The Challenge
Until recently each location had its own private network routed over the Internet using Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) with Cisco Routers. With such a widely dispersed network using the Cisco routers was becoming cost prohibitive. “The size of our network meant that it was slow and was becoming very costly,” said Lanny Pauley, Chief Operating Officer, NeuroScience Consultants.

The Requirements
Pauley knew the practice needed to move away from its current method of connecting the organization’s networks and move toward using VPN tunnels. He also wanted a solution that would provide a lower total cost of ownership while providing the ability to prioritize network traffic so that programs could run across the network faster. Additionally, the new solution would also have to reduce the amount of spam, malware and spyware on the network. Collaborating with RemoteWorks, a leading IT support provider, Pauley began his search.

The Solution
After evaluating NeuroScience Consultants’ needs and researching several different security solutions including Barracuda and Cisco’s ASA and PIX appliances, RemoteWorks recommended the Astaro Security Gateway to connect all sixteen of the NeuroScience Consultants’ locations and protect its 250-300 users from spam, malware and spyware. “I needed to ensure that all electronic medical records received the highest priority treatment relative to bandwidth and that normal Internet traffic received the least priority,” explained Pauley.

Success with Astaro
By switching from the private network MPLS system they used to VPN overlay with the Astaro Security Gateways NeuroScience Consultants saved over $100,000 a year in networking costs. The simple VPN tunneling allowed Pauley to provide access to outside requests for access to medical records programs. RemoteWorks also helped Pauley shape his organization’s bandwidth, reprioritizing network applications which increased the networks speed with essential functions such as medical record transmissions.