allowing great scalability for practices with multiple sites or expansion plans."
Southwest is now experiencing the ROI, productivity and peace of mind that managed IT services provide. "Our attack came from Denmark, making it an international issue. But international authorities didn't want to invest a lot of time going after a 'mere' $100,000 loss," said Rauzi. "But this was a bad experience that had a very good outcome for us. The technical support that we now receive from Computer Concepts frees us up to get on with business of providing patient care."
About SonicWALL, Inc.
SonicWALL, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated network security, mobility, and productivity solutions for the SMB, enterprise, e-commerce, education, healthcare, retail/point-of-sale, and government markets. Core technologies include firewall, VPN, wireless, intrusion detection and prevention, SSL, anti-virus, and content filtering, along with award-winning security management solutions. Together, these products and technologies provide the most comprehensive distributed enforcement architecture available. SonicWALL, Inc. is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA. SonicWALL trades on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol SNWL. For more information, contact SonicWALL at 408-745-9600 or visit the company web site at http://www.sonicwall.com/ .
