Automatically Detects and Stops Cyberthreats; Saves Hundreds of Hours Per Year on Security Administration

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – 7 March  2018 – Palo Alto Networks® (NYSE: PANW), the next-generation security company, today announced that SkiStar — a leading Scandinavian resort company that owns and operates six major Alpine destinations in Sweden, Norway and Austria — chose the Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Security Platform to protect its organization from cyberthreats that could disrupt guest services and employee productivity. SkiStar relies extensively on its network and the Palo Alto Networks platform to provide guest services, maintain employee productivity, and deliver a unique and secure digital Alpine experience.

Stockholm-based SkiStar focuses on creating a memorable mountain experience for every guest, whether it’s finding the perfect holiday resort package online, shortening lift lines with digital passes, or playing app-based skiing games with friends on the slopes. The company handles personal and financial information for guests booking hotels and ski packages online, buying merchandise in resort shops, or getting the latest trail conditions on their mobile app. Securing its network is paramount; however, SkiStar’s legacy firewall was not designed to defend against today’s advanced cyberthreats and exploits.

By replacing its previous firewalls with the Palo Alto Networks platform, SkiStar gained more complete and effective network security including prevention of ransomware attacks that previously affected the business.

Now, SkiStar successfully prevents, detects and blocks the most advanced cyberthreats to keep all network activity by guests and employees secure and performing efficiently. Moreover, the Palo Alto Networks platform simplified security administration, saving SkiStar’s IT team hundreds of administrative hours per year.

QUOTES

•  “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. We also issue our ski tickets with an RFID tag that must be validated at all points of entry and at the lifts in our resorts. If our network is corrupted by a cyberattack, it would disrupt revenue streams and create a very bad impression on our guests.”
  – Peter Larsson, CIO/IT chief, SkiStar

• "The Palo Alto Networks platform gives us a more capable security infrastructure with much less complexity. Most important, it ensures our guests can enjoy everything SkiStar brings them online and on the slopes with complete confidence in the security of our network."
  – Peter Larsson, CIO/IT chief, SkiStar

The Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Security Platform provides SkiStar with the Next-Generation Firewall, Threat Intelligence Cloud, and Advanced Endpoint Protection, safely enabling applications, users and content with protection against known and unknown cyberthreats across its multinational resorts.

To protect its main data center in Sweden, SkiStar deployed a pair of PA-3050 next-generation firewalls in high availability mode. SkiStar deployed subscriptions for Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, GlobalProtect™ network security for mobile endpoints, and the WildFire™ cloud-based threat analysis service. SkiStar also deployed Traps™ advanced endpoint protection to prevent sophisticated attacks targeted at endpoints. This deployment safeguards all traffic for SkiStar’s Scandinavian operations, including its flagship skistar.com website, mobile apps and payment infrastructure. Similarly, SkiStar deployed a PA-500 next-generation firewall for its Austrian resort, along with a PA-200 next-generation firewall for test and development.

With this end-to-end network security protection, no traffic can come into or go out of SkiStar’s network without first passing through the security controls of the Palo Alto Networks platform. In addition, Traps prevents both known and unknown exploits and malware on endpoints. This stops even the most advanced cyberthreats from infiltrating its network, endpoints, or command-and-control traffic from exfiltrating business or guest data.

About SkiStar
SkiStar is a leading Scandinavian resort company that owns and operates six major alpine destinations in Sweden, Norway and Austria. SkiStar’s core business is alpine skiing, with a focus on the guests’ overall skiing experience. The business spans ski operations infrastructure such as lifts, as well as an extensive online and app-based digital infrastructure to engage guests. The company also operates hotels and restaurants, along with retail properties associated with resort operations. For more information please visit www.skistar.com.

About Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks is the next-generation security company, leading a new era in cybersecurity by safely enabling applications and preventing cyber breaches for tens of thousands of organizations worldwide. Built with an innovative approach and highly differentiated cyberthreat prevention capabilities, our game-changing security platform delivers security far superior to legacy or point products, safely ==enables daily business operations, and protects an organization’s most valuable assets. Find out more at www.paloaltonetworks.com.

Palo Alto Networks, the Palo Alto Networks logo, GlobalProtect, WildFire and Traps are trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

Media Contact:
Katherine James
Senior Manager,
EMEA PR & AR
Palo Alto Networks
+44 (0)7887 522919
kjames@paloaltonetworks.com