Utility Depends on Untangle for Network Protection and Compliance

Background

Bridger Valley Electric Association (Bridger) is a consumer-owned cooperative, part of the Wyoming Rural Electric Association, that provides electricity and internet across 8,000 meters in the SW Wyoming region. Gregg Moretti has been the Chief Information Officer at Bridger for many years, and is responsible for all networking solutions and ensuring the headquarters, 12 substations, as well as the 30 servers, 60 workstations, various laptops, mobile devices and remote users are all securely connected and protected from threats. As the sole person responsible for networking, Morretti needs solutions that are easy to use, quick to implement and cost-effective.

Securing Multiple Locations

Moretti has relied on Untangle for more than 8 years. “I came across Untangle in my search for a network security solution that was robust and customizable, yet also affordable,” said Moretti. Moretti was able to save money immediately by downloading the NG Firewall platform and free apps to deploy on existing hardware. The platform and free apps provided basic network monitoring and control over the network. As the company needs grew, Morretti turned to NG Firewall Complete for a comprehensive network security solution to tackle content filtering, protection against ransomware, malware and advanced threats, application-based shaping for bandwidth optimization, VPN connectivity options and more. “I was able to do a free trial of the paid applications and quickly realized the benefits the entire solution could provide to address our network security needs,” said Moretti.

Bridger is located in southwest Wyoming, with one main headquarters office and 12 remote substations. “We have an Untangle u150 appliance at our headquarters location that filters the traffic for all the devices on site, as well as the traffic that we send via VPN from our remote substations,” said Moretti. Untangle appliances allow for simple setup and installation, as NG Firewall is already installed and pre-configured.

Moretti is now evaluating deploying Untangle u25 appliances at each remote location to connect them directly to the internet. He can then manage policies for these locations via Command Center, Untangle’s cloud-based centralized management platform.

We use the Web Filter and Application Control apps quite extensively to actively block inappropriate websites and applications that users may attempt to access.

Untangle’s suite of applications provides Moretti with everything he needs to protect each location. The Virus Blocker, Spam Blocker and Phish Blocker applications all work together effectively to block phishing scams, clickbait spam, viruses, botnets, ransomware, and other threats. “We use the Web Filter and Application Control apps quite extensively to actively block inappropriate websites and applications that users may attempt to access,” said Moretti. Untangle’s Bandwidth Control and Policy Manager apps enable Moretti to control the network traffic, ensuring business critical applications are given priority and remote users are given appropriate access to the internal network. “All of the apps have default settings that get you up and running quickly,” said Moretti. “The apps that require additional and more detailed rule sets are easily configurable.”

For billing purposes, Bridger must allow a third-party billing vendor to connect to the internal network. With Untangle’s Policy Manager, Moretti is able to allow them onto the network only from certain IP addresses and limit their access to only what they require. “The Policy Manager app lets me create very granular user-based rules,” said Moretti, “and because Untangle logs every event that happens on the network, I can easily look at the reports to see if someone tried to access information not pertaining to their work.”

Compliance Made Easy

As an electrical utility company, Bridger must abide by federal regulations, NERC, and state standards. “We conduct threat management and vulnerability assessments on a regular basis,” said Moretti, “so it is critical to have real-time reporting to show the compliance auditors we have a threat defense solution in place.” NG Firewall Reports provides Moretti with a detailed view of all the network traffic, including blocked threats and rogue websites and applications. Because the reports are database-driven, Moretti can drill down into any aspect of the network traffic, providing compliance auditors with specific reports to meet their standards.

Untangle’s Dashboard provides Moretti with an overview of the entire network status, including security alerts, system performance and suspicious networking activities. “I have a 43-inch monitor in my office dedicated to displaying the Dashboard, so I can see exactly when an anomaly occurs,” said Moretti. “Untangle has continued to add innovative features to its network security solution over the years, and I would recommend anyone with limited funds and IT resources take a look at Untangle.”