OTTAWA, Canada, July 9, 2002 - Network technology supplied by Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, and Magma Communications Ltd., a leader in full service Internet solutions, successfully secured the official web site of the 2002 G8 Summit from external intrusion.
The 2002 G8 Summit, hosted in Kananaskis, Alberta on June 26 and 27, brought together G8 leaders to discuss and agree upon collective action in response to global challenges. As the Summit attracts significant global attention, the Government of Canada needed to ensure the official web site would serve as an authoritative and highly available source of information on the meeting's agenda, proceedings and news. It therefore needed to ensure the web site would be fully protected from disruption of service and external threats.
The Government of Canada contracted Magma Communications, a full-service Internet solutions provider and Cisco partner, who had provided comprehensive web site management for the Summit of the Americas held in Quebec City in April 2001. In order to ensure uncompromised availability for the G8 Summit web site, Magma provided a customized approach, which included firewall solutions, 24/7 management and monitoring services and a Cisco Intrusion Detection System (IDS), all within a highly secure data centre facility.
"Ensuring efficient, timely and reliable access to information was crucial for the Government's G8 Summit team, so in providing the full hosting and security solution for the web site, there was no room for error," said A.J. Byers, Chief Operating Officer, Magma Communications. "To ensure communications would not be compromised by any external threats, the site was hosted in Magma's ultra-secure Internet Data Centre and monitored around the clock by our senior network and security specialists."
In response to the requirements, Cisco Systems provided an intrusion detection solution, the Cisco IDS-4210. The Cisco IDS-4210 Sensor is a network security 'appliance' that detects unauthorized activity traversing the network, such as attacks by hackers, by analyzing traffic in real time, enabling users to quickly respond to security breaches. When unauthorized activity is detected, the sensor sends alarms to a management console with details of the activity and can control other systems, such as routers, to terminate the unauthorized session.
"Cisco was pleased to have the opportunity to assist the Government of Canada in hosting the G8 Summit, and to work with Magma Communications to ensure the web site was protected from any outside attacks," said Pierre-Paul Allard, Managing Director, Cisco Systems Canada. "The Cisco IDS solution worked seamlessly, in integration with Magma's customized solution, to identify and defend against possible hackers and network security threats."
