Customer Spotlight: SkiStar Hits the Slopes With Palo Alto Networks Security Operating Platform

From finding the ideal holiday package to buying lift tickets and sports gear, SkiStar – a leading Scandinavian resort company that owns and operates six major alpine destinations in Sweden, Norway and Austria – relies on its network to provide a seamless guest experience. SkiStar even uses network data to create popular mobile apps, including a gamification platform with nearly 700,000 players who use it to find friends on the slopes and compete for the most runs.

Peter Larsson, SkiStar's CIO/IT chief, remarks, "Our entire business depends on the network. It handles payments on the e-commerce side as well as payments from on-site ticket sales, hotels and retail transactions. If our network is corrupted by a cyberattack, it would disrupt revenue streams and create a very bad impression on our guests."

As its network became ever more critical to the business, SkiStar sought to improve its network security to deliver a reliable, efficient web and mobile app experience for its guests. Realizing that the traditional Cisco ASA firewall at its network perimeter was no longer adequate, SkiStar chose the Palo Alto Networks Security Operating Platform to improve its cybersecurity posture. Larsson and his team deployed two PA-3050s, a PA-500 and a PA-200. They also purchased subscriptions to Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, WildFire, Traps and GlobalProtect.

Larsson and his team witnessed the following results:

• Automatic detection and prevention of cyberthreats from infiltrating or exfiltrating the network
• Prevention of ransomware from disrupting employee productivity
• Savings of hundreds of hours per year on security administration
• More complete security with less complexity

Pleased with the security enhancements gained by the Palo Alto Networks Security Operating Platform, Larsson says:

"The Palo Alto Networks platform has given us a more capable security infrastructure with much less complexity. Most importantly, it ensures our guests can enjoy everything SkiStar brings them online and on the slopes with complete confidence in the security of our network."

Read the rest of the SkiStar case study to learn more.