IBM secures the logistics and travel industries with analytics
Published November 17, 2014
NEWS BRIEF--IBM has introduced a new analytics software aimed to help companies in the lucrative travel and transportation industries—hotels, traveler services, shipping—cope with IT security risks.
Utilizing counter fraud and security technologies and services, IBM will support hotel chains, airlines, car rental agencies, commercial freight, and other industry companies not only assess their current security posture but also resolve any potential threats.
The lodging, logistics, and travel industries share similar risks in a time of global economics and incessant movement across continents. 21st century transience—fast, over porous borders, accessible to everyone everywhere—is freighted with a host of technology-oriented problems. Before the super-breach that crippled Target brought attention to the issue, the hotel industry knew it was vulnerable, as even a mid-market hotel can collect tens of thousands of credit cards a year.
A recent survey emphasized how supply chain managers have become more wary of data breaches. The currents of cargo trucks rushing through the hubs of the world leave a wake of information for hackers to siphon—gas station IT systems, weigh station databases, maintenance records, insurance companies CRM profiles.
IBM’s new security offering is set to analyze data for both internal and external company security perimeters. The product can provide continuous protection and complete endpoint management to travel and transportation companies.
The product arrives as professionals consider concepts like compliance, identity management, event and access management and biometrics as the new perimeter encircling both the old and new systems that make up the modern, legacy-rich IT environment.
The new concept will use IBM’s QRadar Security Intelligence Platform to form an architecture that will mesh security information, anomaly detection, incident forensics, and configuration. IBM’s Security AppScan software will boost web and mobile application security and strengthen regulatory compliance.
“At United [Airlines], we have developed a comprehensive security strategy to vigorously protect our assets and our customer data,” says Michael Kennaugh, Vice President of Information Technology for United.
The new offering traces a plan structured on key security strategies: the current security posture is assessed and an incident response plan is set; infrastructure is built to protect critical data and enhance visibility into possible flaws; an approach is assumed to safeguard transactional systems and securing applications.
If a company is currently under attack, the plan will include access to an emergency response team, which designs and reviews current incident response plans and gives full-day access to IBM security experts in the case of an ongoing breach. The team will provide access to key resources that can enable faster recovery and reduce business impact from ongoing incidents.
“Security is not a ‘project,’ and needs continuous, rigorous discipline to deal with incoming threats. The only economical, practical, and viable way for travel and transportation companies to protect themselves is to layer themselves in protection, adopting both defensive and proactive approaches,” says Marty Salfen, General Manager, IBM Global Travel & Transportation Industry. “Many security solutions are largely defensive, leveraging advanced security analytics as a weapon will allow travel and transportation companies to detect, react, remedy, and go on offense quickly.”