RandomStorm provides security scanning technology to Reading FC
(03/04/2008)

Like all premiership clubs, Premiership league football club, Reading FC, is concerned as much about running a multi-million pound business as they are about what happens on the football field and these days that means having a Web portal that enables the fans to keep fully involved with all the commercial aspects of the club in between match days. Unfortunately that brings with it the responsibility for protecting the digital identities of any visitors to the site, particularly when dealing with any online payment transactions.

To help ensure that any personal information held on the club’s internal network is protected from the growing problem of Internet based attacks, Reading has signed up with RandomStorm. Unlike last year’s capture of mid-fielder, Emerse Fae, this move has been made to help protect the club from problems to do with the security of its corporate IT network and not about closing down the opposition attack.

RandomStorm’s online, security scanning technology enables club IT manager, Garry Hanson to regularly check his network security system for vulnerabilities that could lead to sensitive information falling into the wrong hands. As a business that handles a large volume of card payment transactions, Reading FC falls under the payment card industry, PCI, security regulations, which means that they must have their networks scanned every quarter to be able to continue to offer this payment facility.

“Security is a major part of running any business network and there is a constant need to regularly check for new vulnerabilities that can easily be introduced during the normal day to day activity on a busy network.” commented Garry Hanson “RandomStorm enables me to schedule regular scans of the whole network and ensures we stay compliant with the PCI standards, without which our commercial activities would be seriously affected.”

Under the agreement Garry will have online access to RandomStorm’s, xStorm scanning service allowing him to schedule scans as often as necessary and providing him with detailed reports on the type and level of seriousness of any threats that are found. RandomStorm is one of only a handful of companies in the UK that is a PCI Approved Scanning Vendor which means that its reports can be used to meet the quarterly scanning requirement needed by the club to remain compliant.

Robin Hill, Sales Director at RandomStorm said “Signing with a Premiership football club has always been an ambition of mine and although this wasn’t quite what I had in mind I am delighted to be able to play a part in the business success of the club.”